Filling the void between “doing nothing and formal treatment.”
Good news for recovering addicts and addiction experts in Los Angeles: Dr. Adi Jaffe, a well-known addiction psychologist from UCLA and a longtime friend of Addiction Inbox, is kicking off a new venture: the A3 Academy.
Dr. Jaffe, who runs the All About Addiction website, and writes a column for Psychology Today, knows whereof he speaks, having spent 8 years as a meth addict and drug dealer in a former lifetime. “The A3 Academy is specifically formulated to fill the void between doing nothing about addiction and formal addiction treatment,” Dr. Jaffe said. The inaugural academy will be held on Tuesday, September 6th, in West Los Angeles (2001 Barrington Ave.) at 6:00 PM, and is intended to become a weekly event. Information, tickets, and details of online participation are available HERE. Or you can email for information at academy@allaboutaddiction.com.
“If it has to do with addiction,” we’ll probably cover it,” Dr. Jaffe said. He plans to integrate “informational sessions, process groups, life planning, mindfulness, nutrition, and expert consultation with leading addiction experts from the Los Angeles area and beyond.”
Dr. Adi told Addiction Inbox that “local LA people can attend the event, and others can stream and watch, and the cost is purposefully low. It's going to be an educational/empowerment sort of thing that will adapt to the needs of the specific group attending.”
Judging by his blog postings at All About Addiction, Dr. Jaffe brings a wealth of information and experience to the task—as well as being an accomplished public speaker. “I’ve learned a lot about the genetic, behavioral, and environmental influences on addiction and drug-abuse,” he says. “Whatever you’re comfortable calling addiction, there’s no doubt that it’s having a great, negative, impact on those it affects. More than 500,000 deaths and a burden of more than $500 million dollars are attributed to substance abuse every year in the United States alone. I think it's time we get real about the problem and stop using stigma and misinformation to hide behind.”
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