Seven Weeks to Sobriety:
A Revolutionary Treatment
Program in a Book

Those struggling to recover from an addiction to alcohol or other drug will find a wealth of information in this best-selling book by Joan Mathews-Larson. We invite you to explore many detailed (valuable) excerpts from the Seven Weeks To Sobriety exclusive website using these links:

Biochemical Traps
• Candida and Biochemical Traps
• Chemical Sensitivities
• Compulsive Eating and Food Allergies
• Stress and the Total Load Concept

Correcting Chemistry
• Liver Repair
• Thyroid Function
• Histamine
• Biochemical Depression
• Hypoglycemia

Biochemical Replacement Formulas
• Aggression & Anger
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Memory Loss
• Pain Control
• Stress
• Tremors
• Poor Concentration
• Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome

Books written by Joan Mathews-Larson Ph.D. have led the field into new ways of understanding chemical addictions and mental health problems, and they have been translated into several languages. Her breakthrough, best-seller on alcoholism, 7 Weeks to Sobriety, has served as a textbook in upper level nursing classes, and continues as a manual for other treatment programs wishing to integrate more progressive cause-based concepts into their structure.

Background on
Seven Weeks to Sobriety:

When her teenage son committed suicide after completing a three-month alcohol rehabilitation program, Joan Mathews Larson turned her devastating loss into a search for answers. Why had conventional treatment failed her son? Why has understanding alcoholism as a disease become more clear, while advances in treatment have not? Through painstaking study, Dr. Larson found answers and initiated a revolutionary treatment program that has become one of the most successful models ever developed for this disease. Her findings are the basis for her book, Seven Weeks to Sobriety, making it possible for millions to have access to this proven program.

The book’s breakthrough self-treatment program is designed to take an alcoholic from addiction to sobriety in just seven weeks. Based on the format developed at Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis, psychological problems (mood swings, anxiety, depression) are viewed as distortions of brain chemistry brought on by alcohol use; thus treatment involves stabilizing the brain at a molecular level by utilizing specific “biochemical repair.”

Alcoholism is the third leading cause of death in this country. Dr. Larson’s program has achieved a success rate of 75% as opposed to a 25% rate for more conventional methods. With informative charts, illustrations, self-tests, and powerful formulas for recovery, Seven Weeks to Sobriety helps alcoholics get to the root of their problem with a proven plan to get well ... once and for all.

• Three out of every four individuals in the U.S. are impacted by alcoholism.
• One third of preventable deaths in the U.S. are related to alcohol.
• One in four “treated alcoholics” eventually commit suicide.
• Today about 95% of treatment programs are still patterned after Hazelden’s “Minnesota Model,” despite more than five decade consistently poor results. This model presumes alcohol and drug additions require psychological treatment to recover.

Background Info of Traditional Treatment

• A Rand study of more than 900 alcoholics who underwent traditional treatment revealed that 21% were sober after one year, and only 7% after four years.
• A 1985 study, by the New England Journal of Medicine, focusing on hospital-based treatment for 1239 alcoholics found that after a 5 to 7 year follow-up only 7% had remained sober, while 14% died and 79% resumed drinking.
• The cost of these impatient programs is often in the $30,000 to $40,000 range with many patients repeating treatment several times.

Joan Mathews Larson’s Answer to Alcoholism

Alcoholism is an insidious disease that destroys the body and soul of those afflicted. In addition, alcoholics’ families and loved ones often suffer in equal measure. The current approach to alcoholism and other addictions, which has changed little in the last 60 years, is rehabilitation with drugs and some version of psychotherapy. Yet, since the number of alcoholic Americans has held steady at 10-15 percent of the adult population, this approach obviously isn't working.

• Alcoholism and depression are physical diseases, not character defects. A successful treatment program must realign the physiological imbalances underlying alcohol’s cravings
• Dr Larson’s program eliminates the urge to drink or use drugs, while alleviating depression and helping the body to repair itself from past physical damage. The treatment program at Health Recovery Center has treated thousands of clients in 30 years. The vast majority state they have never felt better since participating in the program.
• In a published study, 75% of randomly selected HRC patients remained sober up to 3 1/2 years after treatment.
  
• Dr Larson’s method is effective, can be initiated for a fraction of the cost of traditional programs, and can be administered at home.

Within the book, Seven Weeks to Sobriety awaits a ground-breaking seven-week journey that can change your life. Learn how to break the addiction of alcohol, end cravings, stabilize moods— and do it under your own power. Developed by Dr. Joan Mathews-Larson at the esteemed Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis, this medical-based program treats alcoholism the way the AMA and World Health Organization define it ... as a physical disease.

• Determine if you are alcoholic and, with in-depth testing, what chemistry-type you are
• Break your addiction with minimal discomfort
• Replace key natural chemicals without drugs to eliminate common alcohol induced symptoms such as: anxiety, depression, insomnia, cravings, and unstable emotions
• Understand the links between alcoholism, hypoglycemia, food allergies and chemical sensitivities
• Use state-of-the-art methods to rebuild your physical and emotional health
• Integrate your seven week plan into your own daily life to guarantee a stable alcohol-free future

Filled with informative charts, illustrations, self tests, and powerful nutrition formulas for recovery, Seven Weeks to Sobriety gets to the root of alcoholism and outlines a proven plan to beat it once and for all.

All-Star Recommendations

“Comprehensive, rational and personal. It supplies much of what is missing in traditional approaches to alcoholic rehabilitation. I believe this book can save lives.”
—Leo Galland, M.D.

“Should be read by anyone and everyone concerned by the epidemic of alcoholism in America today.”
—William G. Crook, M.D., (Author of The Yeast Connection).

“The present and future of alcoholism treatment will revolve around the principles found in this book.”
—Joseph D. Beasley, M.D.

“A clear, logical, guilt-relieving book.”
—Lendon H. Smith, M.D.

This excerpt taken from Dr. Whitiker’s
100th Issue National Newsletter
Health and Healing recognizes Joan Mathews-Larson Ph.D. as one of six who made a significant contributions in the field of medicine.

Mentioned along with Joan in this article include Linus Pauling, Ph.D., Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, Dixie Lawrence Tafoya, Kilmer McCully, MD and Dr. Harry Goldsmith