Naltrexone:

The little-known, but highly-effective anti-craving medication that:

"Takes the 'WHITE KNUCKLES' out of quitting drinking!"

by David Heward
(Co-Founder of Assisted Recovery Centers of Arizona in Phoenix, in 1997,
and Founder of A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER in Palm Springs, CA in 2006.)

Non-12 Step alcoholism treatment that is as effective as it is affordable is our specialty and our primary goal at A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER in Palm Springs, California.  In fact, we think you'll also find that participating in our out-patient, medication-based, alcohol dependence treatment program is actually an enjoyable experience, as well. 

We know...  the mere mention of the words "alcoholism treatment program" is enough to send chills up and down the spines of most problem drinkers... especially those who have already been through one or more of the traditional 12 Step-based programs in the past, but didn't find the lasting sobriety they were hoping for.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of those people, since the typical "success rate" of those same 28-day In-Patient programs averages around only 8 percent.

The reality is that AA and the 12 Steps do work for some people, but they don't work for everyone...  for a variety of different reasons.  Yet most people mistakenly believe that the 12 Step programs are the only thing that is known to work for recovery from alcoholism.  The truth is that there are several other methodology's which are known to work equally well or better than 12 Step, and this has been shown time and time again in recent research.  To name just a few:  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Community Reinforcement and Family Therapy, and Medically Managed Therapy.  All are evidence-based approaches which draw from years of scientific research and clinical practice. 

One problem with the traditional 28 day In-Patient approach is that the individual is basically locked away in a nice safe "cocoon", where he is kept apart from the normal stresses and pressures of real life, and away from the temptation of easy availability of alcohol.  So, for 28 days they are basically conditioned to stay sober in an artificial, alcohol-free "bubble".  Small wonder that  when they are released from the bubble to come back into the real world, the vast majority aren't  prepared to deal with it at all. 

Thus, the rather dismal "success rate".  According to news reports of a study about AA which was conducted and paid for by AA itself, AA's success rate is only about 5%....  which is a real shame for the other 95%, who are always told that their failure to stay sober is entirely their own fault. Somewhat surprisingly,  the same study showed only a modest 3% improvement over AA, when they added the traditional, very expensive, 28-day In-Patient "lockdown"  treatment program to AA itself.  


Contrary to what seems to be public opinion, 
AA (and the other 12 Step Support Groups) and
12 Step-based, 28-day, In-Patient Treatment Programs
do not work equally well for everyone.

Alcoholics Anonymous logo

If you (or a loved one) have tried AA and the 12 Steps before,
 but have not found the lasting sobriety you had hoped for,
 please don't believe that it's always entirely your fault.
Perhaps it's merely time to try something different.


A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER
is NOT just another 12 Step Program, 
like so many other programs out there!

Non-12 Step Recovery logo

Non-12 Step Recovery?  So what does that mean?
Exactly how is non-12 Step Recovery different?
Perhaps we can best begin to explain that to you
by telling you what you WON'T find at our program.


"A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER" 
means:

  • NO CRAVINGS - We utilize only safe and effective, FDA-approved  medications, including the anti-craving medication naltrexone, the relapse-prevention medication Campral®, and others.

  • NO ATTENDING AA MEETINGS for the rest of your life, or run the risk of relapse... and living in fear of what might happen if you do.  We want you to get to the point where you don't need us anymore. 

  • NO LABELING yourself an "alcoholic" (recovering or otherwise)... and carrying that burden with you for the rest of your life.  We'll help you learn to think of yourself instead as a "successful ex-drinker." 

  • NO SPONSORS telling you what you must do, and must not do... exactly the same way they did... because that's what worked for them.  We offer each other our support and friendship... not dogma.

  • NO ABSOLUTE RULES which apply equally to everyone... and incorrectly assume that every individual is exactly the same.  We offer our suggestions and guidance... from personal experience.

  • NO POWERLESSNESS (or need for help from a Higher Power)... because he just might have something more important to attend to.  We help you discover that you have your power within you. 

  • NO BRAINWASHING to discourage you from thinking for yourself... and cause you to believe that you can't trust your own judgment.  Your best thinking didn't get you here...  more likely NOT thinking did.

  • NO WHINING, no "drunk-a-logs", and no "horror stories"... which only tend to keep you stuck in the past, and in fear of reliving it.  We stay focused on the present, and what's going on in your recovery.

  • NO MISSING WORK for an entire month, or having to scrap your already busy schedule in order to participate in our program.  We do our best to make our program fit YOUR needs and YOUR priorities. 

  • NO IVORY TOWER "EXPERTS" who think they know it all, and that the letters PhD after their name makes their time worth $150 per hour.  We learned what we know the hard way... personal experience.


Huh?

Right about now, you're probably thinking:  "Who the hell are these people, and what makes them think they know so much about alcoholism?"  It's a fair question, and it deserves an honest answer. 

My name is David Heward, and I am a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor by the State of Arizona (which will soon be transferred to the State of California.)  

More importantly, I am someone who has struggled with... and RECOVERED from... alcohol dependence.  It was over 25 years ago that I first admitted to myself that I had a serious problem with alcohol, and that I needed some help to deal with it.  During the first 10 years I struggled with my sobriety, finding some limited success with the help of AA, but never managing to put more than three years of continuous sobriety together without a relapse.

During one of those periods when I was drinking again...  a minimum of a 12-pack of beer a day was just a maintenance level dose for me at that point, and if I really wanted to get buzzed I'd have to add some tequila to the mix...  I finally pushed my luck too far, and got my first and only DUI.  One night in the LA County jail was enough to convince me that I never wanted to go back there again...  but not enough to get me to actually quit drinking.  

So what I did instead....  was to quit DRIVING.  Parked the car, locked the keys away in the safe deposit box...  end of problem, no risk of going to jail, right?  And I continued to drink for some time, even though I was still going to AA meetings, and paying lip-service to the Program.

To make a long story short...  eventually, I finally did get sober and stay sober...  and as closely as I could later figure it, my sobriety date was somewhere around the 1st of December, in 1991...  which would be exactly 15 years ago today as I write this.  Ironically, I'm not really certain of the date, because at the time I was not convinced that this time would be any different from my previous attempts to stay sober...  and so I didn't make a note of the exact date. 

But I did stay sober, and eventually, almost by accident, I ended up being one of the two founders of a new and unique, naltrexone-based alcoholism treatment program called "Assisted Recovery Centers of Arizona"... which we later changed to "Assisted Recovery Centers of America".  That was nearly 10 years ago...  and if you like you can read the story about how that occurred on the Assisted Recovery website, as well as a lot of other really good information about our experience with the medications naltrexone and Campral®, and about non-12 Step recovery in general.

It's now nearly 10 years since Assisted Recovery became the first treatment program in the United States to begin to use naltrexone in the battle against alcohol dependence, and I've seen first-hand what a tremendous difference it has made in helping hundreds and hundreds of people to make the adjustment to abstinence, and early sobriety...  and eventually full recovery. It's NOT "the-cure-in-a-pill"...  but for many people it IS almost like a miracle, to be finally relieved of the craving and obsession to consume alcohol for the first time in years...  and within an hour of taking their first pill.  

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Alcoholism Treatment Programs still don't utilize naltrexone or even inform people that it's available...  although that has changed a little recently because of the introduction of Campral® to the market place.  Fortunately, Campral® has a major drug company behind it who is spending money on marketing, which has increased awareness and acceptance of a medical approach to the problem...  but there is still a long ways to go.  I'll have much more to say about that very soon on this web site, but if you want to learn more now, try doing a search on the word "naltrexone" in Google or any search engine.  Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation mixed in with the good stuff, but you'll still find a wealth of interesting and informative information on both medications...  plus lots of testimonials from actual users.  

I'm very proud of my nearly 10 years with Assisted Recovery, and of the groundbreaking work we started there, when we were the very first private treatment program in the United States to utilize naltrexone as the cornerstone of our program.  (See Photo.)

And I'm very proud of our web site too, the text of which I wrote most of myself...  although I also worked with a very good professional web designer, who helped give the site it's professional appearance. That's something I hope to start doing very soon with this web site, but thus far I've done all the work on this web site by myself.  (If you'd like to take a look at the Assisted Recovery web site and some of the great information we've provided there, please click on the ARCA logo in the Links section at the bottom of this page, and it will open in a new window.)

After nearly ten years in business, in 1996 I sold my half of Assisted Recovery to my former partner Lloyd, and decided  to start my OWN company here in downtown Palm Springs, California.  And I have named my company:

"A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER".

A BETTER WAY is very similar to Assisted Recovery in many ways...  and I hope, in some ways, even better.  One thing which is already MUCH BETTER is its location here in Palm Springs rather than Phoenix, Arizona.  As you may know, Phoenix is now the nation's 5th largest city, with all the traffic, pollution, crime, and other problems that come along with a big city. 

Palm Springs, on the other hand, is very much like Phoenix was 30 years ago, before all the people moved in and ruined it...  and I think Palm Springs' sophisticated, but friendly small-town atmosphere will appeal greatly to clients coming from out of state to access our two-week QuickStart Program. QuickStart is an accelerated version of the Local Program which includes all of the same education, training and counseling our local folks get during the course of a full year, and packs it into two very intensive weeks spent here in Palm Springs (plus follow-up aftercare for the remainder of the year via telephone and Internet.)

See below for full details of the QuickStart Program for out of town visitors. 


Me and my girl Sparkie at Christmas 2005

Me & my dog Sparkie
Christmas 2005

Thus far, A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER is really just me (David) here...  with a small but very nice, comfortable office in the heart of downtown Palm Springs...  and I opened the doors for clients as of December 1, 2006.  Of course, I do have the services of a very knowledgeable local Doctor available to write the prescriptions for the medications, plus a very capable assistant who works for me part time, answering phones when I am busy and generally helping out around the office.  

Very soon I hope to be able to hire an Office Manager and some other support staff, and eventually an additional counselor or two, as the company's growth and finances will allow for it.  I'd also like to tackle some other addictions besides alcoholism...  in particular, the "crystal meth" plague which has debilitated especially the Southwest for so many years, as well as compulsive gambling, another growing problem nationwide. 

That would mean that I've outgrown my current office space and would have to move to a new location...  but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  For now, I'm very happy to be right where I'm at, doing what I'm doing...  and what I know best.  As for the future, I hope my intentions and dreams come through loud and clear in my Mission Statement, below.

 


Our Mission Statement:

Every single day, and with
Each and every client,
To earn, to deserve, and
To live up to our company name:

"A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER"

 


Share the Legend of historic Palm Canyon Drive

A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER
is happily located at

1500 S. Palm Canyon Drive
Suite One
Palm Springs, CA  92264

One block north of "The Curve" on South Palm Canyon Drive 

Phone:  760-673-8091
Fax:   1-888-313-1830

Click here for location map.

Office Hours:

Monday thru Friday: Open from 10 AM until 7 PM.
Meetings:  Tuesday and Friday 7 to 8:30 PM.
Saturday:  Available by appointment only.
Sunday:  Our day of rest and recreation.


Ready to enroll in the program?
Great!  Congratulations on making your decision!

Call (760) 673-8091 today,
and you can start as soon as tomorrow!

or

Perhaps you're not quite sure, or still a bit confused?
That's also a good reason to call us today.

Or if you prefer, send an e-mail to David Heward at
david@abetterwaytorecover.com

telling me about yourself and your drinking history, 
your current situation, and any other special personal needs,
and I'll develop a proposal for an individual treatment plan
which I've customized for your needs and preferences... 
including local lodging options and all expected costs.

Visa/Mastercard Accepted      Official PayPal Seal


    Our low, one-time fee is only

  $2800.00

for the complete one-year local program.

(Our $2800 price includes everything except the cost of the two medications,
which usually retail for about $4.00 each per day at your local pharmacy.
The cost of medications may be covered by your medical insurance
.
In order to keep our one-time price so low, we cannot accept

insurance company billing as payment for our services, 
but you might be able to have them reimburse you.)


Our local program includes all of the following:

 

  • Initial Doctor's visit for the prescriptions
    for the medications naltrexone and Campral®,
    plus refills as they become necessary during the 1st year.
    Remember that both of these medications are FDA APPROVED
    and used specifically for the treatment of alcohol dependence,
    and have been tested and proven useful in the field for years.
    Don't settle for empty promises about "off-label" uses
    for other prescription drugs, offer "miracle-cures", 
    or believe that one drug can cure all addictions.

  • Ten or more one-on-one counseling sessions...
     once or twice each week in the beginning,  
    to get your recovery off to a good start, 
    and then optional additional sessions
    as they are desired or necessary 
    during the remainder of the year
    (at the request of the client.)

  • Two non-12 Step recovery support group
    meetings each week to begin with, which
    can be cut back to just one per week after
    the first six months in the program. 
    Meeting attendance is a suggestion, 
    however, and is not mandatory.

  • All books, reading materials, homework
    exercises, and current news articles 
    of interest (as they become available,) 
    plus motivational artwork, inspirational 
    music, and fun social activities galore. 
    Boredom is the enemy in early sobriety.

  • Voluntary enrollment in our Online Recovery
    Non-12 Step Chat Group which meets
    3 times each week, plus our e-mail
    group which is available to use
    at your convenience, at any 
    time of the day or night.
     And much more!


Click here to enter our

Click the photo to enter our "anonymous" Online Recovery Chat Room.

Online Recovery Non-12 Step Chat Room

 


 

Sober Spring Special!

A low-risk, 30-DAY TRIAL 
of our local program!


Enroll now, before the end of April, 2008
and pay only a $600.00 down payment, with the 
balance due in 11 monthly payments of $200 each.
We'll get you a 30-day prescription for the medications,
and you can try out the full program for one whole month.  

And if you're not absolutely delighted with your own results 
at the end of the first 30 days, I'll refund half of your $600
and you won't be obligated to pay me another nickel.
(Sorry, I wish I could afford to let you try it for free.)

But I'm so sure that you're going to be both amazed and pleased
with your results, that I'm willing to "share the risk" with you.
I'm betting you'll think that $200 a month is a real bargain
to be free of the endless cravings for alcohol forever, 
and for my assistance and experience in helping you
get through your recovery and get on with your life.


Now... what other excuses do you have
not to make the decision to quit drinking today?
 
Call now!  And start as soon as tomorrow!
(760) 673-8091


Palm Springs International Airport with our beautiful San Jacinto Mountains in the background.

And for those of you who don't live in the Palm Springs area...  we have something much better than just our low, reasonable $2800 price to offer you...  and that is:

Our "QuickStart Program" for Visitors

1.  The advantage of "getting away from it all" for a couple of weeks (or longer if you like), and to begin your recovery in a nice, safe,  comfortable atmosphere (rather than in a dismal detox, rehab or hospital.)  Take your pick of Palm Springs finest hotels, resorts, spas, and fine restaurants, or save money on a nearby weekly rental with a kitchenette.  (The price of accommodations is not included in our fees, but we'll be happy to help with making the arrangements for lodging if you wish, to make certain you get what you want at a price that suits your budget.)

2.  The ability to see our Program Physician immediately upon your arrival in Palm Springs, assuring you of a quick, no-hassle means of obtaining a prescription for just the right the medications, so you can start taking them... and getting the benefit of them...  right away.

3.  Access to my ten years of first-hand experience with the medication naltrexone (and now for the last three years, Campral), helping clients learn how to use them both most effectively. (What to expect from the medications, and what not to expect.)  Although it's true that it's not exactly rocket science, it's also true that most people find that it's not quite as easy as just following the manufacturer's directions.  In fact, both manufacturers recommend that their product be utilized as part of a comprehensive treatment program.  And also remember that although both are very effective at doing what they are supposed to do, the medications alone are not "the Cure in a Pill."  It's just not that simple, and it probably never will be.  Even when newer medications become available in the future, you'll always have to do some of the work of recovery for yourself. 

4.  The opportunity to learn a fresh, non-12 Step, Cognitive Behavioral approach to recovery, with real and useful tools designed to help you make real progress,  much earlier in sobriety.  We do our best to pack the full one-year local program into two intense weeks (or more if you like) of recovery-related activities.  And after you leave, we continue to offer long-term aftercare support via our Internet Support groups, and by telephone when desired, for as long as you need it. 

5.  Our beautiful weather!  April is one of the BEST times of the year to enjoy the abundance of outdoor activities around Palm Springs.  Need I say more?  (How's the weather where you are  today?)

6.  And last but not least...  the chance to do it all, and to begin your recovery, in one of the nicest, most fun, enjoyable, and beautiful places on earth to spend a little quality time away from home...  Palm Springs, California... or as I like to call it...

 "My Place in Paradise!"

There are lots of fun things to do in Palm Springs and the surrounding areas, and enjoying some of them is considered to be part of our Program.
(Click the postcard for info on places to stay 
and things to do in Palm Springs.)

Call 1-760-325-1403 today for more information, and come as soon as you're ready.  You can usually start the program with very little advance notice, as quickly as you can get here!   So don't wait!  Your recovery is too important not to utilize everything you can find to increase your chances of a successful outcome.

And while you're here, we'll help you to begin to discover for yourself one of the greatest lessons that you will ever learn in your recovery:  that life without alcohol doesn't have to be dull and boring!   (You have my personal promise on that!)   That alone is worth the $2800.00 price tag of our two-week QuickStart Program.  Or stay a little longer if you wish, and I'll give you a special low rate for the additional time.   And if you can't manage to get away for two weeks in a row, let me know and we'll work out a suitable arrangement that will fit your busy schedule.   We always do our best to make our program fit your needs...  not the other way around, like in most other programs. 

Why not come on down to Palm Springs and let me help you get your recovery off to the best possible start?  You'll be glad you did!


Still not convinced?

In that case, here's one more reason to add to the above list, and to help you decide to book your trip to Palm Springs right away, as soon as you can:

7.  I WANT YOU TO SUCCEED IN YOUR RECOVERY.   In fact, I want so much for you to succeed in my program, that I'm willing to pay you a $500.00 cash-back bonus when you reach a full year of sobriety.  That's right, all you have to do is to meet some simple guidelines as set forth in your treatment plan, about maintaining regular contact with me and your online recovery support group at least once a month during the first year...  and later on down the road, when you call to let me know that you have a full year of continuous abstinence under your belt, I'll be very pleased to send out a "Congratulations" check for $500.00.  

In fact, I won't even require that you have to be "100% perfect" from your first day in the program to get the bonus.  But if you do have a "slip" during that first year, that will reset the clock with regards to the bonus... and you'll still have to get a full year of continuous abstinence behind you in order to claim your $500.00 reward...  but a slip will not disqualify you from receiving the bonus eventually.  

It's my hope that this offer will be an added incentive for you to succeed, and help keep you motivated to stay on track in your recovery during that (sometimes slippery) first year of sobriety...  because the statistics show that if you can make through the FIRST year, your chances of a successful outcome begin to improve dramatically with each additional year. 

Believe it or not, I sincerely hope that you'll take me up on this offer, and that about a year from now I'll be sending out lots of $500.00 bonus checks...  and that one of them will have YOUR name on it!  

(This offer may be withdrawn at any time, especially if I start to get too busy, so don't delay...  and be sure to mention the $500.00 bonus when you book your reservation for the QuickStart Program.)


 Visit the A BETTER WAY Online Book Store

to purchase new books from David's

"Recommended Reading List"

at amazon.com™.

Our Recovery Books Store at Amazon.com

 


Self Management and Recovery Training

A BETTER WAY TO RECOVER is currently a program meant only for those wishing to overcome their dependence upon alcohol.  In the near future, we hope to add additional programs specifically designed to help those with addictions to other substances (such as crystal meth, or crack/cocaine), and compulsive behavior problems (such as gambling, or Internet sexual addiction). 

In the meantime, we are happy to announce the availability of SMART Recovery meetings here at our Palm Springs office, for those with issues other than alcohol.  SMART is a nationwide network of free peer-support recovery groups (similar to AA, but without the 12 Steps or the need for a Higher Power.)  For more information on SMART, see their website at www.smartrecovery.org .

Currently SMART Recovery meets every Saturday afternoon from 4 PM to 5:30 PM at our offices, though we hope soon to add additional meetings on other days at this and other locations scattered throughout the Coachella Valley.  Please feel free to just "drop by" to check out a meeting anytime, provided that you have not been drinking or using earlier in the day.  If you have been mandated to attend a certain number of AA meetings because of a DUI, attendance at SMART will satisfy that requirement.  Other questions, please call 760-325-1403, or send an e-mail to:  PalmSpringsSMART@aol.com . 


MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS

Member of NAADAC and CAADAC (California Association)


LINKS AND RESOURCES

 

Assisted Recovery Centers of America's web site

 

 

Read the book!  Visit the website!  AA is NOT the only way to recover!

 

The American Council on Alcoholism

 

Daily Dose - The world's leading drug and alcohol news service.

 

Order NIDA's "Science of Addiction" booklet, which includes "Principles of Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide."

 

Campral:  Strengthens the will to say NO.

 

The Albert Ellis Institute

 


This web site will always be a work-in-progress. 
In the near future we will have much more information
available here, including client testimonials, etc. In the meantime, 
please feel free to call or write for more information. 

THANK YOU!

 


This webpage was last updated on 04-02-2008.