Michelle L Dunbar

Michelle Dunbar is the Executive Director of Baldwin Research Institute and the Freedom Model Retreats, the first residential non-12 step model for addiction help. Michelle was first thrust into the addiction recovery world as a young child. At the time she learned from family members, who were immersed in the 12 step culture, about the alleged supernatural powers of alcohol and drugs. As a result of these beliefs, she struggled with alcohol and drugs succumbing to the disease rhetoric in her...See more

Michelle Dunbar is the Executive Director of Baldwin Research Institute and the Freedom Model Retreats, the first residential non-12 step model for addiction help. Michelle was first thrust into the addiction recovery world as a young child. At the time she learned from family members, who were immersed in the 12 step culture, about the alleged supernatural powers of alcohol and drugs. As a result of these beliefs, she struggled with alcohol and drugs succumbing to the disease rhetoric in her teens. Thankfully, Michelle was blessed with an inquisitive mind and a skeptic's heart. By 1990, then in her early twenties, these personal attributes proved to be a compass that guided her out of heavy substance use completely. She learned never to take anything at face value and was heard frequently saying, "Let's look at the data." This attitude and hunger for the truth pushed her past the addict/alcoholic self image, and provided a firm platform for her to research and find how best to help those struggling. Her primary goal is to spread the truth that addiction is not a disease and that people can and do move past their addictions completely. She began her career at Baldwin Research Institute, Inc. (BRI) in 1992 as a volunteer helping women to solve their substance use problems. In 2002, she joined BRI in a professional capacity working directly with substance users and their families. During her tenure at BRI she has worked in nearly every division and capacity. She co-authored and taught a program extension offered by BRI called Continuing Education which tackled life issues and goal setting outside the scope of substance use. She wrote and taught The Family Program and she has worked extensively on the past four curriculum revisions taught at the retreats. She is one of the co-authors of BRI Publishing's book, the revolutionary text entitled, The Freedom Model for Addictions. She is also the lead author of The Freedom Model for the Family book. She hosted a blog talk radio show where she had the opportunity to interview some of the most cutting edge researchers and outspoken authors and activists tackling the inherent problems within current addiction paradigm. Michelle's dedication to finding a solution for addictions and extensive experience helping substance users and their families has provided her life-saving and powerful insights into how best to help people solve their substance use problems permanently. Michelle has worked helping substance users and their families for nearly 30 years. In her free time she enjoys reading, walking, and watching her beloved NY Yankees. Michelle lives with her best friend and husband of 25 years, Bob. Together they raised three boys and are now just beginning to experience the joys of having an empty nest. See less