It is part of our culture, our daily practices, perhaps even our DNA: the desire to do things faster, easier, and with minimal sacrifice. Let’s face it. We want shortcuts. While finding a quicker route to the grocery store can help us save time and even gas money, when we try to take shortcuts to self-improvement, we often [...]
It’s time for a change. Each year the statistics for addiction and its impact on individuals, families, businesses, and communities are released, piling on those from the previous year. Sadly, the numbers keep getting worse: more people die, more accidents occur, more people go to jail, and too few seek help. Let’s make this year [...]
You will have dozens of questions when you start to talk about relapse, and the answers are often confusing or contradictory. Is the success rate for recovery 10 percent? 25 percent? 50 percent? 75 percent? Can an alcoholic or addict establish long-term recovery, or does everyone relapse at some time? Are some treatment approaches better [...]
A mother called very upset that her son had not been approved for admission to St. Joseph Institute. I explained that he wasn’t ready for treatment. He wasn’t ready to stop using his drugs. He had no motivation to get clean beyond the desire to “get his parents off his back.” “What can I do [...]
One of the great joys of addiction treatment is hearing from our graduates. While recovery is not easy, and life has many challenges, there are victories that lift us up and help us all move forward. The following e-mails arrived today and have put a huge smile on my face and energy in my [...]
Most addiction treatment centers in America have used the same program for decades – without great results. St. Joseph Institute has developed a new approach that is far more personal and strives to help the whole person heal. Founder Jenny Sheetz explains why “not all rehabs are equal.”
Tears began to roll down the mother’s face as she talked about Emma. “She was always kind and considerate, such a beautiful girl …and then it all changed when she started using drugs. Now she lies, is so angry, and has stolen from my husband and me. Some days I don’t even know who she [...]
In addiction recovery, “almost” is never good enough. No issue in addiction treatment is of greater importance than the prevention of relapse. Sobriety is never an optional goal. It is the “finish line” that justifies the time, expense, and constant effort. Anything less may not represent failure -- for there may be signs of significant [...]
If only life was a true reflection of the fairy tales our mothers read to us as small children. There was a problem, with courage and determination it was overcome, and everyone could then live happily ever after. The illusion was that there was only one problem, and that if it was resolved, everything else [...]
Addiction treatment can be discouraging. As a healthcare professional you can invest huge amounts of energy and passion into helping someone enter into recovery, only to see them fall back into the old patterns of using. The addict or alcoholic comes to understand their disease, learning techniques to manage their urges, triggers and weaknesses. You [...]
