Learning to believe in yourself and trust others is not always easy, but it can be a significant hurdle for those facing ongoing addiction, career, and legal challenges.
Now, David B. Bohl, whose business focuses on addiction, recovery, and consulting services, combines forces with a number of trusted professionals to create positive changes for those who may feel their lives, as they knew them, were over.
There’s an old adage that says no matter what journey you are on, each starts with just one single step at a time. Without that first move, you’re going nowhere. That’s certainly true for those who feel stuck in a seemingly never-ending battle with substance abuse and addiction. Yet, even when you make that first step, when it comes to addiction it’s almost impossible to walk the journey alone, especially when your life is marred by added legal — and otherwise — consequences connected to unlawful behavior.
Finding the right combination of people who understand addiction, mental health, and behavioral health, and those who also understand the law, is not an easy task. Having been aware of the layered challenges of successful recovery, we’ve come up with a comprehensive option of support in a judgment-free, welcoming environment that will help you not only regain your sobriety and sanity, but will also help you deal with practical issues such as getting legal representation or career help.
Hope—Even After the Worst Day of Your Life
If the worst day of your life was characterized by being arrested or being charged with a crime for some unthinkable thing you did while under the influence of substance abuse, you already know your life has changed. You may find your life has split into “before” the incident and “after” the incident. Before this happened, you were free, but it’s a far different story afterward, particularly if your freedom is threatened and may be taken away.
With his attention on professionals in law and addiction services, David B. Bohl is able to create a unique plan of recovery that not only helps you to get sober but also assists you with legal issues related to your addiction.
Bohl points out, “Recovering from addiction is difficult, as many individuals with alcohol or drug use disorders fail to recognize their own patterns of abuse, or they have ambivalent feelings about seeking treatment. In moving beyond these patterns of unhealthy use, an individual’s motivation to change can be a source of frustration, as consequences and oftentimes the criminal justice system have little influence over a person’s desire to change.”
He explains, “We are here to tell you that your life doesn’t have to be over. We’re going to get your freedom back–but in a way that goes beyond freedom from jail. We believe that with our help, you will be able to leave the prison of addiction behind as well.”
Your Dream Team
By working with law professionals while simultaneously under the guidance of Beacon Confidential, you will be listened to, guided, and helped on a personal level. “We understand when you describe ‘the worst day of your life,’ but now you’re going to get your life back with the help of those who not only understand addiction and mental health challenges, but undoubtedly understand how these intersect with legal issues far better than anyone else around,” says Bohl.
When it comes to picking out the perfect team members, Bohl focuses on people who have experience not only in legal issues but who have a proven track record working for clients with addictions. Those are the sort of law professionals who are versed in administering diagnostic psychological evaluations or even writing full diagnostic reports with comprehensive treatment recommendations. Those are the sort of professionals who are compassionate about their clients, and who are used to working with mental-health advocates, and who understand the nuance of addiction. Some of the professionals we’ve previously consulted with are known for working closely with judges, prosecutors, and probation agents, and are skilled in developing persuasive negotiation proposals, sentencing memorandums, and even alternatives-to-revocation (ATRs) that allow clients to regain their freedom and get back to where they belong—in the community, with friends and family, being a productive member of society.
Unique Approach
Bohl has an extraordinary track record in the field of mental health and addiction as an independent addiction consultant, licensed counselor, and clinical recovery coach to individuals, families, and organizations. “The people I collaborate with all have a unique combination of skills and experience that offers unparalleled services to those who need help getting their lives back,” Bohl says. He points out the foundation of Beacon Confidential is built on the idea that it takes a team to help a person with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or mental health challenges to get better.
When working with clients, he coordinates his efforts with the assembled team to find the most suitable and effective treatment and recovery plan for the client’s particular situation, diagnoses, and treatment needs. This might involve asking a legal professional team to craft a comprehensive, persuasive ATR proposal detailing a specific program, explaining why this would be a much more effective and appropriate resolution than revocation would be.
Bohl’s personal, in-depth understanding of the field of mental health both professionally — having served in both clinical and recovery management capacities, most recently as Director of Addiction Services for a large national behavioral health system — and from his own lived experience, and his connections – allow him to engage with clients in a custom, all encompassing (holistic) way that can address issues such as crisis intervention, stabilization, family integration, environmental enhancement, and treatment and recovery consulting and coaching. He also assists in healing entire families who have been impacted by addiction. It is his foremost belief that, “In order to facilitate successful recovery, most of us need someone to guide us through this process, support us, and hold us accountable—someone who understands the complexity of all the underlying issues; a sensitive and knowledgeable individual who just gets it.”
It’s been Bohl’s life-long passion and ambition to be able to develop relationships that depend on deep, meaningful connections, mutual understanding, and common goals. “Our goal for you is to go beyond living day-to-day. We want to help you thrive,” he points out.
The Story of Liam, a Case in Point
Bohl met Liam through his consulting services and then worked with him and his family to help Liam stay away from prison. In the course of assembling a team needed to assist Liam in getting his life back on track, Bohl made a connection with an attorney whose reputation for the humane treatment of clients with possible mental health issues preceded her.
Her background in clinical psychology and ability to see criminal offenses as potentially a result of a mental-health condition, rather than a moral failing or premeditated action, made her unique in her approach. Having battled against stigma in almost all aspects of his work as a mental health professional and as a recovered person himself, Bohl immediately recognized a kindred spirit in this highly successful attorney. Here was someone who didn’t believe that a person was “bad” or “morally corrupt” because they had committed a criminal offense. Instead, there was a good reason why they got to this point, with addiction itself often being a result of yet another, deeper condition or untreated trauma.
While working with Liam, Bohl believed the client’s legal troubles stemmed from his early-life (high school) involvement with a crowd of kids who used alcohol and drugs. Liam was subsequently charged with shoplifting, breaking and entering, then breaking the condition of his bail, along with a charge of public disturbance while under the influence of alcohol.
By the time he was 23, Liam was on a fast-track to incarceration. The criminal history aside, Bohl wondered: What made Liam act out in the first place? Why did he reach for drugs and alcohol at the age of 14 instead of relying on sports as he did in the past?
After meeting and consulting with an attorney versed in ATRs, it was decided that Liam would benefit from psychological testing to see if there was an underlying condition that caused Liam to be prone to maladaptive coping mechanisms (drugs and alcohol and acting out). Bohl and the attorney met with the client separately and then with his family. They talked about his life, including his school and athletic performance and major milestones–taking into consideration all aspects of his history, not just when he was in trouble. Once their meetings were completed, they consulted each other on their findings and clinical impressions.
The attorney’s training and experience suggested their client had an undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), while David wondered if there was also an Anxiety Disorder since Liam identified his use of GHB to help him deal with social situations and an intense worry about embarrassment and humiliation.
Liam was indeed diagnosed with ADHD and was found to be clinically affected by anxiety. The attorney proposed an ATR (alternative to revocation) that would include therapy and counseling that would help Liam with his substance use, anxiety, and medication for ADHD. Bohl arranged for Liam’s treatment (including therapy for anxiety and addiction counseling) and set up regular meetings with his attorney to report on the client’s progress.
After Liam completed the ATR component of his recovery plan, he remained a client, along with his family, until he became mentally and emotionally stable and able to rebuild his life.
Post-consulting, Liam often went out of his way to express his gratitude for the help he was given and for getting another chance.
Liam’s case is just one example of how the combined supportive services of Bohl and his team help people feel they are not alone in their journey to healing and realizing a better tomorrow.
“We get it,” says Bohl. “When we work with clients, they tell us our deep sense of empathy is why they trust us with their stories.”
Inquiries from individuals, organizations, and legal professionals welcomed.
Contact:
Addiction Professional David B. Bohl
414.522.1151