Opinions vary, greatly, about the nature of addiction, and the best way to overcome it. Is it really a “disease,” for instance? And if it is a disease, can you ever really be cured of it, like with other diseases?
On Returning the Favor, I met a lot of people whose entire life was defined by addiction, and then, by their recovery – a process they described as “never ending.” I also met people who had hit rock bottom, and then woke up one morning, resolved to never drink or drug again, and did so, through a sheer force of will. Or, with the help of something like Rational Recovery, which arose a few decades ago as an alternative to AA. (I’m told by some that such people are not really “addicts,” but again, opinions vary.)
Two things, though, seem obvious, here in 2023.
1) Disease or not, addiction is real, and the lockdowns made it worse than ever. A hundred thousand dead last year alone from overdose. That’s unprecedented. Forty million Americans abusing all manner of substances. That’s also unprecedented. Something has to be done.
2) There is no cookie-cutter solution. No “one-size-fits-all approach.” What works for one person, will not work for everyone.
As a guy with his own line of whiskey, I realize I’m probably not the best person to lead a conversation on the nature of overcoming addiction. But, since my guest on today’s podcast offered to be my “designated driver for life,” I thought the least I could do is return the favor and share Scott Strode’s remarkable story. Specifically, the way he turned his own recovery into a program that’s currently serving well over 160,000 people. To say it as clearly as possible, if you or someone in your life has been touched by addiction, you need to know about The Phoenix. Because the results are simply extraordinary. In short, 87% of those who enter the program, are still sober three months in.
That’s not a typo. The success rate at The Phoenix is every bit as unprecedented, as the nature of the problem we face. More importantly, it’s scalable. The Phoenix is currently in 45 states. Scott’s plan is to enroll a million people by 2025. He’s on track to do it, and I’d like to help him spread the word. Feel free to join me.
https://bit.ly/TWIHI304
https://mikerowe.com/podcast/
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