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Addictions Recovery Coach
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A little about me:
As a teenage soldier in the early 70s I spent too much time in the Junior Ranks Mess getting plastered with my buddies. The problem progressed and my life turned ugly. By 1985 it came down to quit or lose my family, my health and my career. I decided to quit but I found that I did not fit in the recovery system as it was at that time. I had to go it alone and ever since then I've had an interest in self recovery and empathy for, and a desire to help my own kind to get out of the ditch and back on the road. Ive worked in 2 treatment centres, a detox facility and was in private practice for many years. Also did a lot of volunteer work in the addictions field when i was younger. I wanted to test my skill level in the late 90s and got a job working in Addiction Services as a counsellor in the downtown east side of Vancouver. Well known for containing some of the most severely addicted and dysfunctional street people in north America. After more than a decade there I took early retirement and started working part time in a treatment centre in Surrey BC. Ive been doing recovery coaching off and on the last 5 years since moving to the Edson Ab. area. I was a foster parent for nearly 20 years in BC. Specializing in taking 2 teens at a time, most with mental health, developmental and/or addictions issues.
I'm 70 years old now so I only take 1 or 2 clients at a time. I still enjoy the work but there is a lot of mental effort that goes in to preperation for the next session. I can't effectively manage more than 1 or 2 clients at a time anymore.
First session is free to get to know each other and assess whether we are a good match. I won't be offended if you don't want to work with me and I hope you won't be offended if I turn you down. Its all about the relationship and what is best for you. It may be better for you to find someone else if we don't click.
My basic assumptions as a recovery coach:
Every human, with very few exceptions, naturally moves toward comfort and away from pain. Its in our DNA. If you're like me, you may find substances helped at the time. Substances were more comforting and enjoyable for me when the consequences were minimal. But over time the situation always changes and substance usage brings more consequences / discomfort.
Your instinct is to drink or use more because that always worked. It can become confusing. You love your drug of choice but you also know the pain price of continuing, is growing. Maybe you feel trapped because you believe life would be hollow and meaningless, sober. Or perhaps you've tried and failed a few times and don't believe in yourself anymore. There is a deep psychological attachment to your favorite substance that makes thoughts of giving it up almost unbearable even with the mounting pain price you now must pay. This unconscious attachment can be reversed and changed to attachment to happiness IF you do the work required. Its not difficult but does require a lot of personal work and consistency. I can't imagine going back to the misery of addiction and I'll do anything to keep it out of my life. In 85 I couldn't imagine any sort of happiness if sober. The power of attachment was strong and needed to be challenged and broken before I could feel any motivation and see a better future for myself. It is all an illusion caused by psychological attachment and you play it against yourself and anyone or anything that supports quitting.
*Motivation high = high commitment and low to no struggle.
*Motivation low = low commitment and struggles with the attachment to substances.
*Clarity *Commitment *Consistency *Motivation
CCCM. That is the essence of what I coach.
So you feel both ways about continued usage. This unconscious ambivalence is the real problem and it needs to be identified and teased out to the conscious mind where it can be dealt with rationally. The skills are not difficult to learn but do require effort and consistency to become automatic. Just like how thousands of inputs to the unconscious of "substance of choice = pleasure and comfort " created the attachment and automatic response you now struggle with.
The goal is always happiness rather than sobriety, imo. Its harder to set a goal of sobriety when you have a deep attachment to the effects of a drug. But almost everyone has no internal conflict with a goal of happiness. If you dont want to be happy you need therapy and im not doing that anymore.
So we start with our goal of happiness and the sobriety thing may become a side effect of your happiness building. Or maybe you're already accepting that sobriety is necessary for happiness. That makes it easier. Happy people with relapse prevention skills don't struggle. They refuse to further create the illusions of triggers, cravings and relapse. Once detoxed, its all in the mind. You have control only if you feel motivated to use it. Otherwise you'll create excuses and justifications as to why you didnt sieze control. No one can save you! You must accept the challenge of saving yourself.
If interested for yourself or a loved one, feel free to reach out. The cost is 350 per week. That includes up to 3 hours a day for the 7 days in a row. Usually clients use 1 to 2 hours a day for the first few weeks. Some only need a week to get them started and others use 3 or 4 weeks. Im always available for followup after you dont need my services anymore . I do weekly only because it weeds out those who are not ready to put in the work required, and it offers the most support to those who seriously want to be happy. Clients are free to call me 24/7 - 365 for emergencies. While learning, and early in the process of change, thoughts of past glory can pop up unexpectedly and at any time. If struggling with that, I'd much rather you call me than get loaded . We will work together to turn a situation like that into a learning and growing experience. *Its important to me that you call if you feel vulnerable and at risk of relapse. Even if its the middle of the night. This is not counselling where you get a scheduled hour appointment every week. This is coaching.
If this ad disappears for a while its because I cant take any more clients until 1 of the 2 finishes and a spot opens up.
Rick Griffiths
Recovery Coach