Two years ago, I embarked on a journey to write a book that would help those suffering from chemical dependency to experience a conversation I have had with thousands of people over the years – a message that has given so much hope to those previously unwilling to accept or seek addiction help.

One day, while reading the script for a good friend and fellow therapist, Carol Browne, she in her favorite chair and I sitting on the end of her couch, she remarked, “I like this “couch-talk”, it’s really comfortable. I think you ought to make a sobriety video out of it that would give someone the feeling that the two of you are sitting in their living room having a serious conversation about addiction and recovery.” I thought, “Wow”, what a wonderful idea.

So Finding Hope became a “film project” that I have enjoyed immensely. It is me empathizing with someone with a substance abuse problem, and the two of us uninterrupted by the cares of life, discussing what it takes to transition from a dependency on alcohol or drugs, to self dependency. We talk about confidence, and how to discover and rely on your own skills to deal with the difficulties and pains of life. While filming, I imagined several people I have worked with over the years and the conversations we have shared. Many times we had to stop so I could re-compose myself. The fear and pain in the voice of so many I've counseled still lives within me.

Fred J. Hansen

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