Who am I?
Timothy Harrington
I'm a person in long-term discovery. I have experienced trauma, the symptom of addiction, I have been homeless and I'm the loved one of a person who has mental and emotional health challenges and have attempted suicide. As a result of my life experiences, my study and my training, I believe in supporting the whole family: mind, body, spirit. I realize emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual well being are intertwined.
I believe, while it’s important for a loved one to realize that they might have an illness, or a medical challenge, they are much more than that. We are so much more than our struggles. I get to help someone figure out on their own who they really are. Instead of saying 'You're an addict', ‘You’re bipolar’ or ‘You’re schizophrenic,’ I get to help someone feel comfortable and say, ‘I’m a person, not my diagnosis or label.’” The point is to move forward in life. The point is to discover "what's strong with you" and use those strengths to rediscover how powerful you really are.
Adopting an "addict" identity can be especially problematic for young people whose identities are not yet fully formed. Doing so may make what may well be a transient problem into a long-term one, by teaching them that addiction is inevitably chronic and relapsing. Since no one can predict which youth will “mature out” of addiction and which will not, teens should never be forced to attend 12-step groups—nor should they be made to label themselves as "addicts". I do not subscribe to the word addict, at all. It's a stereotype that creates a barrier to accessing guidance. I prefer person experiencing addiction, person who uses drugs, person experiencing a Substance Use Disorder.
Each family member is unique and is treated that way. I don’t see my clients as a diagnosis.
I'm a guide not a clinician. I'm not a therapist. I don't give medical advice. I strongly believe that working in tandem with healthy, compassionate, clinical professionals is absolutely crucial to the process of transformation and healing.
The words most frequently used to describe what I do includes the following: identify, engage, encourage, motivate, share, express, enhance, orient, help, link, consult, praise, enlist, support, organize, and advocate.
I believe, while it’s important for a loved one to realize that they might have an illness, or a medical challenge, they are much more than that. We are so much more than our struggles. I get to help someone figure out on their own who they really are. Instead of saying 'You're an addict', ‘You’re bipolar’ or ‘You’re schizophrenic,’ I get to help someone feel comfortable and say, ‘I’m a person, not my diagnosis or label.’” The point is to move forward in life. The point is to discover "what's strong with you" and use those strengths to rediscover how powerful you really are.
Adopting an "addict" identity can be especially problematic for young people whose identities are not yet fully formed. Doing so may make what may well be a transient problem into a long-term one, by teaching them that addiction is inevitably chronic and relapsing. Since no one can predict which youth will “mature out” of addiction and which will not, teens should never be forced to attend 12-step groups—nor should they be made to label themselves as "addicts". I do not subscribe to the word addict, at all. It's a stereotype that creates a barrier to accessing guidance. I prefer person experiencing addiction, person who uses drugs, person experiencing a Substance Use Disorder.
Each family member is unique and is treated that way. I don’t see my clients as a diagnosis.
I'm a guide not a clinician. I'm not a therapist. I don't give medical advice. I strongly believe that working in tandem with healthy, compassionate, clinical professionals is absolutely crucial to the process of transformation and healing.
The words most frequently used to describe what I do includes the following: identify, engage, encourage, motivate, share, express, enhance, orient, help, link, consult, praise, enlist, support, organize, and advocate.
I Meet You Where You Are
- My goal is to bring the "unengaged" and their families into a process by thinking differently about addiction, its treatment & how one overcomes or recovers.
- I enlarge the all or nothing abstinence approach & give those in need a choice in the kind of healing available.
- I engage & guide people whether they want to stop using drugs or not.
- I am not obsessed with drugs or their use.
- Rather than demand one ceases all substance use prior to treatment, I can create a process that is willing to meet people where they're at & work with them while they’re still using drugs. Harm reduction is evidence-based.
- Services include family addiction recovery guidance, peer mentoring & referrals to top medical doctors, psychiatrists and therapists.
Potential Outcomes
- Save money
- Save time
- Improve treatment retention and completion rates
- Enhanced post-treatment outcomes
- Delay the time period from leaving treatment to first use after treatment by building family recovery capital
- Prevent resumption of use from becoming a total disaster through early reintervention
- Shorten the duration of resumption of use episodes
- Decrease treatment readmission rates and slow the revolving door of treatment
- Minimize personal and social injury by reducing the time between resumption of use and re-initiation of treatment and recovery support services
- Encourage readmission to less intensive, less expensive levels of care
- Enhance family recovery capital by promoting employment, school enrollment, stable housing, healthy family and extended family involvement, sobriety-based hobbies, and financial resources
Sustainable Recovery ™
Timothy Harrington
323-804-5555
Timothy Harrington
323-804-5555
Medical Disclaimer: The information available from this website has been prepared and/or obtained for general information, education, reference, and/or entertainment purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. The owner of this website is not a licensed doctor and is not providing medical advice, or diagnosing or treating any condition you may have. We are not your doctor.
You agree that you will not act upon anything contained in this website without first seeking professional medical advice.
You agree that you will not act upon anything contained in this website without first seeking professional medical advice.