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Press Kits

For all media inquiries please contact:

Carol Luna-Anderson
Executive Director, The Life Link
2325 Cerrillos Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87505

505-438-0010
carol@thelifelink.org

Press Releases

New Mexico's Life Link Training Institute
Grabs National & International Spotlight

Santa Fe, NM, May 14, 2003 - Life Link Training Institute, the world's first organization to develop, document, practice, and teach its widely acclaimed CRAFT approach for substance and alcohol abuse, announced today that the local New Mexico institute has been honored with awards and invited to speak on the international circuit.

This model that not only approaches, but tackles the problems that the concerned significant others of the alcohol-dependant individual faces, was born from the work of Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D., and Jane Ellen Smith, Ph.D.

Meyers is Research Associate Professor in Psychology and Smith is Professor of Psychology at UNM. The two have spent their career to helping families eradicate alcohol and other drug abuse problems, earning CRAFT the 2002 Dan Anderson Research Award from the prestigious Hazelden Foundation and the 2003 Young Investigator Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism. The honors were bestowed upon them for documenting the effectiveness of this Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) method. This method has been extremely effective for engaging unmotivated substance abusers into treatment. Their approach has been proven twice as effective as the Al-Anon and Nar-Anon approach. In their study of concerned significant others of substance abusers, 90 concerned others were randomly assigned to CRAFT, CRAFT with additional group therapy sessions, and Al-Anon and Nar-Anon facilitation therapy. Subjects in each of the groups received 12 hours of manual-guided individual training/therapy. Those assigned to CRAFT received behavioral skills training designed to influence their loved ones drug use and persuade them into treatment; those in the Al-Anon/Nar-Anon group learned the principles of their Twelve Step groups, with an emphasis on getting loved ones into treatment. The results: CRAFT engaged 58.6% into treatment, CRAFT with aftercare engaged 76.7%, and Al-Anon/Nar-Anon engaged a low 29%.

Meyers and Smith feel their work on CRAFT is well researched. Early studies were backed by government grants such as NIAAA and NIDA and published by Cambridge University Press. A more thorough account and case studies will be published in February 2004 by Hazelden. "Every study conducted on CRAFT has found that seven out of ten people in denial of their problem have been persuaded to seek treatment," said Robert J. Meyers. "We're thrilled to know that there is a better and more effective way to help those who are sick," he added.

Life Link Training Institute consists of Robert J. Meyers, Associate Director and Jane Ellen Smith, Associate Director a long side Carol Luna- Anderson, Ph.D., serving as Executive Director, Raymond Anderson, Ph.D., and John Gardin, II, Ph.D. as Co-Directors of Training. LLTI has been working steadily to get the word out and educating those in the field of alcohol and substance abuse.

"We are excited and enthusiastic about the recognition CRAFT has received, and we look forward to the coming events that will help in the ongoing commitment to recovery amongst our nation and the world's health," said Jane Ellen Smith.

Current Contracts

Life Link Training Institute has contracts with the following for ongoing Technical Assistance/Supervision in the following places:

New Mexico, Canada, England, and New Zealand

Ongoing technical assistance has included periodic visits to the sites and ongoing feedback to supervisors and staff, usually in the form of telephone calls and/or cassette tape supervision.

For more information regarding ongoing technical assistance beyond the basic training, please contact Raymond Anderson at the Life Link Training Institute at randerson@lltraininginstitute.org or Carol Luna-Anderson through Life Link at 505-438-0010 or at carol@thelifelink.org.