Training and Seminars
Alcoholism, Addiction and Recovery Based Material
Also see: Coaching To Overcome, Counseling, and Mentor Program.
Dan Callahan provides recovery training, seminars and webinars to community groups, churches, human service agencies or simply a group of friends and family. Our seminar covers the basics of addiction, alcoholism, recovery, intervention, our unique recovery methods, and more. We will develop programs to fit your specific needs as well.
Dan Callahan, MSW, has been mentored and trained by a number of prominent self development trainers including one of the nations leading human service trainers Michael Nerny of Long Lake, New York.
Dan has served as a consultant to various New York State agencies, assisted in the development of the Suffolk County Mental Health Court, is the co-author of a New York State forensic training manual for Mental Health providers, correctional service personnel, substance abuse professionals and parole officers for the care and recovery of Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill individuals on parole. Dan was the first known consumer forensic social worker in the State of New York. His credentials are too extensive to list…
Trainings:
A Chance to do Something Special.
How to Stay Motivated in Recovery.
Six Features of Mentally Healthy People.
A B C's of Life
Always be Positive
How to be positive?
1) Comprehension, how it works.
2) What we think about we become, rid yourself of “stinkin thinking”.
A) Listen to up lifting audios.
B) Read uplifting books.
C) Do the 30 day test.
D) Surround yourself with positive people, places and things.
3) Gratitude, get in the habit of doing a gratitude list.
4) Live in today not yesterday.
5) No regret.
6) Have goals.
7) Know that there are promises.
Be a Student of Life
1) Comprehension,
a) how it works
b) Read big book
c) go to AA meetings & step meetings
2) Turn car into audio library
3) Take notes & journal
4) Get a sponsor and call
5) Open mind
6) Share
7) Do not say no to a request
8) Do a 90 & 90
9) Use the steps
Cheerlead Others
1) If it is negative do not say it. How important is it?
2) Treat people well, use the golden rule.
3) Push people up, compliment when appropriate.
4) Let it go if it pisses you off.
A Chance to Do Something Special
We must have the heart of a champion.
Remember your A B C’s…
Our Goal is to give average and ordinary people a chance to build a life they are proud of and to gain independence for themselves and their families.
If we have “heart and drive”, and want to do something great with our lives, we need to dream again, set goals and be what we are capable of being.
Accomplish something great in this world. Have a Purpose…
Service is Purpose. I believe people ARE the future and how you treat people determines your success or failure as a human being.
The only qualification for success is a ‘burning desire’ to succeed and a ‘will to win.’ “If you think you can win or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford. What is a Burning desire? Your pride, ego, fulfillment, reaching your potential…
Life will eventually turn out for you the way you see it turning out. You must see good things happening again. You must like yourself again. You must be excited about life again.
Know that it takes Work!!! “Nothing worth having comes easy. People must recognize the fact that big dreams have big prices, and determine the price they’re willing to pay for success.” Recovery is work. Actually phase one discovery is the hardest work.
It starts with a Decision, which creates the commitment.
To RECOVER we must start by Thinking Differently…
What does it mean to think differently?
- We see the world from our own perspective.
- We need to create a new perspective.
- To live in balance we need to be aware of as many points of view as possible. We do this by Gathering all the Data, we can not be prudent with half the info!
- For interpersonal communications; ask probing questions. Gather the data from the parties involved and then restate the answers to be certain you have it correct.
- For Life in general; Read often, listen to audio books and educational audio sets. Make your car a learning library. Fill your IPod with the same.
More examples of methods to change the way we think:
- Go to meetings
- Get a Sponsor
- Pray
- Look for the positive in everything
- Work the Steps
- Help another person that needs help.
- Gratitude List.
- Fake it till you make it. It is easier to act your way into doing and thinking than it is to think your way into acting.
Why education? Often as kids we think “why do I need this history course”?
Our brain takes info and then it stores it for future use. It helps us to develop ideas, ideas that help us to achieve our goals.
An idea is the bringing together of known increments to provide a new result.
Therefore, the greater our general information the more combination's we can put together and the greater the reach of our possibility thinking. All information of a positive nature has potential value. Positive information has significant value when we are formulating ideas. When we set a goal for ourselves no matter how large or small our brain goes to work looking for solutions. Deep in our subconscious our brain looks for the info necessary to turn the idea into reality.
Attitude is everything. The dictionary says attitude is "a matter of bearing or mood". Attitude sets the stage for what we want or expect to happen. An attitude that demands excellence gets excellence. Expect failure get failure. Expect and settle for nothing less than excellence and you get excellence. Contrary to popular belief we are not born with a great attitude, it takes work.
The quality of our Attitude comes from learning or experience. Therefore you can relearn and create the experience now.
We are here for a flicker, before you know it, it is over! Get it done don’t quit on your self! Be a champion!
Alcoholism
Understand that it is alcoholism and not alcoholwasm…
The Railroad Track
Contradictions:
Our minds search for meaning, we love to have the professionals define and then we challenge based on our conditions. We may believe:
Alcohol is the challenge, some believe we drink and it creates our Mental Health challenges.Mental Health is the challenge, we drink because we are mentally ill, it relieves our symptoms.
Trauma, a SEE has caused us to drink.
Upbringing, it is in my family we all drink. Psychologists believe that 85% of all people come from dysfunctional families.
Hereditary
Genetic
Alcoholic:
2 phases;
- Any individual that decides that alcohol is damaging any aspect of their lives.
- An individual that meets criteria one and now lives a “Healthy, Prosperous, Clean and Sober Life
- Healthy:
- Mentally
- Physically
- Spiritually
- Prosperous; a person that lives with purpose
- Clean and Sober, a person that is substance free, and actively participating in their recovered life.
Weigh it Out
The Ben Franklin Method:
Ben Franklin taught us to weigh things out when faced with a major decision. Look at the positives and the negatives, be cautious to take into account the weight of the particular aspect or feature. ie. Some weights are 5 pounds while some weights are 25 pounds.
Decisions
Making the Decision to be Pro-Active in Recovery, Choose Life!
Turning I can’t into I am!
It is not “I can’t drink” it is “I am” living a healthy, prosperous, clean and sober life!
What is Healthy? Mentally, Physically and Spiritually content!What is Prosperous? Working in your recovery, excelling in all phases of your life.
What is Clean and Sober? Living drug and alcohol free in a sober state of mind.
Decisions are not preferences, it is simply cutting off any other options.
- Decide
- Commit
- Congruent with our purpose
- Take action
Clarity of Purpose is power. Set goals, have goals in congruence with your recovery and purpose.
Live with Passion, Flip the switch… Winning is in your heart!
Get and stay excited 90% of winning is being excited.
Become a dreamer, you gotta have a dream or you are dead!
You must feel good about you!
Stand for something.
Make a total commitment to your life, it gives you the extra ounce of courage in tough times.
Treat people well, care about others, make people feel special like they are important.
Priorities, set them and keep them.
Have the heart of a champion, be somebody special, do it and a little bit more that is what champions do.
Be a Leader, leadership is everything…
It is not about brains, it is about heart, desire and drive!
HOW to Recover
First and foremost, Honesty is required.
What does honesty mean?
Taking an inventory of your actions, beliefs, contradictions, and the reality of your addiction or dependency.
Honest to Self
If you are honest with your self you can begin to overcome your addiction. If you doubt your addiction or you minimize the challenge you have with the use of substances you are wasting your time.
Honest with Others
FamilyFriends
Sponsor - Mentor
Recovered Friends
Open mindedness is keeping an open mind to explore all suggestions.
Sky diver example, It is suggested when you are skydiving to pull the rip-cord to open your parachute.
Evaluate all suggestions, There is a difference between not accepting the suggestion and truly working through the suggestion and recognizing that it is not a good fit.
Willingness is accepting the suggestion and actually attempting to implement it. Recognize that there are no rules simply suggestions that are based on proven ideals and strategies. Finding the strategies that assist you in attaining a joyous recovery is the ideal.
View life differently, view the glass half full…
Say No to No… and screw the But excuse!
Remember most of your responses that follow “But” are defense mechanisms to shut down your H.O.W.
That is why focusing on your strengths as opposed to what is wrong with you is preferred. It is the start of converting from a negative thinker to a positive thinker.
If your goal is to attain happiness then implement the H.O.W. challenge.
To start begin by developing a Positive Mental Attitude.
Begin by focusing on the positives in your life Write a gratitude list
listen to positive people
Do not watch the broadcast news, stay away from the television unless it is the learning channel, sports, or nature and wilderness shows (Stay away from the conspiracy theory shows, they tend to be negative). Negativity will keep you held down in many areas of life. This is especially true in the social aspect of life. In fact not many people like to be around a negative person.
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Lesson on Spirituality
Remember the A.B.C’s…
What is GOD ?
- Some start with Good Orderly Direction.
- Start by using a sponsor and call them.
- Some say to define God is to deny God!
- We must define God for ourselves, because it is personal.
Why GOD?
It is a natural way to think. Have you ever been in trouble and prayed to God?
What is Spirituality?
Possibly God, possibly Good!
- Do not complicate. We came, We came to, We came to believe.
- Treat people well always.
- Stay positive. practice your A. B. C. s
- Focus on your recovery.
- Do something good for someone anonymously and do not tell anyone you did it at least once a month.
- Prayer on a daily basis 3rd Step and 7th Step prayers are a good start.
- Be happy and show it.
- Walk, talk, and act like the person You are becoming.
- Honesty in all matters.
How to Stay Motivated in Recovery
Remember your ABC’s
You must always be a winning example
- Keep doing the basics
- Do not let negative people and their attitudes get to you.
- Understand that people are negative because:
- They are conditioned that way, as a child one of the first words we learn is NO!
- They are not winning.
- They don’t believe they can.
- They Quit.Have your priorities in order; God, Family, Vocation.
- Walk the Walk, talk the talk 100% of the time.
- Be Tough; want to quit but you can’t, get tired, but do not give in, believe when everyone else doubts!
- Work hard; hard work makes up for your mistakes, use the power of 90 day commitments.
- Stay excited.
- Call another recovering person everyday, tell the newcomer how proud you are of them for putting in the effort…
- Ask for feedback.
- Forget your mistakes, regret and guilt are BS emotions…
- Build strong recovery friendships.
- Treat people well.
- Burn your bridges to negativity.
- Be loyal.
- Do not worry, 99% of what we worry about never happens.
- Tough times do not last, tough people do!
Principles for Success
Recovery is Life, for the addict, Life is Recovery.
1. Work the ABC’s
a. Always Be Positive, Light your self on fire with enthusiasm.
b. Be a Student of Life: Be prepared for success:
Have a palm pilot or note pad.
Have a schedule include: Spiritual, work, pleasure, family…
Set disciplines and stick to them.
c. Cheerlead Others; Be a people person:
Eyeball to eyeball contact.
Listen twice as much as you talk.
Lift people up.
2. Have a game plan that benefits others, Your Purpose! ie Service…
3. Do the work. If it is easy it is sleazy…
4. Have a merger with your mentor. Take advice implement the advice…
5. Get started now. You have all the time in the world to procrastinate…
6. Patience is the big play. With self and others. Stay in control, 100% of the time, do not get too hungry angry lonely or tired…
7. Be a weekly goal setter and a weekly goal hitter.
8. Develop an above average will to win.
9. You become what you think.
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Quality of Life
Review of ABC’s
There are 2 forces that shape us daily
1. Our “State” of mind
2. Our Goals, our Blue Print, road map….
We make 3 decisions daily:
1. We decide what to focus on. Many of us multi-task, but it is distracting we basically mistake movement for progress.
2. We look for the meaning. Our brains search for meaning, we need meaning and purpose.
3. What are we going to do?
Decision = Look for meaning
Meaning creates feeling
Feeling gives passion to what we are going to do this creates our “State of mind”
Therefore we need to condition our “State of Mind”
1. Condition your focus; daily rituals, pray, affirmations, read, shower, breakfast, etc… Where Focus goes, energy flows.
2. Have a hunger or passion for the day and for your life, Hunger changes your life.
3. Stay in control when tension arises, when you begin to spin out of control focus on where you want to go and not what you are afraid of! Race car driver does not look at the wall! Focus equals power, do it enough and you condition your focus.
Five Steps to take control of your state:
1. Feed and condition your mind; daily rituals, pray, affirmations, read, shower, breakfast, etc… Where Focus goes, energy flows.
2. Condition your body, exercise. Ex. Walk when it is as easy to drive. Park far away. Take the stairs not the elevator.
3. Get Role Models that make you believe, people that have faced similar crisis.
4. Take action, create a plan and do it.
5. Be flexible if you need to change your approach.
Happiness: When your life condition matches your vision, goals and purpose, you are happy.
Pain provides 3 choices:
1. Ignore it and then Blame, find a reason and then blame some condition, person or yourself… Ignorance is not bliss!
2. Change your life condition, situation.
3. Change your blueprint, change your goals…. You are out of congruence.
Do not get caught up in Learned Helplessness: 3 “P’s”
1. Permanent, forever, this belief controls us.
2. Pervasive, entire life and aspect of my life.
3. Personal, something wrong with me!
Take control of your life… 3 Pillars of Progress:
1. Have a total focus, have a clear and compelling purpose, CCMP, Clear Concise Mental Picture.
2. Get the best tools, a great meeting, sponsor, mentor, strategy, be coach-able.
3. Get integrated: unlock, align, integrate, do not allow inner conflicts to take you off target for long. Progress makes you happy.
Cycle of Momentum: The Success Cycle
Change your belief or certainty is to change your results in advance.
Recap:
Your Quality of Life comes from 3 things:
1. Focus, on what I can control and what you want, not what you are afraid of.2. What does this mean? How important is it.
3. Decide what to do!
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Joy of Living
Life is meant to be enjoyed and not to be endured. -Jack Jackson
Change the way you think.
Make the decision to change and live in congruence with that decision.
Do something good for someone and tell no one.
Make writing a gratitude list a habit; A to Z or 1 to 100, have an attitude of gratitude.
Live the ABC's.
Write letters to people family and friends.
Always tell family and friends you love them.
Apologize promptly.
Restraint of pen and tongue.
Save 10% of what you earn.
Spend less then you earn.
Be around positive uplifting people, like attracts like.
Be a hugger! Do not be afraid to hug people, but only if they are receptive.
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“You can do anything for 90 days.”
Remember your A. B. C’s…
"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hope."
-Andrew Carnegie.
There are two types of goals:
No 1 – Long-Term Goals
These are always your FIRST GOALS. For example: financial independence or becoming a Dr., Lawyer, Carpenter, etc… These are the goals that give you direction and motivation.
No 2 – Short-Term Goals
It normally takes a long time to accomplish your long-term goals and it’s tough to stay motivated for one year or five years or even ten years. But you can do anything for 90 days.
Setting short-term goals, like 90-days goals, gives you a “sense of urgency” and day-to-day motivation to keep moving toward your big goals.
Build your life and recovery on a series of 90-day commitments. You can CHANGE YOUR LIFE in 90 days. Most people stay at something ALMOST LONG ENOUGH, but they STOP and LOSE all their MOMENTUM. If you work and stay focused for 90 days, you will reach a NEW HIGH in your life. This new high will give you the CONFIDENCE and COURAGE to “Go For It” again and again until you WIN!
Work like hard for 90 days.
Don’t get “too high” or “too low.”
Things are never as good or as bad as they seem at the moment.
Don’t “stop” for any reason.
Review your results only after 90 days.
At the end of 90 days, “recommit” for another 90 days with new and greater goals.
Use Reward and Punishment:
In order to reach your goals, you need to reward yourself when you do good and punish yourself when you do badly.
For instance exercise program, hit your targets reward is ice cream on Sunday with your date…
Features of Mentally Healthy People
1) A wide variety of sources of gratification;
Not this scattered sense of do, do, do, to a fault or to be ineffective. But having more than one true friendship, having a growing career, recreational endeavors, family support… Example, lets say your only true friend dies, you may potentially grieve a long grief, yet if you have several good friendships you draw upon their strength in overcoming it and move on quicker…
2) Flexibility under stress;
Stay calm in stressful situations if you panic you are at a huge disadvantage.
Be flexible, a large oak will snap in a hurricane whereas the grass and plants stay put because they are flexible…
3) Recognition and acceptance of limitations and assets;
Have a reasonably accurate picture of yourself.
Like what you see about you, healthy self esteem.
Do not be complacent, continue to grow and strive.
4) Understand the importance of treating people as individuals;
They understand that people are distinct, different, and original and they treat them as such.
Treat people good 100% of the time.
Understand that people are people and want to be respected for who they are.
They make others feel special, valued…
*** People that are preoccupied with themselves pay only superficial attention to others. Be a listener and care…
5) Stay active and productive;
They do what they do because they like to do it.
They do not do it to prove their value
When they lead they lead via example not rule or power.
They set goals and achieve.
6) They Love, are Loving and Live by a loving example;
They live by the Golden Rule.
They make others feel love or the presence of love.
They share and care.
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Tool’s for Recovery
What is Recovery?
Any individual that decides, realizes or accepts that alcohol is damaging any aspect of their lives.
An individual that meets criteria one and now lives a “Healthy, Prosperous, Clean and Sober Life”
Healthy:
Mentally
Physically
Spiritually
Prosperous; a person that lives with purpose
Clean and Sober, a person that is substance free, and actively participating in their recovered life.
The Tools
Implement as many as possible.Attend Recovery social groups such as: Meetings, AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery, etc…
Get and use a Mentor.
Get and always have with you either your Chip, Your Attraction Stone, Your Gratitude Rock.
Surround yourself with positive like minded people, friends in recovery especially.
Aversive prevention, Think it Through.
Know and use your ABC’s.
Work the Steps.
Attend Step and Big Book meetings.
Get a commitment for service in your group.
Do something good for someone, work on your humility do not let them know it was you and tell no one you did it.
Pray 3rd Step & 7th Step prayers.
Read Big Book especially the first 164 pages.
Do your affirmations.
Set your goal, use scripting, vision, purpose etc…
Put a hand out to the newcomer.
Share with others or Chair a meeting.
Say the Serenity Prayer when in a pinch, make it a habit.
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Never Stop Believing
The only sure way for you to lose is if you give up. Your lack of encouragement or mistakes you make should never be the reason you quit. Always keep believing in Recovery as way of life no matter what!
No. 1 – Have confidence
See yourself and others as a winner.Expect success.
No. 2 – Recognize each accomplishment you make, no matter how small.
Write it in your Journal.
Make each small accomplishment seem major – it really is.
Make it public – Share it in therapy, group or meetings.
No. 3 – Dream, again.
Never think you can stop dreaming.You need to be constantly reminded of the rewards of your hard work.
Read your goals and dreams daily.
No. 4 – Don’t give up when you make mistakes.
Learn through the tough times, as well as the easy times.Never criticize yourself.
AND…Never be guilty of giving up!!!!!
Start today you have nothing to lose but a whole new life to win!
Rehab Testimonials
The Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center Program
"If anyone had told me, even six months ago,
that I would spend 91 days in an alcohol/drug recovery program, I would
have been incredulous. Alcohol rehab? Me? Yet, on January 25th of this
year, I enrolled in Dan Callahan’s recovery program, The Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center."
