Testimonials

_Sarah Clarke, Self-Harm and Cigarettes

"I have had great success with 12 step programs for my other addictions; but I could not seem to find a way to break free from my nicotine and self-harm habits until working with Scott.

One year later I am still free of nicotine. The other day someone asked me about my 10-year cutting habit, and I had totally forgotten that I was even a person who used to do that. I feel like a brand new person. I'm not punishing myself any more. I'm accomplishing many more things now, and I feel better about myself. I don't know how it works. I just know that it does."

Sarah Clarke is a full-time student at the University of Toronto. She is in her fourth year of an honors bachelor of arts degree, specializing in Political Science, and is looking forward to attending law school at Osgood Hall. Sarah volunteers at the Toronto Children's Aid Society in a program she co-founded where she regularly works one-on-one with both youth and parents who have been identified as having a drug problem.

"We brought Scott in at the very beginning of our school year. There were 12 students who chose to participate in you 28 Day Habit Mastery program. Addictions were mainly to marijuana, cigarettes and internet/video games.

After the 28 days were finished, the kids in the program wanted to continue it on their own. Within 90 days, every single one of these kids had tapered off to the point that none of them were doing drugs or smoking anymore. One student who was addicted to the internet and video games drastically reduced how much time he spends online.

Each and every student who joined the on-going group meetings had noticeable behaviour changes; for example, higher self esteem, regular attendance, more friends and a much clearer head upon returning to school Monday mornings.

The results we got were so remarkable we asked Scott to come back again later in the same school year! We engaged different kids and we had a different adult partner involved, but the results were just as impressive.

Linda Henry, Principal
Kirkland Lake High School,
Kirkland Lake, Ontario

The following testimony is from Corey Copeland, my workshop partner at Kirkland Lake High School when I went back for the second time during the same school year.

"We owe you big! Your program changes lives. It was an honor to be apart of it. We've had a number of kids who either quit smoking or drastically reduced. And one boy gave up weed altogether - and now that the 28 days is up, he is now applying your program to cigarettes.

...A lot of the kids actually surprised me with the exercise component of your program. Many of them started to see the benefits of exercising and actually ended up increasing and doing more with exercise then they had originally promised.

...All the kids apologized for things they've done that they felt bad about. A few of them apologized to their parents for stealing money from them. And the kids felt freed from doing this.

...Some of the kids that took on the bonus commitment of doing daily school homework actually came to me for help with their homework which was amazing. They would come to me after school or during lunch and I would help them.

...You have a major gift of discernment, being able to attract only those kids that were really committed - and your ability to cause those that really weren't there for the right reasons to make the right choice and not stay with us for the day - (if they were not going to follow through on the full 28 day program) - was incredible. And all those that stayed for the full 3.5 hour workshop, stuck with the whole 28 day program. If I had to weed them out myself, there is no way I could have had that discernment that you have. I would have probably encouraged some of the wrong kids to stay and be in the group and I would have had problems. It might not have worked.

...Scott, you demonstrated to us a lot of positive affirmation. Even when you were weeding people out of the group, you were affirming peoples value. It wasn't anything artificial. It was real and authentic. You really cared like these kids have value. The kids could sense - they could feel that they were valued and mattered that there was intrinsic value to them.

Your program is a process and a journey. It's not like everyone has all their problems solved but all the kids that participated are better off than they were before you came."

Corey Copeland, Student Success Teacher
Kirkland Lake High School,
Kirkland Lake, Ontario

"In a field where many are rehashing old ideas with little innovation, Scott Gallagher is encouraging us, with an unusual passion, to grow in our understanding and awareness of what motivates us to engage in unwanted behaviors or habits. He does so in a manner that empowers people and guides them to changing behaviors they never believed they could." Dr. Lee Jampolsky, author of Healing the Addictive Personality

"Inclusivity, generosity, acceptance and non-judgment characterize Scott Gallagher’s approach to the healing of addiction. One does not have to agree with everything he states or advocates—indeed, he makes no demand that we do!—to recognize the value of his method, which is to empower addicted human beings, no matter what age, with the choice and possibility of transforming negative compulsions into positive commitments." Gabor Maté, M.D., author of In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction

"Scott's program gave me a teaching strategy that I can use for the rest of my career. Now I know how to handle a child with an addiction. For me that's huge. Sometimes you go to those teaching conferences and you come out with nothing. This program gave me something real that I can implement. That's what I appreciated most."

Larry Lippa, School Counselor
C.R. Marchant Secondary
Toronto, Ontario

"The parents were quite pleased with your presentation. A lot of us came in looking for that "fix-it", that "cure" -- "what do we do?" -- "How do we deal with it?", and your response was unexpected and unconventional, and you were absolutely right.I spoke to our school council chair and he said your talk was a wake up call for parents to look at themselves and their parenting skills - to communicate with their kids in a positive, loving way.

Personally, when I was listening to you, you really hit my heart. You had me personally evaluate how I deal with children, how I listen, and how I recognize and value their issues. Your talk had me honestly re-evaluate how I give my own kids, and students, my time, energy and support so that they don't have to go down the road of addictions.

One of the health unit experts commented that your message was very necessary for the community to hear. As a community, we just can't hide this kind of thing. We have a feeling in our community that people do not want to recognize problems, or they don't want to face issues.

As a presenter you were really able to reach each one of us individually so that we could recognize what you and other addicts go through because you talked about yourself as a young person and the difficulties you went through. You expressed that very well. You expressed it in such a way that it moved us and it created images in our head of things we certainly don't want to do as parents or as educators, as adults guiding our community, our youth and our homes.I was just really, really pleased with your presentation. Keep up the good fight."

Wayne McKinnon, Principal, Hearst High School
Hearst High School, Hearst, Ontario