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Contact:  Patricia O’Gorman, (518) 392-2902, information@ogormandiaz.com
(Review copies available on request)

Pioneering Addiction Experts and Self-Help Authors Join to Relaunch the "Adult Children" Movement for the Next Generation

O'Gorman and Diaz Offer New Perspective & Workshops on
the Recovery Classic 12 Steps to Self-Parenting

Feb. 21, 2005 — Las Vegas, Nevada — The internationally acclaimed self-help authors Dr. Patricia O'Gorman and Philip Diaz join 23 fellow pioneers of U.S. addiction treatment and recovery at the "Ninth Renewal Convention on Adult Children, Trauma & Recovery," on Feb. 23-26, 2005, at the Las Vegas Hilton. For the first time in 13 years, the pioneers of the self-help movement that swept the U.S. in the 1980s, are gathered again, this time to discuss how addiction-recovery principles originally designed for the first adult children of alcoholics or other dysfunctional families, apply to adult children who have since become parents themselves.

"The momentum building up to the Renewal Convention on Adult Children is revealing a striking interest in the concept of Self-Parenting, this time on the part of the new generation of adult children," said Dr. O'Gorman, co-author of 12 Steps to Self-Parenting for Adult Children. "As we've observed in clinical practice for more than 20 years, most adult children of alcoholics or other dysfunctional families who adopt a Self-Parenting program discover a second chance for intimacy, fulfillment, and joy in their lives." 

Based on the time-tested 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the book 12 Steps to Self-Parenting introduces readers who grew up in abusive households to a tailor-made recovery program for adult children. O'Gorman and Diaz lead readers through the discovery their true feelings and desires (felt by the "inner child") and teach readers how to tap into their intuitive power (represented by the "Higher Parent" within them). This unique 12-Step Program makes true intimacy with others possible for the first time, empowering adult children to finally break the bonds of isolation and compulsive or co-dependent behavior.

Through insightful stories, guided journaling, and sound expert advice, readers of 12 Steps to Self-Parenting will learn how to:

• Use "Stop Thinking" to reduce undesired mental activity & increase joy and love
• Take inventory of their strengths, discover self-esteem & heal perfectionism
• Identify unhealthy coping behaviors, emotional blocks & how to release them
• Begin prayer or a meditation program for inner peace
• Forgive one's parents & oneself — once and for all
• Discover the freedom that comes with taking responsibility for oneself

Each chapter of 12 Steps to Self-Parenting features meditations and affirmations to support readers on their recovery journey. 12 Steps to Self-Parenting, as well as the 12 Steps to Self-Parenting Workbook, are published by Health Communications, Inc. Copies are available for purchase from Amazon.com and in the Parenting/Self-Help sections of neighborhood bookstores throughout the United States.

About the Authors

Patricia O'Gorman, Ph.D., international speaker, and psychologist in private practice in Capitol District of NY, (Albany and east Chatham, NY), is noted for her work in child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and substance abuse where she has served as a consultant to organizations in preventative and clinical strategic planning. She has held positions ranging from Clinical Director of a child welfare agency to Director of Prevention for NIAAA, and is a co-founder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. Known for her warm and funny presentations, and inspiring retreats, she is also the author of numerous articles and books including 12 Steps to Self-Parenting, Dancing Backwards in High Heels: How Women the Art of Resilience, and The Lowdown on Families Who Get High: Successful Parenting for Families Affected by Addiction.

Phil Diaz, M.S.W., is past CEO of Gateway Community Services, Inc., the largest provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services for adults, children and families in Northeast Florida. A social worker with over 25 years of experience in drug prevention and treatment, Mr. Diaz has served as Assistant Deputy Director for Prevention in the Office of Demand Reduction within the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He is a founding board member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics and the National Association of Native American Children of Alcoholics, and a founding chairperson of the National Drug Prevention League.

Additional books by Dr. O'Gorman and Mr. Diaz include The Lowdown on Families Who Get High: Successful Parenting for Families Affected by Addiction, available from the Child Welfare League of America; 12 Steps to Self-Parenting Workbook, available from the publisher Health Communications, Inc.; and Dr. O'Gorman's Dancing Backwards in High Heels: How Women Master the Art of Resilience, published by Hazelden, For more information about the authors, visit www.ogormandiaz.com.