The Freedom Model

The Freedom Model for Addictions (sometimes called Freedom Model Recovery) is a non-12-step, non-treatment-based approach to overcoming addiction. The Freedom Model provides a framework of information, rather than therapy or counseling. Participants learn about how habits and beliefs drive substance use and how to reframe their thinking to choose differently. A central method is questioning long-held assumptions (e.g., that drugs or alcohol provide genuine benefits, or that one is powerless to stop). The program emphasizes building a fulfilling, self-directed life, so that substances are no longer seen as necessary or desirable. 

www.thefreedommodel.org    

 All Substances and Behaviors 

Secular (Non-Meeting)

In the late 1980s, Jerry Brown, Mark Scheeren, and Michelle Dunbar (later joined by Steven Slate) began questioning the effectiveness of traditional 12-step programs and the prevailing disease model of addiction. They founded the St. Jude Retreats in upstate New York as an alternative residential program for people seeking to move past substance use without AA or treatment. The retreats were based on the idea that addiction is not a disease but rather a set of learned behaviors and choices. Clients attended retreats where they received education instead of treatment, focused on dismantling beliefs about powerlessness and addictive benefits. The program distinguished itself from AA and rehab by avoiding therapy, medicalization, or lifelong recovery concepts.

The founders collected data from tens of thousands of participants over more than two decades. They refined their approach into a structured framework called the Freedom Model. Their work aligned with emerging research in psychology and neuroscience, which suggested that people could and did change addictions without treatment or recovery programs (a concept known as self-change or natural recovery).

In 2017, The Freedom Model for Addictions: Escape the Treatment and Recovery Trap was published by Mark Scheeren, Steven Slate, and Michelle Dunbar. The book laid out the full Freedom Model philosophy:

• Addiction is not a disease.
• People are never powerless.
• Recovery identity is unnecessary.
• Individuals can directly choose to change.

The St. Jude retreats were eventually phased out as the team focused on reaching a broader audience worldwide. After publishing the book, the program shifted from being primarily retreat-based to online and at-home models. Today, the Freedom Model offers:

• One-on-one coaching (phone, video, or in-person in some cases).
• Self-paced online courses.
• Digital resources, podcasts, and community support.

The Freedom Model remains unique in the addiction field for fully rejecting the disease model and the recovery culture.

The Freedom Model for Addictions: Escape the Treatment and Recovery Trap by Mark Scheeren and Michelle Dunbar   

The Freedom Model explicitly rejects the Alcoholics Anonymous model of lifelong recovery maintenance.

While people may choose moderation, the program’s emphasis is on freedom of choice, whether abstinence or controlled use.

The program doesn’t frame addiction as needing treatment, therapy, or medication, but instead as a lifestyle decision that can be changed.

The Freedom Model offers individualized counseling, not meetings.