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Jim Shelton,
Addiction Interventionist |
I am alive today because I had family members who loved me enough to confront my alcoholism and other drug addiction. They saved my life! I knew that I was dying and that I had chronic liver disease, but I could not stop drinking! I was ashamed and disgusted with myself. Pride and shame would not let me admit to myself, let alone others, that I was addicted. I had surrendered to my addiction and I was planning on riding it out to its deadly end. This was a lonely and frightening place to be. Left to my own devices, I would have died.
That has been over 30 years ago. I was drowning in the cesspool of addiction. Today, I am very thankful I had loved ones who threw me a rope and lovingly but firmly insisted I grab hold of it. They did this by metaphorically holding up a mirror for me to see what they had been watching. Addiction robs addicts of their lives before it kills them. They helped me see how I had lost me. I was no longer the provider, the husband, the father or the person I wanted to be. They told me the next step would be my life. I knew they were right, but still I was argumentative and resistant because I was so afraid and ashamed. The addiction and my ego told me I could stop on my own, in spite of many failed attempts. Addiction had robbed me of sound judgment and sanity, although at the time, I could not see this. During the progression of my addictive disease I had lost my right of choice, but I did not think so!
My loved ones held firm and left me no good choices but to seek help. I entered a hospital that day. With lots of help and support, I have never had to take another drink since that time. I have seen my children grow up to be wonderful people. I have attended the graduations and walked the bride down the isle. I have two wonderful granddaughters. I did not miss life, all because my loved ones did for me what I could not do for myself! Indeed, I have experienced life abundantly. It certainly has not been problem free, but I have never again had to turn to alcohol or other drugs to live through them.
Early in my recovery,
I became involved in bringing alcoholism services to West Texas; I soon tested for my certification as an alcohol and drug counselor. I then founded an external employee assistance program and started doing interventions. I was and am still enthralled with helping the addicted and their love ones find help for themselves.
Since my father was a successful corporate executive, I felt at home working with employers, both in educating companies about addiction and assisting them with valued employees who were chemically dependent.
In time, I knew that I needed more training and education in order to be skilled and effective in my new career. I held a Bachelors Degree In Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of California at Berkeley, so I returned to college to obtain a Masters Degree in Addiction Studies.
I am credentialed as a Masters Addiction Counselor (MAC), Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) and
Board Registered Interventionist II
(BRI II),
trained in the Johnson model, the invitational ARISE Model and The Family Systemic model.
I am more than an addiction interventionist. Because of my personal experience, my education and professional experience, I am a case manager, from assessment through post treatment monitoring, a professional addiction counselor and family counselor for both the chemically dependent, their loved ones, concerned friends and employers.
For the last twenty-five years, I have worked in the field of addictive disease.. I recently spent eight years employed at the prestigious and widely respected Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. I initially held the position of
Coordinator of Case Management. For six years, I was a counselor in The Betty Ford Center Family Program where family members and other concerned individuals come from worldwide locations to attend this five-day family program. As a result of this experience, I have worked with thousands of chemically dependent people, their loved ones and other significant people, who find themselves in crisis because of their addiction or some other persons addiction. These have been people in crisis and who were looking for help, guidance and solutions. I understand the family dynamics of addiction and I am capable of helping these people find help and resolution to the problem.
I do workshops for both codependent family members and chemically dependent people in recovery,viewing codependency as a relapse trigger. This workshop also includes learning the skills of boundary setting.. As a result of this work, I am privileged to be featured on two professional VHS/DVD presentations called What is Codependency? and Setting Personal Boundaries. FMS Productions in Santa Barbara, California made these productions in association with The Betty Ford Center. I also authored a workbook for these two productions. Once a month, I contract with the Betty Ford Center to facilitate a five-day men’s workshop on trauma and addiction.
When I am hired as an addiction interventionist, I am not interested in just flying in, facilitating an intervention and leaving town. I take the client and their families on as an advisor and case manager until the patient and family members are stable and secure in their recovery.
I am available for educational lectures, conference presentations, individual family education sessions, and a workshop on addiction, trauma, shame, codependency, and loss and grief. To learn about other addiction and recovery services, go to Other Addiction Services.
Please contact me at (866) 369-7078 or use my contact form for more information on addiction interventions and other services. Interventions can be done nationwide.
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