Andy and I have worked one on one for over a year now. We meet every week and he is available for calls. What impresses me is his enthusiasm and clear headed feedback. He's seen it all and probably heard it all before. One quickly gets the message that he knows what he is talking about. Highly recommended.
Andy has been a tremendous resource in my recovery. He is adept at breaking the journey of recovery down into practical actions, resulting in a clear path and set of suggestions that can help even the hardest cases. His ability to apply decades of recovery in both the AA and Alanon programs to everyday situations has been invaluable to me. He is now a treasured friend whose impact on my life cannot be overstated. I highly recommend Andy to anyone looking for someone to help guide and coach them on this path towards peace and serenity.
I highly recommend Andy to anyone who wants to start or enrich their journey in recovery. Andy has been of tremendous assistance with my own struggles with alcohol and other addictions. His extensive experience in helping others, as well as his own strong example of sobriety, fuels Andy’s ability to provide a wealth of wise and practical advice. Andy helped me connect with fellow recovered alcoholics and addicts, to become part of the mutual support community, and to nurture healthy friendships with friends and family. Even more importantly, Andy helped me develop and expand my daily sobriety practice, positively influenced the way I react to life’s challenges, and enabled me to handle difficult situations without the need to resort to chemical crutches. Andy’s ability to understand and empathize with people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and personalities is a huge gift to all those who need help overcoming alcohol or drug addiction. I thank Andy for his patience, compassion and dedication to helping me with my recovery.
Andy has been instrumental in radically changing my life for the better. Seven years ago, living sober seemed a remote possibility, while being happy -- about sobriety and about life in general -- was unimaginable. It's no exaggeration to say that Andy's guidance, his wisdom and generosity, are the central influences that turned me from a very dark path to a life in the light. Andy, no thanks of mine will ever be enough.
I have worked with Andy for over two years. For me, Andy strikes a very good balance between structure and compassion. He's been there, he knows what it is like to feel helpless and hopeless. He knows what needs to be done in order to deal with the causes and conditions of addiction, recognizes that every person has a different story, and ultimately believes that the reward for hard work is living a good life. He has helped me find a core spirituality that reflects my beliefs, and my life is much more serene and rewarding because of it. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it.
I’ve known Andy for many years. He is one of the most loving and caring people I know. He has an uncanny way of getting you to dig deeper. He’ll take an answer and know there is more under the answer. He has the ability to be a great friend and yet is a master at solving problems. I continue to be amazed at the number of people he has worked with, and he gives you the encouragement not to drink and to face problems head on. He knows how important resentments are and how to work through them. He has worked through his own demons and applies those “dark days” to getting me to stay on target. He truly has the ability to counsel and bring out the best in me.
Andy has been a huge part of my recovery journey. Stabilizing a rocky period in my life and helping me back onto the path. What I appreciate most about Andy is his non-theist approach to recovery while still working a solid spiritual program. Regardless of one's spiritual leanings, life with sobriety is infinitely better than the alternative. Andy’s help and knowledge have been instrumental in introducing me to that life.
I have had the good fortune to work with Andy Lewis as a mentor and friend in recovery for over 24 yrs. Everyone who seeks to change their life and follow the path of sobriety needs spiritual guidance and practical advice. That is exactly what Andy offers to others in his Recovery Coaching practice. Recovery is more than a one time event. It is a way of life, and you need someone who has walked the path before you, like Andy, to help you get out of your own way. Working in recovery myself now, what I see most clients lacking is a plan to get sober and stay that way. A good mentor and sober recovery coach like Andy can help them carry out a plan. This is precisely where Andy can be invaluable. Individuals and families seeking recovery would benefit greatly from his guidance. Andy’s many decades of experience in both Alcoholics Anonymous and Alanon is a tremendously beneficial combination.
Andy is a breath of fresh air in a murky and confusing atmosphere of options for pursuing recovery and sobriety. Making reasonable decisions while living a life fueled by addiction and alcohol is difficult, only to be complicated by the emotions one feels when acknowledging it's time to make a change. With Andy's support and guidance, it is easy to start making the choices one needs to make to begin their sobriety journey. He uses his decades of experience in the recovery community to make a personal connection with the people he helps, and he uses that connection to custom tailor a recovery plan for each individual. Without Andy, I would have walked out of the first meeting I attended and crawled back into a bottle. With Andy's sage advice and support, I have found an amazing community of people focused on making life better every day and maintaining sobriety. I will always be grateful to Andy for showing me that help is out there and teaching me the importance of giving back to the recovery community. If you're ready to make a change and don't know where to turn next, talk to Andy - not only does he want to help you, he knows exactly how to do it.
I have known Andy now for over 6 years and he has been extremely influential person in my life. Being in recovery and being able to sustain sobriety over the course of days and years takes a lot of work. One of the most important parts of being able to stay sober is having someone like Andy as a friend and mentor. He is always there for me, quick to answer the phone, give the right advice at that right moment. I cannot ask for a better person to guide me on the right path. When someone has 30+ years in recovery, they are the person that I want in my life and I want to emulate what they are doing. I know if I just listen and take suggestions from Andy, my life will be better.
The first time I went to AA, I was lost, had no idea what I was doing, or how to really work the program. I generally went to the meeting as it was starting and walked out as it was ending. Inevitably, I was only halfway in the program and still “white knuckling” my sobriety.
Andy brought a new perspective to AA and made it no longer a chore, but something I looked forward to doing. In addition to meeting with him before the meeting to discuss prechosen topics affiliated with AA, he almost always knows most of the people in the room and makes introductions. I began going early to meetings, taking commitments, staying late to talk with people who have been where I was/am in my sobriety. Additionally, when I met Andy, I had strained most of my close relationships. Andy was integral in helping me regain trust and reliability from those relationships that were very much on the brink of total loss.
Andy is different than a sponsor. In my experience, someone ready to sponsor has a relatively set schedule for meetings they have been going to for a longtime. Andy brings you to a variety of meetings that may or may not be listed on the AA website. This was helpful for me to find which meetings were best suited to me. Example would be “Father’s in Recovery”, this was a very specific and special meeting that is now part of my weekly routine.
Andy helps you get out of your comfort zone, become open and vulnerable in meetings, and sets you up for future success. I still see him at most of the meetings I go to and look forward to chatting even after our month-long session has passed.
My husband and I didn’t know where to turn with our alcoholic adult son. We were given Andy’s contact information from our family’s therapist. We spoke to Andy late that same night and after a long discussion and a plan in place we began to feel a sense of hope. Andy not only provides a one-on-one structured relationship with the alcoholic, but he gently guides the family unit into recovery as well. We are now strong advocates of Al-Anon and through Andy’s guidance have connected with other parents struggling with the family disease as well. Andy used humor, kindness and warmth when talking to our family in during our most vulnerable and desperate time. He also has a “tough love” side too in providing guidance when dealing with the alcoholic! We were able to call or text Andy and always received a call back from him within a few hours (even when he was on a much-deserved vacation). Having Andy as our son’s sober coach during the initial stage of his sobriety was invaluable. The sobriety road is full of detours, but with Andy by the newly sober alcoholic’s side, the alcoholic can lean into him for support, guidance and information as their head begins to clear and they commit to recovery. Thank you Andy!
I highly recommend working with Andy for anyone that is serious about getting sober. I have struggled for years to maintain sobriety and Andy has been instrumental to getting me on the right path and staying on it. His enthusiasm and consistency are a huge benefit and with 33 years of sobriety he has heard and seen it all and has great advice on how to navigate sobriety. As he always says “ we’re just trying to save your life” and I truly believe he means that.
After struggling with alcohol for years, my husband made a choice to seek help. His efforts to stop drinking had failed, but his underlying belief that he could stop on his own was alive and strong.
When he connected with Andy, many of his former strategies were unearthed. Andy listened to him without judgement, was strong but respectful, and recommended structure and tools for him to use daily. Andy’s coaching helped my husband get on track.
As the spouse, I spoke with Andy as well and found him to be helpful, clear, and direct in terms of my role and responsibility. Andy was a good resource for me and his follow-through was fantastic.
Andy was an intrinsic, vital part of my early recovery. Early sobriety is difficult, to say the least. His intensive program really helped me in the early days of being sober. Trusting someone to help can be very difficult to do. Moreover, it can be downright frightening.
I lived most of my life, especially while drinking, thinking nobody could really understand me, my life, the issues I had and the reasons I drank. If you’re anything like me, I was unsure if anyone could not only understand, but could be able to help. Andy really “gets it”. That’s the best way I can put it.
Getting sober has been the best thing I have done. I tried it alone many, many times and it just didn’t work. Through Andy, I found that not only could I get sober, but that I was no longer alone in this fight. Through his process, I was able to look back on my life, see what was really going on, and uncover many aspects of my life I needed to look at and what I needed to get to work on. He’s like the coach in the locker room of a football team. He got me ready to get out on the field and play this game called life without putting substances in my body. Again, getting sober can be scary. Don’t go it alone, especially in the early, vital days of sobriety. Know that you can trust this man. That’s the most honest way I can put it.
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