Last week we were privileged to tour and hold our meeting at The Retreat, hosted by John Curtiss. The Retreat is a unique asset for individuals and families looking for help in conquering addiction. The Retreat is a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities affected by alcohol and drug dependency by providing affordable, effective educational services grounded in the Twelve Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Retreat is a unique asset because of it's range of services and because it offers its services very affordably. Services include a mens residential program, a women's residential program, day programs, evening programs, sober living houses in St. Paul, and  the McIver Family Center Programs to provide support to families affected by addiction (open to all families, not just those with members staying at The Retreat). John McDougall joined John Curtiss as speaker, and reflected on addiction as a brain disease that changes individuals ability to order life's priorities in a healthy way because of structural defects in the way the brain processes messages regarding alcohol or drugs. As a practitioner, John  advocates a relapse prevention model (coupled with AA principles) rather than simply a relapse treatment model: "Treatment doesn't make anyone well--it sets them up to be successful through aftercare in a sequential lifespan program." Thank you to John Curtiss, John McDougall and the Retreat Staff for a thought-provoking program and a terrific lunch.