How many of us question our doctors, when they hand us a prescription? Most of us, are content to get that little slip of paper, that should cure,whatever is ailing us quickly. Doctors are supposed to help people get well and stay well right? What if I told you, that wasn’t necessarily true. Doctors are human and pharmaceutical companies, offer them incentives, prizes, fancy dinners and all sorts of things, to encourage physicians to prescribe whatever drug that rep is peddling. We have all seen the magnets, note pads and pens, doctors carry, that usually have the name of some drug in it. How much does big pharma influence what doctors prescribe? More than most people are aware of, that is for sure. How many of you have noticed that currently our citizens are dying from heroin overdoses, in record numbers. Is it just that heroin is back and lots of people, decided to sign their life away to that needle and spoon? Sorry folks, but you need to step off your soap box and look at the facts.

The Joint Commission DEFINITION: Accreditation is a process in which an entity, separate and distinct from the health care organization, usually non-governmental, assesses the health care organization to determine if it meets a set of standards requirements designed to improve quality of care. This voluntary process provides a visible commitment by an organization to continually ensure a safe environment for its patients and staff.

Accreditation puts every policy, procedure and activity of an organization under scrutiny. The examiners, or "surveyors" as they're called in the accreditation process, are experienced leaders in the field, trained to take an objective look and critically review the operations they see. They actually offer more than a test of knowledge or skills.

It is not often that we at WAATME (World Accreditation Addiction Treatment Mark of Excellence ©) get the opportunity to engage in dialogue with another established accreditor. So, you can imagine our excitement at the scheduling of just such a conference call recently. It wasn't far into this long-awaited call, however, that excitement turned to frustration, bewilderment then outright disappointment.

Taking our cues from Sir Richard Branson's BlahAirlines.com (a tongue in cheek reference to run-of-the-mill airlines), we will refer to the accreditor in question as Blah Accreditor and invite you to view the website at: www.BlahAccreditor.com.

In the tech world, the phrase "there's an app for that" highlights the fact that our lives are now run by applications. There is, indeed, an app for just about everything imaginable. In the world of healthcare, we might just as likely coin a similar phrase - "there's a pill for that".

A brief visit to your local healthcare practitioner will likely result in you returning home with a fistful of pills. This applies whether your ailment is physical, mental or emotional. Why this eagerness by the medical profession to prescribe drugs to patients? Why are pills the first answer to pretty much every patient question?

This book helps those aspiring toward recovery and also those in recovery, because it addresses and challenges the individual—in very real, basic and honest ways—to make significant cognitive adjustments in how they live their lives. The beauty of this curriculum is that people want to do it and don’t consider it a chore, a demand, or a requirement, because every page subtly encourages the individual to think in realistic and forward-moving ways. This allows them to feel good about doing the work. I based this book on my personal life and recovery, and every page has been used successfully in peer group settings.