Our Staff: Knowledgeable and Experienced Professionals

Addiction Directions was born out of experience. Our staff know first-hand the dynamics of the first year of sobriety. The process can be daunting for all involved. We provide a stringent and objective, yet compassionate and discreet accountability program for the participant, while simultaneously providing peace of mind for his family or friends.

Our Certified Recovery Advocates are well-trained professionals who are expert at navigating the tricky waters of early recovery. While holding the participant accountable to the many requirements in recovery, they provide a buffer and allow the families to no longer be placed in the role of monitor or even investigator.

This process allows the participant to feel a sense of accomplishment in their recovery, and allows the family to disengage and enjoy their son or daughter’s successes rather than constantly be in worry or fear of their failure.

Staff

President:

Eric Button –  EButton@AddictionDirections.com

Team Consultant/Certified Recovery Advocate:

Kimberly Allen,  MS,  LCDCi – KAllen@AddictionDirections.com

Kimberly Allen is an experienced chemical dependency professional who has worked and consulted in many areas of chemical dependency treatment and mental health. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Journalism, a Master of Science in Family Studies, is a licensed chemical dependency counselor intern, and is certified in Basic Mediation through the Dispute Resolution Center of Travis County. She is particularly motivated toward coaching clients who are new in sobriety, and helping families with relational adjustments and the productive management of conflict. Kimberly’s background includes working in supervised visitation, assisting families who were court-ordered through family law divorce cases, to have help in strenghtening family communication prior to the reintroduction of a parent to a child’s life. She also has worked in treatment centers, helping clients and patients better understand their mental health benefits; she has worked in employee assistance programs conducting executive-level training regarding substance abuse prevention in the workplace.In addition, since 1989 Kimberly has consulted and provided training and workshops to major universities and national nonprofit groups regarding the prevention of substance use disorders and eating disorders. Notable accomplishments include her winning an award from the City of Austin in 2008 for outstanding work in developing and coaching a swim program for their employee wellness program, and an award from the City of Dallas City Council in 1993, for her work in managing a nonprofit volunteer program to assist those suffering with AIDS and chemical abuse.

Certified Recovery Advocates:

Jeremy Flemmons –  JFlemmons@AddictionDirections.com

After a 10-year stint in corporate America with duties in upper management roles with Citigroup, and Corporate training roles with American Home Mortgage, Jeremy Flemmons joined Addiction Directions in October 2008 working hand-in-hand with Eric Button and Mark Houston in obtaining his “black-belt” as a Recovery Advocate. After many serious consequences and life-threatening bouts with his personal demon alcohol, opiates, and cocaine, Jeremy has turned his life’s vocation to over-seeing, guiding, and coaching other alcoholics / drug addicts and their families, in order for them to obtain the same freedom, joy, and happiness he has experienced, as a result of becoming completely engaged in his own personal recovery, and continued maintenance and growth of his spiritual condition. Jeremy continues to transmit the message of recovery given to him by the channel of Mark Houston, and continues to carry the vision and legacy of REAL recovery to all he comes into contact with. In his free time, Jeremy plays an active role as a Father, obtains nourishment from various musical venues and musical bands, is an avid sports fan, and growing with the power that he came to believe in, and turned his will and life over to the care of.

Nathan Cartwright –   NCartwright@AddictionDirections.com

Nathan Cartwright has experienced both the real lows of addiction and the highs of recovery. For seventeen years, Nathan struggled with drug addiction – primarily cocaine and alcohol – and suffered extensive consequences due to the addiction – loss of family, children, failed marriages, and many years incarcerated in the Texas penal system. Toward the end, he experienced several years of homelessness on the streets of Austin. He got to a place where he couldn’t see life with drugs or without them, but became certain that he did not want to continue the route he was on. With the support of Mark Houston, his wife and friends, Nathan was finally able to go to Mark Houston Recovery, and through that experience was able to get sober and get the tools that he needed to attain long term and meaningful sobriety. After leaving MHR, he was a client of Addiction Direction’s Accountability Program. Under their direction and guidance, he lived 3 months in sober living and worked with an Advocate for 12 months of monitoring, which greatly increased his chances of staying in sobriety. “Looking back, I know the AD accountability program was an incredible resource for my family, because regardless of what I did they had someone they could talk to, get direction from, and help them express their thoughts, feelings and fears. An Advocate gave them someone to work through to allow me to take responsibility for my recovery and my life,” says Nathan. “My first year of recovery was like a rollercoaster – it was invaluable to have an Advocate there to help me, guide me, and hold me accountable when I started to get off track but also through the good times.” After being sober for a year, he was employed at MHR where he was able to work with clients, which kept him very much in touch with his recovery and his first step experience. Shortly after, he was asked to become an Advocate for the team at AD. Today he works with alcoholics and addicts and shares with them the experience that he has had in recovery and helps them to navigate their own recovery. He works closely with families, doctors, attorneys, sponsors – everyone that’s involved in the clients’ support group – to break the cycle of enabling, help them become supportive in a healthy way, and to help them operate differently with the loved one so that the loved one can have their experience with the work of recovery. “I am an addict who has experience great loss because of my addiction and the lifestyle that I lived for most of my adult life, but through all of this I have been blessed to experience the incredible power of recovery in my life.” His life today is truly a testimony to the power of recovery and that power actively working in the life of a man who at one time had no hope. His true desire and mission today is to be of maximum service to the man who is still suffering. He realizes that everything he went through in his addiction was all preparation for the role he has today in helping other men not only achieve and maintain long term sobriety but also a life of freedom, joy and peace.

Elizabeth (Libby) Arnold – EArnold@AddictionDirections.com

Libby Arnold is a recovered addict who is passionate about assisting clients in early sobriety with developing recovery and life skills conducive to long-term stability. She understands the turbulence that often coincides with a client’s initial re-introduction into real life, and works closely with clients, their families, sponsors, therapists, and treatment centers to ensure the most seamless transition possible. As a former sober transitional home manger, Libby possesses a clear understanding of the issues that often arise in this type of environment. Additionally, she places a special emphasis on working with the families of her clients to re-establish healthy boundaries and communication patterns. She studied Biological Sciences and Chemistry with a focus on Neuropharmacology at The University of North Texas. She has a specific interest in the effects of alcoholism and addiction on the brain, and utilizes this knowledge to further assist her clients.

Sober Transitional Home Managers:

John Leyendecker
JC Bransford
Jason Barnes
Ariel Marvin

Student Intern:

Charles Howell

Charlie Howell is currently a student intern with Addiction Directions. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology at St. Edwards University, and is set to graduate in August of 2012. After college Charlie hopes to pursue a career in helping others recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism, while continuing to further his education to become a licensed professional counselor. Addiction is an issue that Charlie is very sensitive to because he is a recovered drug addict himself. With his knowledge and experience around addiction, as well as recovery, Charlie feels that his greatest asset in helping others lies within his past. After completing a 90-day treatment center in 2010, Charlie and his family sought out the help of Addiction Directions and has remained sober ever since. Between the guidance provided to Charlie early in his recovery and the support that his family received, he whole-heartedly believes in the accountability program that the staff at Addiction Directions provides.