ABSTRACT
Our present approach to addictions treatment in this country is essentially negative in its orientation. We encourage clients to stop dysfunctional behaviors and explore the means to stay stopped, but rarely consider what is to begin. We ask our clients to shun drinking and/or drugging, rather than identifying the purpose of that behavior and then finding positive, healthy ways of achieving the no drug/no drinking goal. We talk about relapse prevention, crisis avoidance, and guarding against numerous feelings, situations and people, or we talk about “white-knuckle” sobriety maintenance. We present a future of internal and external battles-a most unattractive prospect. Rarely do we talk about positively directing recovery, a going-toward rather than a running-from.
