Amis/Amigos de Bill W. & Dr Bob's friends

"C'est ce qu'on fait qui compte,
pas ce qu'on veut."
in Ma tête veut ma peau

"

Imagine for a moment that it is 1949, and that someone you love is alcoholic. As you struggle with this fact, you quickly learn about three prospects for this person's future: One is commitment to a locked ward in a mental hospital, sharing facilities with people diagnosed as schizophrenic. Another is that alcoholism will lead to crime, which could mean years in prison. And third is a slow sinking into poverty and helplessness -- perhaps life on "skid row."

In all three cases, your loved one's condition will be denied, ignored, or denounced as evidence of moral weakness.

The year 1949 is significant because it marked Hazelden's beginning. What started then as a guest house for alcoholic men has flowered into the prevailing method of treating addiction: the Minnesota Model. More importantly, this historic innovation offered alcoholics a new alternative to jail, mental wards, or homelessness.

It's easy to forget that the Minnesota Model represents a social reform movement. The model played a major role in transforming treatment wards from snake pits into places where alcoholics and addicts could retain their dignity.

Hazelden began with the idea of creating a humane, therapeutic community for alcoholics and addicts. Once this idea was ridiculed; today it is seen as commonplace. The story of how this change has evolved is in large part the story of the Minnesota Model.

The model began humbly. During Hazelden's first year of operation in Center City, Minn., the average daily patient count was seven and the staff numbered three. The treatment program was equally bare-boned, resting on a few expectations of patients: Behave responsibly, attend lectures on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, talk with the other patients, make your bed, and stay sober. " ...

ARTICLE  complet sur hazelden.org