OVEREIGNS HEALTH

SOVEREIGNHEALTH OF CALIFORNIA

T r e a t m e n t C e n t e r

OVEREIGNS HEALTH

SOVEREIGNHEALTH OF CALIFORNIA

T r e a t m e n t C e n t e r

432

Admissions Process : At Sovereign Health of California, we utilize an experienced intake staff to facilitate entry into our program. The confidential intake process usually begins with a brief conversation to help determine whether we are a suitable match for a potential patient. The next step is to determine the level of care necessary. Finally, the information is passed on to our clinical staff, who are in charge of assessment and admission.

We invite you to call us at 1 (877) 633-7764 or email us at info@sovcal.com

Sovereign Health of California specializes in providing holistic and evidence-based clinical treatment, focusing on the person as a whole. A clinical model of healing the physical, mental, and emotional is used to treat our patients. Treatment programs we provide:

w Mental Health Treatment

w Eating Disorder Treatment

w Dual Diagnosis Treatment

w Executive Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Sovereign Health Staff Member, CAPTAIN LARRY SMITHuestion-answer section

Who are you and what do you do for Sovereign Health?My name is Larry Smith and I am a chemical addiction counselor here at Sovereign Health. I was trained through the California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR). I guide alcoholics and drug addicts through recovery. More specifically, I focus on teaching self-enhancing behaviors and important life skills. I also specialize in neural science education. For example, a presentation I frequently give, titled “The Hijacked Brain and How to Reclaim It,” explains how it takes major changes in an addict’s life to achieve long-term recovery and sobriety.

You are known for being certified in and using EEG Neurotherapy. What is this and how does can it help patients? EEG Neurotherapy is a non-invasive biofeedback for the brain. It is done with an EEG device – a group of electrodes placed on the scalp that measure brainwaves. By using video and audio feedbacks, the device reinforces when your brain is operating in a desired range. If your brainwaves are out of this range, the video and audio signals stop. After several sessions, the brainwaves become more normally regulated. EEG Neurotherapy trains your brain subconsciously over time to be in a target range.

In terms of how it can help patients, the goal of biofeedback is to have a person be calm and alert at the same time. For addicts and alcoholics, this is impossible. They are either calm and not alert (alcohol, marijuana, heroin) or alert and not calm (cocaine, meth). Larry Smith’s life is worthy of being made into a Hollywood movie. He has been enamored with aviation most of his life and is an avid, experienced pilot. He flew supersonic jet fighters in the Air Force and still flies Boeing 747s internationally. The man has over 20,000 flying hours in military and commercial aviation. For years, he struggled with an alcohol and cocaine addiction until he was arrested and went into treatment. He has now been sober for 12 years and is determined to help guide addicts and alcoholics towards a successful, long-term recovery.

When did you first know that you wanted to become a pilot?When I saw the Blue Angels perform at the Toledo Express Airport in the early 1970s. I was standing on the top of a bridge, at the end of runway 25, when an F-4 Phantom came screaming directly overhead, inverted. The pilot was probably 50 feet off of the ground, going 450 knots (around 500 mph) and I thought, “I want to be the guy in that jet.” From that day forward, I focused my energy on achieving that goal.

Do you think that there is something about professional pilots that makes them more prone to addiction? The lifestyle itself could possibly make them more prone to addiction. More specifically, the extensive traveling, being alone a lot, and working very irregular schedules. Plus, pilots are usually risk takers and more extroverted than most. They can have a hard time getting in touch with their emotions and sometimes cope with this by drinking or using drugs.

As a counselor, what do you think contributes to alcoholism, or any other sort of addiction?

Here’s a simple answer: people become alcoholics and addicts because drugs and alcohol work. They provide a cheap and easy escape. They make people feel better about themselves in the short run – plain and simple.

Here’s a more complex answer: I think that, like for many things, it’s a combination of your genetics and your environment. Physical and emotional trauma may cause self-destructive, addictive behavior. But so can a genetic predisposition to addiction or alcoholism. I think that it is hard to attribute it to one single thing; its root is usually very elaborate.

What do you think contributed to your addiction? What were you addicted to and why? Tell us about your story. Firstly, I had a genetic predisposition to addiction, as I had a family history of alcoholism. It was also due to my environment. I was raised in a community where drinking was the norm. In my teenage years, and particularly in the military, all of my friends were drinkers. Alcohol made me think I could dance, made me think I could sing, and generally made me more self-confident.

In the 1980s, I was furloughed from an airline and had also stopped flying for the military. Before then, I had avoided drug use because of aviation. But because I was no longer flying, and because of the people I was around, I started experimenting with cocaine. At first, it seemed harmless.

In the beginning, cocaine lied to me. It gave me a fabricated sense of confidence to the point of arrogance. Although I stopped using when I later got rehired by the airline, I always had a lingering thought in the back of my mind: “if life begins to suck, I can pick up a drink or take drugs and all will be well.”

I retired from the military in 1990. Soon, I started occasionally using small amounts of cocaine when I knew I wasn’t going to fly for several days. The quantity increased with time, but I kept thinking to myself, “I can quit whenever I want.” By the time I got arrested, I knew I was in big, big trouble. And in a weird way, I was glad it had happened.

Many say that in order for recovery to be successful, one needs to hit a rock bottom. Was this arrest your rock bottom? Yes, it was. I was face down, scared, and naked [he was taking a bath at the time of his arrest], with officers in ski masks pointing the business ends of their shotguns towards my head. Looking deep into a gun’s barrel and into the steely eyes of the cop holding it, I had a moment of clarity. I literally said, “I’m glad you’re here.” I understood that I had to surrender, that I had to uncover my secret.

I already knew that I was an addict. What I didn’t know, however, was there was real help out there. I didn’t believe that Alcoholics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous would work for me because I wasn’t like the people there. These men were all rough, convicted felons and I did not relate to any of them.

Larry was released from jail on February 5, 1999 and went straight to treatment. He has been clean and sober since this day.

What was the most important lesson that you learned whilst in rehabilitation? That I was not different. I was just another alcoholic, just another addict in recovery. I don’t carry guilt or shame in being an alcoholic or an addict. I share my humiliating story because I want to take the stigma out of addiction.

While in treatment, my Chief Pilot (boss) called and told me, “It’s up to you. If you keep your anonymity, no one will remember who you are, your story will go away, and people will forget about it. On the other hand, if you keep your story alive, you’re going to help other people.” He was right. My story has helped and still helps other people.

Equine Assisted THERAPYeatured alternative treatment

At Sovereign Health of California, we offer and are avid supporters of Equine Co-Facilitated Partnership Rituals (ECPR). ECPR is a non-traditional therapy program, in which the main therapist is actually a horse. We work with a third party named Bethany’s Gait, a company that specializes in Equine Facilitated Therapy. Its Founder and Executive Director, Christi Silverberg-Rose explains, “Much of what the clients do focuses on herd behavior and horse communication. Through seven different communication ‘rituals’ they begin to make positive

changes to their behavior and how they relate to others. In addition to the rituals, their sessions may include grooming, observation, groundwork, riding in an arena, and trail rides. During and after the sessions, clients process their feelings and behaviors with the therapy team and their peers. Through this method, clients take the lessons learned with the horses, including positive communication, trust, leadership and anger management, and apply them to their own lives using analogy and metaphor.”

So why horses? The simple answer is that horses do not judge. They see people for who they truly are, and do not care about physical appearance or past mistakes. Clients quickly build a relationship with their respective horse based upon unadulterated love and respect. Most are a bit intimidated by the horses at first, but quickly earn their trust. Virtually everyone who has completed this program speaks positively of it, as it is both relaxing during and an accomplishment after.

Sovereign Health of California EVENTSAUGUST, 2011Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

Grand opening of Executive Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center in Lake Arrowhead

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Open House Education & Summer Fun with Guest Speaker: Dr. Allen Berger, PhD @ Lake Arrowhead

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Support & attendthe Imagine LivesChanged Dinner Event (info at http://imagineliveschanged.org/)

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Monthly Network & Educational Luncheon with Dr. Sarah “Sunny” Steinmeyer PhD

vent calendar

MENTAL HEALTH diagnosesMental health diagnoses – including eating disorders and chemical dependency – manifest in the brain. Patients with diagnoses of alcohol or chemical dependency have often undergone neurological changes due to significant abuse. Learning how to restore these structures provides an increased possibility for long-term success.

At Sovereign Health, brain wellness exercises are included as a foundation of treatment within each of our programs. Essentially, brain wellness is divided into five components: nutrition, sleep hygiene, mental activity, physical activity and socialization. All of these factors contribute to hardy brain functioning and can lead to a prolonged, healthier life.

“Neurobic”, an website created by Sovereign Health, provides users with brain-enhancement games. Neurobic also contains an archive of information on brain health, with topics such as brain fitness, proper nutrition, stress management, and physical fitness. Because the human brain has an innate capacity to learn, and is adaptive to whatever we do, these professionally designed exercises improve memory, reaction time, multi-tasking ability, attentiveness and more. For example, one of the games, named “Find Franky”, helps users improve their visio-spatial vigilance, memory, reaction time, and facial recognition.

To use Neurobic, go to www.neurobic.com and sign up! Once logged in, one can find games on the “Train” page and play.

rain wellness

contd. on page 4...

...contd. from page 3

432

Admissions Process : At Sovereign Health of California, we utilize an experienced intake staff to facilitate entry into our program. The confidential intake process usually begins with a brief conversation to help determine whether we are a suitable match for a potential patient. The next step is to determine the level of care necessary. Finally, the information is passed on to our clinical staff, who are in charge of assessment and admission.

We invite you to call us at 1 (877) 633-7764 or email us at info@sovcal.com

Sovereign Health of California specializes in providing holistic and evidence-based clinical treatment, focusing on the person as a whole. A clinical model of healing the physical, mental, and emotional is used to treat our patients. Treatment programs we provide:

w Mental Health Treatment

w Eating Disorder Treatment

w Dual Diagnosis Treatment

w Executive Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Sovereign Health Staff Member, CAPTAIN LARRY SMITHuestion-answer section

Who are you and what do you do for Sovereign Health?My name is Larry Smith and I am a chemical addiction counselor here at Sovereign Health. I was trained through the California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR). I guide alcoholics and drug addicts through recovery. More specifically, I focus on teaching self-enhancing behaviors and important life skills. I also specialize in neural science education. For example, a presentation I frequently give, titled “The Hijacked Brain and How to Reclaim It,” explains how it takes major changes in an addict’s life to achieve long-term recovery and sobriety.

You are known for being certified in and using EEG Neurotherapy. What is this and how does can it help patients? EEG Neurotherapy is a non-invasive biofeedback for the brain. It is done with an EEG device – a group of electrodes placed on the scalp that measure brainwaves. By using video and audio feedbacks, the device reinforces when your brain is operating in a desired range. If your brainwaves are out of this range, the video and audio signals stop. After several sessions, the brainwaves become more normally regulated. EEG Neurotherapy trains your brain subconsciously over time to be in a target range.

In terms of how it can help patients, the goal of biofeedback is to have a person be calm and alert at the same time. For addicts and alcoholics, this is impossible. They are either calm and not alert (alcohol, marijuana, heroin) or alert and not calm (cocaine, meth). Larry Smith’s life is worthy of being made into a Hollywood movie. He has been enamored with aviation most of his life and is an avid, experienced pilot. He flew supersonic jet fighters in the Air Force and still flies Boeing 747s internationally. The man has over 20,000 flying hours in military and commercial aviation. For years, he struggled with an alcohol and cocaine addiction until he was arrested and went into treatment. He has now been sober for 12 years and is determined to help guide addicts and alcoholics towards a successful, long-term recovery.

When did you first know that you wanted to become a pilot?When I saw the Blue Angels perform at the Toledo Express Airport in the early 1970s. I was standing on the top of a bridge, at the end of runway 25, when an F-4 Phantom came screaming directly overhead, inverted. The pilot was probably 50 feet off of the ground, going 450 knots (around 500 mph) and I thought, “I want to be the guy in that jet.” From that day forward, I focused my energy on achieving that goal.

Do you think that there is something about professional pilots that makes them more prone to addiction? The lifestyle itself could possibly make them more prone to addiction. More specifically, the extensive traveling, being alone a lot, and working very irregular schedules. Plus, pilots are usually risk takers and more extroverted than most. They can have a hard time getting in touch with their emotions and sometimes cope with this by drinking or using drugs.

As a counselor, what do you think contributes to alcoholism, or any other sort of addiction?

Here’s a simple answer: people become alcoholics and addicts because drugs and alcohol work. They provide a cheap and easy escape. They make people feel better about themselves in the short run – plain and simple.

Here’s a more complex answer: I think that, like for many things, it’s a combination of your genetics and your environment. Physical and emotional trauma may cause self-destructive, addictive behavior. But so can a genetic predisposition to addiction or alcoholism. I think that it is hard to attribute it to one single thing; its root is usually very elaborate.

What do you think contributed to your addiction? What were you addicted to and why? Tell us about your story. Firstly, I had a genetic predisposition to addiction, as I had a family history of alcoholism. It was also due to my environment. I was raised in a community where drinking was the norm. In my teenage years, and particularly in the military, all of my friends were drinkers. Alcohol made me think I could dance, made me think I could sing, and generally made me more self-confident.

In the 1980s, I was furloughed from an airline and had also stopped flying for the military. Before then, I had avoided drug use because of aviation. But because I was no longer flying, and because of the people I was around, I started experimenting with cocaine. At first, it seemed harmless.

In the beginning, cocaine lied to me. It gave me a fabricated sense of confidence to the point of arrogance. Although I stopped using when I later got rehired by the airline, I always had a lingering thought in the back of my mind: “if life begins to suck, I can pick up a drink or take drugs and all will be well.”

I retired from the military in 1990. Soon, I started occasionally using small amounts of cocaine when I knew I wasn’t going to fly for several days. The quantity increased with time, but I kept thinking to myself, “I can quit whenever I want.” By the time I got arrested, I knew I was in big, big trouble. And in a weird way, I was glad it had happened.

Many say that in order for recovery to be successful, one needs to hit a rock bottom. Was this arrest your rock bottom? Yes, it was. I was face down, scared, and naked [he was taking a bath at the time of his arrest], with officers in ski masks pointing the business ends of their shotguns towards my head. Looking deep into a gun’s barrel and into the steely eyes of the cop holding it, I had a moment of clarity. I literally said, “I’m glad you’re here.” I understood that I had to surrender, that I had to uncover my secret.

I already knew that I was an addict. What I didn’t know, however, was there was real help out there. I didn’t believe that Alcoholics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous would work for me because I wasn’t like the people there. These men were all rough, convicted felons and I did not relate to any of them.

Larry was released from jail on February 5, 1999 and went straight to treatment. He has been clean and sober since this day.

What was the most important lesson that you learned whilst in rehabilitation? That I was not different. I was just another alcoholic, just another addict in recovery. I don’t carry guilt or shame in being an alcoholic or an addict. I share my humiliating story because I want to take the stigma out of addiction.

While in treatment, my Chief Pilot (boss) called and told me, “It’s up to you. If you keep your anonymity, no one will remember who you are, your story will go away, and people will forget about it. On the other hand, if you keep your story alive, you’re going to help other people.” He was right. My story has helped and still helps other people.

Equine Assisted THERAPYeatured alternative treatment

At Sovereign Health of California, we offer and are avid supporters of Equine Co-Facilitated Partnership Rituals (ECPR). ECPR is a non-traditional therapy program, in which the main therapist is actually a horse. We work with a third party named Bethany’s Gait, a company that specializes in Equine Facilitated Therapy. Its Founder and Executive Director, Christi Silverberg-Rose explains, “Much of what the clients do focuses on herd behavior and horse communication. Through seven different communication ‘rituals’ they begin to make positive

changes to their behavior and how they relate to others. In addition to the rituals, their sessions may include grooming, observation, groundwork, riding in an arena, and trail rides. During and after the sessions, clients process their feelings and behaviors with the therapy team and their peers. Through this method, clients take the lessons learned with the horses, including positive communication, trust, leadership and anger management, and apply them to their own lives using analogy and metaphor.”

So why horses? The simple answer is that horses do not judge. They see people for who they truly are, and do not care about physical appearance or past mistakes. Clients quickly build a relationship with their respective horse based upon unadulterated love and respect. Most are a bit intimidated by the horses at first, but quickly earn their trust. Virtually everyone who has completed this program speaks positively of it, as it is both relaxing during and an accomplishment after.

Sovereign Health of California EVENTSAUGUST, 2011Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

Grand opening of Executive Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center in Lake Arrowhead

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Open House Education & Summer Fun with Guest Speaker: Dr. Allen Berger, PhD @ Lake Arrowhead

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Support & attendthe Imagine LivesChanged Dinner Event (info at http://imagineliveschanged.org/)

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Monthly Network & Educational Luncheon with Dr. Sarah “Sunny” Steinmeyer PhD

vent calendar

MENTAL HEALTH diagnosesMental health diagnoses – including eating disorders and chemical dependency – manifest in the brain. Patients with diagnoses of alcohol or chemical dependency have often undergone neurological changes due to significant abuse. Learning how to restore these structures provides an increased possibility for long-term success.

At Sovereign Health, brain wellness exercises are included as a foundation of treatment within each of our programs. Essentially, brain wellness is divided into five components: nutrition, sleep hygiene, mental activity, physical activity and socialization. All of these factors contribute to hardy brain functioning and can lead to a prolonged, healthier life.

“Neurobic”, an website created by Sovereign Health, provides users with brain-enhancement games. Neurobic also contains an archive of information on brain health, with topics such as brain fitness, proper nutrition, stress management, and physical fitness. Because the human brain has an innate capacity to learn, and is adaptive to whatever we do, these professionally designed exercises improve memory, reaction time, multi-tasking ability, attentiveness and more. For example, one of the games, named “Find Franky”, helps users improve their visio-spatial vigilance, memory, reaction time, and facial recognition.

To use Neurobic, go to www.neurobic.com and sign up! Once logged in, one can find games on the “Train” page and play.

rain wellness

contd. on page 4...

...contd. from page 3

432

Admissions Process : At Sovereign Health of California, we utilize an experienced intake staff to facilitate entry into our program. The confidential intake process usually begins with a brief conversation to help determine whether we are a suitable match for a potential patient. The next step is to determine the level of care necessary. Finally, the information is passed on to our clinical staff, who are in charge of assessment and admission.

We invite you to call us at 1 (877) 633-7764 or email us at info@sovcal.com

Sovereign Health of California specializes in providing holistic and evidence-based clinical treatment, focusing on the person as a whole. A clinical model of healing the physical, mental, and emotional is used to treat our patients. Treatment programs we provide:

w Mental Health Treatment

w Eating Disorder Treatment

w Dual Diagnosis Treatment

w Executive Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Sovereign Health Staff Member, CAPTAIN LARRY SMITHuestion-answer section

Who are you and what do you do for Sovereign Health?My name is Larry Smith and I am a chemical addiction counselor here at Sovereign Health. I was trained through the California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR). I guide alcoholics and drug addicts through recovery. More specifically, I focus on teaching self-enhancing behaviors and important life skills. I also specialize in neural science education. For example, a presentation I frequently give, titled “The Hijacked Brain and How to Reclaim It,” explains how it takes major changes in an addict’s life to achieve long-term recovery and sobriety.

You are known for being certified in and using EEG Neurotherapy. What is this and how does can it help patients? EEG Neurotherapy is a non-invasive biofeedback for the brain. It is done with an EEG device – a group of electrodes placed on the scalp that measure brainwaves. By using video and audio feedbacks, the device reinforces when your brain is operating in a desired range. If your brainwaves are out of this range, the video and audio signals stop. After several sessions, the brainwaves become more normally regulated. EEG Neurotherapy trains your brain subconsciously over time to be in a target range.

In terms of how it can help patients, the goal of biofeedback is to have a person be calm and alert at the same time. For addicts and alcoholics, this is impossible. They are either calm and not alert (alcohol, marijuana, heroin) or alert and not calm (cocaine, meth). Larry Smith’s life is worthy of being made into a Hollywood movie. He has been enamored with aviation most of his life and is an avid, experienced pilot. He flew supersonic jet fighters in the Air Force and still flies Boeing 747s internationally. The man has over 20,000 flying hours in military and commercial aviation. For years, he struggled with an alcohol and cocaine addiction until he was arrested and went into treatment. He has now been sober for 12 years and is determined to help guide addicts and alcoholics towards a successful, long-term recovery.

When did you first know that you wanted to become a pilot?When I saw the Blue Angels perform at the Toledo Express Airport in the early 1970s. I was standing on the top of a bridge, at the end of runway 25, when an F-4 Phantom came screaming directly overhead, inverted. The pilot was probably 50 feet off of the ground, going 450 knots (around 500 mph) and I thought, “I want to be the guy in that jet.” From that day forward, I focused my energy on achieving that goal.

Do you think that there is something about professional pilots that makes them more prone to addiction? The lifestyle itself could possibly make them more prone to addiction. More specifically, the extensive traveling, being alone a lot, and working very irregular schedules. Plus, pilots are usually risk takers and more extroverted than most. They can have a hard time getting in touch with their emotions and sometimes cope with this by drinking or using drugs.

As a counselor, what do you think contributes to alcoholism, or any other sort of addiction?

Here’s a simple answer: people become alcoholics and addicts because drugs and alcohol work. They provide a cheap and easy escape. They make people feel better about themselves in the short run – plain and simple.

Here’s a more complex answer: I think that, like for many things, it’s a combination of your genetics and your environment. Physical and emotional trauma may cause self-destructive, addictive behavior. But so can a genetic predisposition to addiction or alcoholism. I think that it is hard to attribute it to one single thing; its root is usually very elaborate.

What do you think contributed to your addiction? What were you addicted to and why? Tell us about your story. Firstly, I had a genetic predisposition to addiction, as I had a family history of alcoholism. It was also due to my environment. I was raised in a community where drinking was the norm. In my teenage years, and particularly in the military, all of my friends were drinkers. Alcohol made me think I could dance, made me think I could sing, and generally made me more self-confident.

In the 1980s, I was furloughed from an airline and had also stopped flying for the military. Before then, I had avoided drug use because of aviation. But because I was no longer flying, and because of the people I was around, I started experimenting with cocaine. At first, it seemed harmless.

In the beginning, cocaine lied to me. It gave me a fabricated sense of confidence to the point of arrogance. Although I stopped using when I later got rehired by the airline, I always had a lingering thought in the back of my mind: “if life begins to suck, I can pick up a drink or take drugs and all will be well.”

I retired from the military in 1990. Soon, I started occasionally using small amounts of cocaine when I knew I wasn’t going to fly for several days. The quantity increased with time, but I kept thinking to myself, “I can quit whenever I want.” By the time I got arrested, I knew I was in big, big trouble. And in a weird way, I was glad it had happened.

Many say that in order for recovery to be successful, one needs to hit a rock bottom. Was this arrest your rock bottom? Yes, it was. I was face down, scared, and naked [he was taking a bath at the time of his arrest], with officers in ski masks pointing the business ends of their shotguns towards my head. Looking deep into a gun’s barrel and into the steely eyes of the cop holding it, I had a moment of clarity. I literally said, “I’m glad you’re here.” I understood that I had to surrender, that I had to uncover my secret.

I already knew that I was an addict. What I didn’t know, however, was there was real help out there. I didn’t believe that Alcoholics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous would work for me because I wasn’t like the people there. These men were all rough, convicted felons and I did not relate to any of them.

Larry was released from jail on February 5, 1999 and went straight to treatment. He has been clean and sober since this day.

What was the most important lesson that you learned whilst in rehabilitation? That I was not different. I was just another alcoholic, just another addict in recovery. I don’t carry guilt or shame in being an alcoholic or an addict. I share my humiliating story because I want to take the stigma out of addiction.

While in treatment, my Chief Pilot (boss) called and told me, “It’s up to you. If you keep your anonymity, no one will remember who you are, your story will go away, and people will forget about it. On the other hand, if you keep your story alive, you’re going to help other people.” He was right. My story has helped and still helps other people.

Equine Assisted THERAPYeatured alternative treatment

At Sovereign Health of California, we offer and are avid supporters of Equine Co-Facilitated Partnership Rituals (ECPR). ECPR is a non-traditional therapy program, in which the main therapist is actually a horse. We work with a third party named Bethany’s Gait, a company that specializes in Equine Facilitated Therapy. Its Founder and Executive Director, Christi Silverberg-Rose explains, “Much of what the clients do focuses on herd behavior and horse communication. Through seven different communication ‘rituals’ they begin to make positive

changes to their behavior and how they relate to others. In addition to the rituals, their sessions may include grooming, observation, groundwork, riding in an arena, and trail rides. During and after the sessions, clients process their feelings and behaviors with the therapy team and their peers. Through this method, clients take the lessons learned with the horses, including positive communication, trust, leadership and anger management, and apply them to their own lives using analogy and metaphor.”

So why horses? The simple answer is that horses do not judge. They see people for who they truly are, and do not care about physical appearance or past mistakes. Clients quickly build a relationship with their respective horse based upon unadulterated love and respect. Most are a bit intimidated by the horses at first, but quickly earn their trust. Virtually everyone who has completed this program speaks positively of it, as it is both relaxing during and an accomplishment after.

Sovereign Health of California EVENTSAUGUST, 2011Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

Grand opening of Executive Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center in Lake Arrowhead

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Overeaters Anonymous @ 9 am

Open House Education & Summer Fun with Guest Speaker: Dr. Allen Berger, PhD @ Lake Arrowhead

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Support & attendthe Imagine LivesChanged Dinner Event (info at http://imagineliveschanged.org/)

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous Panel Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Support Group @ 7 pm

Monthly Network & Educational Luncheon with Dr. Sarah “Sunny” Steinmeyer PhD

vent calendar

MENTAL HEALTH diagnosesMental health diagnoses – including eating disorders and chemical dependency – manifest in the brain. Patients with diagnoses of alcohol or chemical dependency have often undergone neurological changes due to significant abuse. Learning how to restore these structures provides an increased possibility for long-term success.

At Sovereign Health, brain wellness exercises are included as a foundation of treatment within each of our programs. Essentially, brain wellness is divided into five components: nutrition, sleep hygiene, mental activity, physical activity and socialization. All of these factors contribute to hardy brain functioning and can lead to a prolonged, healthier life.

“Neurobic”, an website created by Sovereign Health, provides users with brain-enhancement games. Neurobic also contains an archive of information on brain health, with topics such as brain fitness, proper nutrition, stress management, and physical fitness. Because the human brain has an innate capacity to learn, and is adaptive to whatever we do, these professionally designed exercises improve memory, reaction time, multi-tasking ability, attentiveness and more. For example, one of the games, named “Find Franky”, helps users improve their visio-spatial vigilance, memory, reaction time, and facial recognition.

To use Neurobic, go to www.neurobic.com and sign up! Once logged in, one can find games on the “Train” page and play.

rain wellness

contd. on page 4...

...contd. from page 3

OVEREIGNS HEALTH

SOVEREIGNHEALTH OF CALIFORNIA

T r e a t m e n t C e n t e r

OVEREIGNS HEALTH

SOVEREIGNHEALTH OF CALIFORNIA

T r e a t m e n t C e n t e r

OVEREIGNS HEALTH

SOVEREIGNHEALTH OF CALIFORNIA

T r e a t m e n t C e n t e r

OVEREIGNS HEALTH

SOVEREIGNHEALTH OF CALIFORNIA

T r e a t m e n t C e n t e r