Without a doubt, I am an open book – especially at this point in my life. I have taken an incredibly challenging time in my life and turned it around, and am now focused on using my experience with substance abuse and recovery to uplift others and raise awareness. There are a number of ways that I am doing that, from my work at Northbound to going on TV and talking about addiction. But just recently, I launched my own personal website that I think is unlike any other site that is out there right now.
Instead of making Wahler’s Wellness a typical informative site about who I am, I wanted to take a different approach. I truly believe that expressing vulnerability creates humility, and that is the basis of the design of my site. On the page, you will find a timeline of my life starting from when I was a child, through my period of time spent on Laguna Beach and The Hills, to Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and where I am at today.
I didn’t want to ignore the path that I took that got me here – even if it meant sharing some of my most challenging moments like my DUI and on-screen break-ups. Instead, I want my website to serve as an example of the disease of addiction. I want people to see what addiction can do to a kid who was growing up with all the potential in the world, and hope that through my story, more awareness can be raised.
The last thing I want people to think when reading my site is that it’s all just designed to be one big flashback. Instead, I want it to serve as a tool for others so they can see that struggling with addiction and not getting help is just like being stuck on a rollercoaster that you can’t get off of. I also want people to see that recovery is possible and that it does work.
I am so excited to finally get to share my site with all of you! It really is a flipbook of my life in a nutshell, but it also has some informative elements to it, too, such as facts about addiction and recovery. It also has links to the blogs I work on weekly so you can follow me on my journey to raise awareness and share my own personal truths. If Wahler’s Wellness can help one person get inspired to get his or her life back on track, then that in itself is amazing and I consider it a great success!
Author
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Paul Alexander is the CEO, President & Founder of Northbound Treatment Network in Newport Beach, California. He believes wholeheartedly in transformational leadership, organizational health and effective, fully integrated substance use disorder and mental health treatment. With over 27 years of experience in behavioral healthcare, Paul has extensive knowledge of “in vivo” treatment modalities, clinical development, operations, strategy, marketing and financial planning. He has been widely recognized for his development of collegiate-based residential treatment programs for students in recovery and authored a research study at The University of California confirming this modality’s effectiveness.
Paul’s comprehensive professional experience, willingness to innovate, and emphasis on organizational health are vital factors in Northbound’s continued success. Paul received his Certified Addiction Treatment Specialist training at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA, and was awarded Outstanding Alumni Service Award in 2002. Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Law and Society, Summa Cum Laude, from University of California, Irvine, and a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. Paul currently serves on The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) board. In addition, he serves on The Family Recovery Foundation board and The CarePossible board in Orange County; both organizations are committed to raising funds for family recovery and treatment for former military personnel. Paul is in recovery himself and lives in Orange County with his wife Silvana and his two young sons, Noah and Dean.
