12 Step Programs – The Freedom Model For Addictions: Recent Episodes
The Freedom Model
Finding a rehab that is not based on the 12-Step Program and does not refer you to 12-step meetings as aftercare is like seeking a unicorn. Do you believe in unicorns? Yeah, me neither. Here are 5 questions you can ask to determine if the rehab you found that claims to be non-12-step, is in fact, still based on and tied to the 12-step program. Do you have support group meetings (AA, NA…
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This is a difficult question to answer. I know, you think the answer is a simple yes or no; it should be an easy result from your quick internet search for help. But here’s the problem. Porn addiction therapy, the name itself, is a misnomer, and so your search for help might give results that you don’t want or need. Here’s why – “Porn addiction” isn’t what you think it is. Consequently…
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Over the last decade we here at The Freedom Model have received a massive number of questions concerning sexual addiction and the role porn plays in that issue. Within this conversation is the belief that the regular engagement with porn will hijack the brain and compel compulsive porn use. As with so many confusing concepts, the truth lies in the nuances of the situation. Let’s dive into some of…
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That’s a question we get a lot here at The Freedom Model. The answer to this question requires some explanation and understanding of what’s at play with this class of challenges. “Porn or sex addiction” or PMO (porn, masturbation & orgasm) addiction as a disorder or disease of the brain is a relatively new idea (compared to the 80+ year substance use addiction disease model). While it hasn’t…
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We just released Episode 232 of The Addiction Solution Podcast, and in it, Mark and I discuss the importance of being persistent when solving substance use problems or other “addictions”. And spoiler alert; it doesn’t involve forcing yourself to be abstinent, feeling deprived, and miserable! You can watch this episode by clicking the link below: Episode 232: Solving Addiction With Persistence?
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Last week a long-time friend confided in me that she is struggling with alcohol. I have known Ann since high school, and she has always been self-confident, highly motivated, and a very high achiever. At just 60 years old, she is retiring after a lucrative 30-year career at a very prestigious company. She has every reason to be excited about her future, but is now struggling with depression and…
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Research for The Freedom Model began nearly 40 years ago in the early 1980’s. At that time the addiction disease model was spreading across the globe but was largely limited to the substance using demographic. Since then, researchers began seriously questioning the drug and alcohol disease model (and later the brain disease model), and a brave few completely debunked it and wrote about it.
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What is The New Freedom Model’s New Solution to Addiction? What is the solution to addiction? That’s a question that’s been asked for more than a century, with no clear answer – until now. The Past and Its Failed Policies and Programs We currently have more treatment, more money spent on recovery programs, and more medical resources and training on the topic of addiction than anytime in human…
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In 1989, when I began working with my research mentor, Jerry Brown, I made a promise to myself; I (we) would build a substance use model that was more effective than what was available, was accessible to anyone anywhere in the world, and would be a model that they could afford. Well, at the end of 2023 that 34 year goal was accomplished with the fulfillment of creating the entire suite of products…
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The Freedom Model Coalition What is it, and why would you want to participate? Let me start by wishing you a Happy New Year! Over the past 34 years, we have received consistent correspondence from the public asking us what they can do to help spread the word about The Freedom Model and the non-12 step, non-treatment-based method it teaches. Those asking are usually the family members or friends…
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I asked Michelle and Ryan this morning, “What should my year-end email topic be?” She said, “Do a year in review.” So we went into my office and began listing all the accomplishments of 2023 – and frankly, we were shocked! We’ve been so busy that it’s easy to get tunnel vision on each project and lose sight of the bigger picture. When we sat down and listed out the number of people helped…
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I learned how to worry when I was a young child living in a home where bad things were happening to me frequently that were completely out of my control. As a child, you are at the mercy of those around you who are older and supposed to be wiser. In much of the aggregate of my childhood, the wisdom part of that equation was missing for me and those around me. Our family was lost, rudderless…
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Whether you like it or not, as we come to the end of another year, we can’t help but assess, have I made progress? Am I ending the year in a better place than I started it, or do I have the same struggles I had last year at this time? It can be frustrating and disheartening when the answer to that last question is yes, I am still struggling with a problem I had wanted to solve. As we get older…
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You might wonder why this topic is being addressed here on The Freedom Model blog; a blog devoted to the topic of debunking addiction and recovery myths. I mean really, “what grips your soul”? The trouble with the quote above is this: if read quickly, it can seem like unwanted advice and frankly, a bit like fluffy greeting card fodder. And of course, Freedom Model students won’t put up with…
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We’ve all heard the cliché, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you’ve spent any time at all in the addiction recovery world you’ve heard this touted as fact multiple times by people trying to convince you that you are an addict or alcoholic who clearly can’t use substances without causing massive problems in your life.
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Quote from Matthew Perry’s Memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing Actor, author, and 12-step advocate, Matthew Perry, passed away this past Saturday (October 28, 2023). While we don’t know an official cause of death yet, it is not a stretch to say that his life for the past 30 years was tragic in and of itself. You may disagree, but I’m simply taking his word for it.
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No. There you have it. The Freedom Model for Addictions is not opposed to anyone who wants to take medications for “opioid use disorder”. But with that blanket statement made, it is important to know that we are opposed to lying to the masses to make them believe that MOUD is the only way to curb opiate use. This assertion that all opiate users must use MOUD (formerly known as MAT) sounds…
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There’s no need for “recovery” or identifying as a “recovering addict/alcoholic” or any other label that endlessly ties you to your past version of yourself.
Addiction exists in your mind, and that’s the only place you can solve it! Mark and Michelle talk about the key role free will and mental autonomy play in solving addiction. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a new episode is...
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So many people say, “Just don’t give up!” “Persistence always pays off!” But does it always pay off? Isn’t there a time when you should call it quits. Mark and Michelle break this down in this week’s episode of The Addiction Solution! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming...
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A common misunderstanding about The Freedom Model is we’re saying you have to be happy to stop your addiction, which is not true at all! Mark and Michelle clarify that unhappiness is not the cause of addiction which means you don’t have to find happiness to solve it. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution...
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Taking on the addict/alcoholic self-image can make moving past addiction seem impossible! Even those people who don’t think addiction is a disease can unknowingly take on the self-image of an addict and it can keep them stuck struggling with heavy use. In this episode we break down how to grow past harmful relationships that foster the addict and alcoholic self-images, as well as the benefits that...
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We make the case that 12 step programs and addiction treatment based on it can cause significant harm to relationships, which often makes struggles with heavy substance use worse, not better. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a...
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When you get to that point where you are continuing heavy drinking or drug use, or another behavior, and you’re hating the consequences, and you’re hating yourself, but you can’t seem to stop doing it, how do you stop? Mark and Michelle provide some valuable insights into how you can move past this difficult stage. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS.
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The Addiction Solution welcomes a special guest, Beverly Schechtman, Director/Vice President of The Doctor Patient Forum (https://www.thedoctorpatientforum.com/) , an advocacy group for pain patients and prescribing physicians. Because of the massive misinformation campaign against opiates, many pain patients are now being denied medications that have helped them to maintain a higher quality of...
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Addiction treatment doesn’t actually help people to solve addiction, it makes them “accept it” under the guise of helping them. It creates lifelong customers who continue to struggle with a problem that should have been temporary. Addiction experts, Mark Scheeren and Michelle Dunbar discuss what it is going to take to replace this outdated, ineffective, and harmful system. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP...
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Listener topic request: Why do some people gain an understanding of The Freedom Model but occasionally drink or use drugs heavily? CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a new episode is released. ~|apple~|font-awesome~|solid...
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Everything changes for you once the people in your life see you as “an addict”. Whether you labeled yourself or that label was thrust on you by well-meaning friends, family, or treatment professionals, fully moving past addiction sometimes requires educating those close to you. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW FAMILIES MOVING PAST ADDICTION MASTERCLASS. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction...
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A podcast listener asked us this question and he used the example of David Goggin’s book, Can’t Hurt Me, where he explains how he motivated himself to achieve many remarkable accomplishments by talking critically to himself. Why did these negative motivators seem to work so well for him when we say they are not effective motivators for stopping heavy substance use or other “addictions”.
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Everyone knows there are long term effects from heavy substance use, but what no one talks about are the long term effects of being “in recovery” and there are many! On this episode, Freedom Model Addiction Experts discuss the many long term effects we have helped our guests work through over the years and how you too, can undo the long term effects the recovery society may have had on you!
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“I wake up in the morning and have great resolve! I’m not going to drink today! Then at 5:00 it goes out the window and I start my binge again! I must be one of those who will never get it.” If this is you, then this episode was made especially for you! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a new episode is...
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When criticizing an accepted paradigm and 80 year old institution such as the addiction disease theory and the original 12 step program, Alcoholics Anonymous, you better have a thick skin! For our 160th episode of The Addiction Solution Podcast, Mark and Michelle answer their critics directly. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can...
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We’ve all heard this mantra: your “recovery” must come first! Whatever you put in front of it, you’ll lose! Is this true? And is it helpful to think this way? This great topic was sent in by a listener. Keep those great ideas coming! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a new episode is released.
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If you think “addiction recovery” is a good and positive thing, listen as Mark and Michelle explain the immense inherent problems with identifying yourself in this way, and the massive benefits of moving on from recovery! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a new episode is released. ~|apple~|font...
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“Dry January” has become “a thing” over the last decade as more and more people spend more and more time on social media. We were asked the question by our fans, “What does The Freedom Model think of Dry January?” Is it valuable? Is there any reason to do it? Mark and Michelle explain their take on this more recent social media trend. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on...
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In this episode Mark and Michelle explore and explain the unholy marriage of medicine and religion that the 12 step model created to treat the “addiction disease”. Is it a spiritual disease? Is it a brain disease? It’s neither; and that matters a great deal when trying to solve it! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified...
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Happy New Year Everyone! Do you have New Year’s Resolutions? Are there areas in your life you want to improve? These things are all in an effort to make you happier in your life. Mark and Michelle talk about how you can become happier in your everyday life. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Addiction Solution Podcast on your favorite streaming service so you can be notified every time a new episode...
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A special Christmas episode of The Addiction Solution where Mark and Michelle talk about real people who have transformed their lives with The Freedom Model. It’s important to know that no matter who you are, how long you’ve been struggling, or how severely you have messed things up in your life, you can solve your addictions and build the life you truly want! Don’t forget to subscribe to The...
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Many people struggling with addiction have beliefs about their self image that are part of an addict or alcoholic identity. Here's how you can break those beliefs
One of the criticisms of The Freedom Model we hear is, “You guys say The Freedom Model is the only way!?? Isn’t that just like AA?” No, and here's why!
12 Step beliefs are pervasive society today, and those who are involved in 12 Steps underestimate how programmed with misinformation they truly are.
The Cult Awareness Network posted a list of criteria online on how you can tell if you are in a cult. Does Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Fit the criteria?
The Cult Awareness Network posted a list of criteria online on how you can tell if you are in a cult. Does Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Fit the criteria?
“But AA works for some people.” Mark and Michelle take to task the popular idea that some people need a 12 step program, and that it “gets them sober.”
Is lying to people about addiction justified? No - which is why The Freedom Model will always speak the truth, regardless of popular opinion.
When a star dies, the media parrots the same statement, he or she has “lost their battle with addiction.”
Is addiction a spiritual malady? Do you need to adopt a spiritual lifestyle to solve your addiction? Listen as we provide the history behind this question.
Is addiction caused by Trauma? Many people think emotional issues cause addiction, however the research does not support this thinking.
This topic is a listener request! We discuss Shame - and the idea that you have much more power over your emotions than you think you do.
In this episode, we explain our 30+ years of experience of working to change the addiction treatment paradigm, and what it will take to effect real change.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a household name, often credited with saving countless lives despite having an abysmal success rate. How can this be?
Addiction treatment and recovery can trap people for years and tragically, some people never make it out!