Originally Posted by
AlericB 
I don't know what any of the graduates' first choices were nor whether any subsequently re-evaluated this.
As I said, I'd like to move on to a discussion from personal knowledge and experience if that's OK.
So am I to understand that unless anyone has actually used this (personal knowledge)method to get sober, they are to be excluded from this discussion?
From all that I've gathered, that would be pretty much everyone who has posted so far, including the OP.
If reading about something counts as personal knowledge, then I had read enough about it and read many of the "reviews" from various sources to have very good knowledge of the program and what it entails.
I do agree that the "disease model" is the absolute worst idea ever created - it's made a lot of people rich. But for this organization to claim a 62% success rate is ludicrous (based on what I've read from independent sources). I myself make the best chili in the world, just ask me. Their "independent" review is actually not "independent" at all.
I'm not saying that people are not helped by this business. But I'm really curious as to why someone wants to exclude others from the "discussion" surrounding it. I understand wanting to promote something, but to attempt to monopolize the "discussion" on the subject and only wanting to hear the positive responses to it, it loses any credence it may have had.
This is an open forum. If one doesn't like or agree with other views, they just can't take their ball and go home. And that's what I'm kind of getting the feeling is happening here.
If you do a little research on its founders, you may see what spawned this idea in the first place. It is basically someone throwing their hat into the ring of the rehab industry with an alternative approach to cater to the 'anti' 12 step crowd . It is touted as CBT, but it is actually not, among other things. But, it can and does help people, and that's the bottom line. What may work for some may not work for others. It's hit or miss much of the time. And some approaches can actually cause more harm than good.
If a person is "ready" and is open to an idea (any idea), that person will succeed. Every single person who got sober wanted to get sober and would have gotten sober reading a Dr Seuss book dedicated to the subject. 'I will not drink I think. I think because I will not drink.'
The "happiness" aspect of it and the planning to improve your life is all well and good. But as I've always said, if you cannot stay sober, your plan just went to...