The Freedom Model reframes addiction not as a chronic disease but as a set of learned beliefs that can be changed through clear, self-directed choice, offering an alternative to both 12-step programs and professional “treatment” settings archive.org. Grounded in three decades of research at the Baldwin Research Institute, it asserts that people always retain free will and can choose abstinence, moderation, or continued use based solely on what they believe will bring them the greatest lasting happiness archive.org. By dismantling the disease narrative and recovery rituals, the book empowers readers to permanently move beyond addiction without sponsorships, meetings, or lifelong “aftercare” everand.com.

Overview and Premise

Steven Slate, Mark Scheeren, and Michelle Dunbar argue that “addiction” is a cultural construct, not a medical illness, and that the belief in addiction as a disease perpetuates shame and dependency on external supports amazon.com. They maintain that over 90% of people with serious substance issues quit or moderate without any formal help, demonstrating the power of personal agency when properly informed everand.com. The core message is that choice—and the information guiding it—constitutes the true cure archive.org.

Chapters 1–2 deconstruct the “treatment and recovery religion,” showing how labeling addiction a disease creates fear, shame, and a perpetual cycle of meetings and therapy barnesandnoble.com. The authors contend that professional treatment often reinforces a sense of powerlessness and dependence rather than fostering genuine autonomy everand.com. They challenge the efficacy of rehabs and 12-step models by exposing their limited success rates and the financial incentives that sustain them amazon.com.

At the heart of the book is the Positive Drive Principle, which posits that all behavior is motivated by the pursuit of perceived happiness and that changing beliefs about what truly brings happiness makes change effortless archive.org. Rather than Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT), the Freedom Model focuses strictly on identifying and revising the “reasons” behind substance use, since only reasons—unlike external “causes”—can be reframed and replaced archive.org. Readers are taught to use prospection—vividly imagining and comparing the long-term outcomes of different choices—to solidify their commitment to change everand.com.

The book is divided into concise chapters that mix clear explanations with reflective exercises:

• Quick Answers demystify cravings, withdrawal, and common myths barnesandnoble.com.

• Why Do I Prefer This? maps typical motivations—pleasure, pain relief, social meaning—that underlie substance use everand.com.

• Causes vs. Reasons shifts focus from uncontrollable causes to controllable reasons, empowering readers to change their beliefs directly archive.org.

• Learned Connections breaks the mental links that make substances seem essential for coping everand.com.