I Was Once In Your Shoes

I know this doesn’t seem possible, but I was once in your shoes, so I personally understand why you are skeptical about traditional addiction or habit treatment. I even acknowledge your ambivalence about getting involved in any sort of treatment. But you know you should do something, before it’s too late to regain control.

I know firsthand about the struggle with substance abuse, and what the process of recovery from an addiction really feels like. I know that I am not perfect, but I have worked hard for the last 30 years, incrementally changing my behaviors, focused on creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

The Origins of a New Addiction Treatment Approach

I decided I had to leave the profession of architecture, designing shopping malls for a large Chicago architectural firm, when my ‘out-of-control drug and alcohol issues’ caused my life to completely unravel. My desperate need to find alternative psychological approaches for my personal recovery led me to return to graduate school in Psychology. The discovery of insightful international information did ‘positively’ change the direction of my entire life.

By 1984, I had earned both a Masters degree and a Ph.D. to become a licensed Clinical Psychologist in California. I further honed my knowledge with additional skills to become a Certified Addiction Specialist, and Certified Rational Addictions Therapist, while also earning the Certification in the Treatment of Alcohol and Other Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders, as recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Well-Respected in my Professional Career

As a recognized expert in the Addictions field, I have made over a hundred guest media appearances, including an interview by Dr. Nancy Snyderman on the ABC news-magazine 20/20, as well as on CNN Larry King Live and CNN with Paula Zahn.

My comments are featured in the Robert Zemeckis-directed documentary for SHOWTIME on ”ADDICTIONS IN THE 20th CENTURY -Smoking, Drinking, and Drugging”. My professional opinions are also included on episodes of Spike TV’s “1000 Ways to Die”. I can currently be seen in over 200 Do-It-Yourself videos available online as the ’Expert in Behavioral Addictions’.

Published Author

My first self-help book “Take Control, Now!” is a practical Do-It-Yourself blueprint for managing unwanted habits, with the ideas and techniques of my non-12-step approach. Originally published in 1995, the information in this guided workbook is still seen as contemporary. With the first chapter available online, it is extremely useful and downloaded by hundreds of people every month.

As one of three authors collaborating on the controversial 2002 Self-Help book,“Responsible Drinking – a Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers”, I contributed to this second book to present a clear and appropriate method for evaluating Drinking from a Harm Reduction point of view. Proud to have contributed to the relevant topic as recognized by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), this publication was chosen as a ’Self-Help Book of Merit’ Award Winner for 2010.

My work has been published in professional publications, including the prestigious International Journal of the Addictions, while my opinions and quoted statements have been featured in dozens of articles for national medial outlets, from NEWSWEEK to STAR Magazine.

Community Involvement Awards

I am on the Board of Directors for the Self-Help program Moderation Management. Previously, I was on the Board of Directors of SMART Recovery and a member of the original Executive Board of Rational Recovery. I have been recognized with awards by the City of Los Angeles for OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SELF-HELP MOVEMENT with Alternatives to Recovery Treatment Options.

I have presented at national conventions and international professional conferences, and have organized as well as spoken at local workshops. Recently, I have become a frequent contributor of articles to the popular online entertainment blog The WRAP, regarding celebrity addiction, treatment, and the media.

A Personal Note-Thirty Years of Successful Abstinence

At this point in my life, I am happily re-married for more than twenty years, with two fantastic teenage kids, a sweet cat and beautiful home.

I have over thirty years of abstinence from all of my prior drugs of choice, with one exception. I have chosen the ‘Harm Reduction Approach’ to alcohol, as I can enjoy a drink socially (average two glasses of wine a month), with the confidence now that I have the acquired skills to sustain my healthy lifestyle.

“I hope to bring this wisdom,
with all my years of life experience, insight and training,
to others who are now where I once was.”