A Message from Dr. Horvath, PhD., ABPP
I created Practical Recovery because I realized that traditional addiction treatment would not help most people. Since 1985 I studied addictive problems and how to change them, in order to combine the best available treatments into a highly flexible and personalized set of treatment services. The aim at Practical Recovery is to determine what will work for you, given your goals, values, personality, and situation. We don’t make you fit into a preexisting plan or program. We create a plan just for you.
Although each client’s treatment plan is unique, most plans focus on some combination of 1) enhancing and maintaining motivation to change, 2) coping with craving (including learning how over time to put an end to craving), 3) identifying and resolving related problems and diagnoses (this focus is the primary one for most individuals), 4) enhancing relationships (couples and family sessions are encouraged but not required), 5) lifestyle balance (in particular, balancing short-term and long-term pleasures) and 6) living a life of meaning and purpose. Some of our clients choose to attend mutual help groups, most commonly SMART Recovery, but also 12-step (e.g., AA, NA) or other groups (e.g., Women for Sobriety).
Practical Recovery provides help for any behavior that has become addictive, whether it’s alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs, food, gambling, shopping, sexual activity or other issues. We will meet you “where you are” without imposing anyone else’s rules for change or success on you. We have helped thousands of individuals move beyond addiction and lead meaningful lives.
If you have addiction problems, whether mild, moderate or severe, you know you want a better life. However, you are likely stuck in behavior patterns that provide short-term satisfaction while causing long-term pain. At Practical Recovery we’ll help you figure out what you truly want, and how to get it.
Dr. Horvath’s professional bio
Dr. A. Tom Horvath, founder of Practical Recovery, is an internationally recognized expert on addiction treatment. He was president of SMART Recovery for 20 years. SMART Recovery, founded 1994, is the largest of the non-12-step mutual help groups. He is a past president (1990-91) of the Society of Addiction Psychology (Division 50 of the American Psychological Association; the world’s largest organization of addiction psychologists), the author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions (2nd ed.), and a fellow of the San Diego Psychological Association, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the American Psychological Association.