by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jul 25, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast The Solution to PMO & Sex Addiction Book Update! In this episode Mark and Michelle explain the intense and involved process of writing a new book designed to help people to solve a problem like “PMO addiction.” They talk about the...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jul 18, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Solving Addiction Does NOT Require Abstinence! Just because you don’t use substances or engage in your preferred behavior moderately, doesn’t mean you can’t, it just means you don’t. Mark and Michelle discuss the reasons people can’t...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jul 11, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Recovery Gaslighting: Demanding Rigorous Honesty While Living a Lie *Listener requested topic* People are told in addiction treatment and 12 step programs that absolute honesty is required to stay sober and drug free while also being...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jul 11, 2024 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
When You “Just Want More” And You Don’t Know Why: Solving “Addiction” Read the Article on this Topic Here Ann’s Struggle with Alcohol 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jul 3, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Are You Always Doing What You Want to Do? When we make the assertion that all people are doing exactly what they want to do at any given moment in time, we get all kinds of responses and reactions. Mark and Michelle discuss this idea...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jun 24, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast The Tyranny of Addiction and Recovery What or who are you allowing to dictate your life? Do you realize that you are choosing to relinquish your control to something outside you, and by doing so you are actually still in control? Join...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jun 13, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast “There is Nothing to Do!” Freedom is Freedom AA people like to tell us that being “in recovery” is better than heavy substance use, but is it? The 12 Step addiction treatment model instills misinformation and mythology that far too...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jun 7, 2024 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
The Freedom Model for PMO and Sex Addiction? Introduction to The Freedom Model Research 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jun 6, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Everyone’s Pathway to Solving their Addictions is Unique! When we were thrust into addiction treatment and AA 35 years ago we were told by treatment providers to go to AA where we were told by the old-timers, “Do what we did and...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | May 28, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Lies and Shame and Leaving AA: Our Interview with Nina “I never killed anyone!” Nina proclaimed when discussing her past problems with alcohol. Like the majority of people who go to AA seeking help, she was never alcohol dependent, and...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | May 23, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Is it Easier to Build “Bad Habits” than “Good Habits”? Are people drawn to behaviors that are deemed as bad or unhealthy? Is it always a struggle to choose eating healthier, exercising, or other behaviors deemed as healthy or good? Many...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | May 15, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast “Half-Truths” Will Keep You Stuck! Many people who follow our podcast are former AA members or people in the process of leaving AA and they are hyper-sensitive to anything that sounds like AA jargon – and understandably so! The problem...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | May 9, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast The Illusion of Control Do you have strained relationships in your life? Have you ever thought, ‘if he would just do this, then I will be happy’ or ‘if she behaves differently, then we will have a better relationship’? In this episode...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | May 1, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Are We Slaves to our Biochemistry? The accepted thinking in mental health and western culture is that people are run by their brain chemistry. The big pharma, porn, gambling, alcohol, and addiction treatment industries are all making...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Apr 24, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Our Interview with Emma: Realizing her Truth With the cult of AA as a familial backdrop in her life since childhood, Emma, like so many others in her situation, is enticed into the cult at the first flush of trouble in her late teens....
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Apr 15, 2024 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
What is The New Freedom Model’s New Solution to Addiction? 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Apr 15, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Are You Hanging on to Your Addiction? “The only stuff you can’t get over is the stuff you’re hanging onto!” This is a quote from a book written by Gary John Bishop called Wise as Fu*k. It is absolutely brilliant in its simplicity,...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Apr 4, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast What is The Freedom Model’s Solution to Addiction Is there a solution to addiction? Addiction treatment providers and nearly all addiction help models will tell you that there isn’t, yet nearly everyone gets over their problematic...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Mar 28, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Escaping the Cult of Addiction Recovery: Our Interview with Finn At 15, Finn was caught smoking weed in school and that led to his first stint in an abusive rehab for teens. That initial 28 day program in 1983 was just the beginning of...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Mar 12, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Alcoholics Anonymous and the Troubled Teen Industry The Netflix Documentary “The Program” exposes the shocking truth about the multi-million dollar troubled teen industry. What you may not know is it has its roots in AA’s ego deflation...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Feb 27, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Take Away the Enemy and There is No Battle! There are those that wear their “battle with addiction” like a badge of honor, but there are many more who consistently feel like they are losing that battle. The thing is, there doesn’t have...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Feb 14, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast The Day My Mind Cracked Open: Our Interview with Leslie Like Mark and Michelle, Leslie’s exposure to Alcoholics Anonymous began in childhood. That may have been one of the reasons she became susceptible to being lured into cults. AA was...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Feb 7, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast A Candid Discussion About Coaching in the Addiction-Help Space Life coaches, sober coaches, recovery coaches…it seems everywhere you turn there are people “in recovery” peddling their coaching services. They are going to show you what...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 31, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast I Escaped the Recovery Cartel! Our Interview with Rene From the suburbs of Boston to the streets of south Florida; from a 2-sport collegiate athlete to spending 20 years as an integral cog in the Florida rehab shuffle. Rene’s story is...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 23, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast A Healing Journey: Our Interview with Crystal Over the next few episodes Mark and Michelle are interviewing people who have escaped or are in the process of escaping the addiction and recovery trap! Crystal’s story will sound quite...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 16, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Leaving the Addiction Recovery Cult More and more people are contacting us to talk about their experiences in AA and other 12 step programs, and asking us to help them get out and move on with their lives. Leaving these groups can be...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 10, 2024 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
The Freedom Model Online Program App is Now Available to the Public! The Vision and Achievement 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 9, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast When is Therapy Counter-Productive? Do people need therapy when working to solve the various emotional problems that often accompany a heavy substance use problem? Certainly therapy can be helpful, but it can also be counter-productive....
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 4, 2024 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
The Freedom Model Coalition 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 4, 2024 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
WOW! What a Year at The Freedom Model! 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!...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Jan 3, 2024 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast What Does The Freedom Model Say About Behavioral Addictions? Mark and Michelle discuss the differences and similarities between problematic substance use and behavioral “addictions”, and how Bill Wilson paved the way for millions of...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Dec 28, 2023 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast The Passage of Time and Personal Evolution Time marches on irrespective of the choices you make. Are you fighting against the passage of time or evolving with it? “Addictions” are often a manifestation of holding onto “magical moments”...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Dec 19, 2023 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Do You Have to Work on “Addiction Recovery”? AA members will tell you “It works if you work it!” And even people that reject AA still hold the belief that solving an addiction takes consistent effort and “work”. Freedom Model creators...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Dec 12, 2023 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Is Selfishness “at the Root of our Troubles”? There is a popular line in the book Alcoholics Anonymous that says selfishness is the root cause of an addiction. Is this statement true and helpful to those struggling with...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Dec 11, 2023 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
How I Let Go of My Fears and Anxieties A Childhood Shaped by Fear and Dread 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Dec 5, 2023 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Your Naturally Evolving Preferences Most people agree that they don’t like to do the same activities at 40 years old that they liked to do at 10 years old. It’s common sense that our preferences change as a function of time and...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Nov 29, 2023 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
Your End-of-Year Assessment: Breaking the Cycle of Broken Promises 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...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Nov 27, 2023 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast The Birth and Evolution of The Freedom Model For our 200th Episode Mark and Michelle tell the story of how The Freedom Model began in the late 1980s, how they met, and how they walked out of the cult of recovery and developed The...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Nov 22, 2023 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Alcohol Treatment, Articles, Deprogramming, Non 12 Step Programs, Reviews, Uncategorized
What Grips Your Soul? Do That! “You must cultivate activities that you love. You must discover work that you do, not for its utility, but for itself, whether it succeeds or not, whether you are praised for it or not, whether you are loved and rewarded for it or not,...
by Ryan A. Schwantes | Nov 20, 2023 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Audio/Video, Non 12 Step Programs, Podcast, Self-Help
The Addiction Solution Podcast Recognizing Autonomy is Key to Helping Someone So you have found The Freedom Model and it changed your life, but someone you love is still struggling; how can you help them? What can you do for them? Mark and Michelle discuss more...
