Recovery Coaching in Atlanta for Young Men 18 to 26
At The Launch Pad ATL, we offer recovery coaching for young men aged 18 to 26 who want to change their relationship with alcohol or other drugs. Matt Reynolds runs it personally, weekly and one to one, in the conditions a young man actually lives in.
Most of this work happens well before anyone reaches for the word “recovery.” It is for the stage where the drinking is heavier than intended most weeks, and the rest of life has quietly arranged itself around that.
What the work is
Weekly one-to-one sessions with Matt, working from the actual week: where the drinking sits in it, what it is doing for the person, and what has to be in place for a different week to be possible. Sessions are at our office at 1411 Dutch Valley Place NE, and by phone or video when someone is away at school.
Sessions can also happen outdoors, walking in Piedmont Park or along the Atlanta Beltline, at the standard rate with no surcharge for the setting. That option exists for the same reason it exists across the rest of the practice: a conversation shoulder to shoulder is a materially easier one for a young man to keep showing up to than a conversation across a desk.
The work sits alongside whatever else is already in place. Plenty of the young men here are also in individual therapy, seeing a prescriber, or doing both, and we are glad to work in coordination with them.
Two goals, and we do not pick between them for you
Some men arrive certain they want to stop altogether. Others want to drink less, or drink differently, and are not willing to sign up for never again in order to get help. Both are legitimate goals here, both are worked on seriously, and which one applies is decided in the room.
That matters more than it sounds for this age. A young man of 22 who is told the only acceptable goal is lifelong abstinence will very often decide the whole conversation is not for him and leave, and the pattern goes on unexamined for another decade. Starting where someone actually is keeps them in a room where the goal can change — and it does change, often, once the drinking is being looked at honestly.
A goal can also move the other way. Working toward moderation and finding it does not hold is useful information, arrived at with support in place, and it is a better route to that conclusion than a failed attempt on his own.
What this is, stated exactly
This is coaching. Coaching is not treatment for a substance use disorder, and it does not assess or diagnose one. It builds the external structure that a different pattern needs in order to hold, and it works on what the drinking is doing for the person, which is usually the part nobody has asked about.
So that nobody has to guess at the boundaries: we do not prescribe or manage medication, we do not supervise withdrawal, we run no detox and no beds, and we do not offer live-in or around-the-clock companionship. If any of those is what you need, this isn’t it, and we will say so on your first call.
Matt Reynolds delivers this work personally. His background and qualifications are on his page. The practice also provides therapy for young adult men, which is a different service with a different scope, and if that is the better starting point we will say so and make the introduction internally.
When someone needs more than coaching
This is the part of the page that matters most, and the honest dividing line is safety.
Withdrawal from alcohol or from benzodiazepines can be medically dangerous and occasionally fatal. If you are drinking daily and heavily and you are thinking about stopping, you need a physician to plan it, not a coach. Stopping abruptly on your own is the specific thing not to do. We will help you find that care, and we won’t take on the work in place of it.
Look at a higher level of care if there is an overdose risk, if you are using opioids or mixing sedatives with alcohol, if a medical detox is indicated, if there are signs of psychosis, or if the situation at home has stopped being safe for anyone in it.
If you are in immediate danger, if there are active suicidal thoughts, or if you suspect an overdose, this page is not your next step. Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225, or call 911.
Fees and insurance
We do not accept any form of insurance. We can provide a Super Bill statement, which you may be able to submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement — if you intend to submit, tell us at the outset so your documentation is right from the first session. Current fees are set out on the scheduling page. There is no program fee, no enrollment and no minimum commitment.
Common questions
Do I have to want to quit completely?
No. Cutting down and stopping are both goals we work on, and which one applies is decided with you. Arriving undecided is a normal place to start.
Is this a 12-step program?
No. This is individual coaching, and it does not require a particular framework or belief. It works perfectly well alongside a fellowship for someone who wants one.
Is this a sober companion service?
No. There is no live-in support and no around-the-clock availability. This is a weekly one-to-one appointment.
What ages do you work with?
Young men aged 18 to 26 for this work. Under 18, see therapy for adolescent boys.
Can a parent call first?
Yes, and it is a common way this starts. Once someone is 18 the work is theirs and so is the confidentiality, so what a parent gets is a conversation about approach rather than a report. The free 15-minute call is available to a parent on their own.
What if coaching is not the right level of care?
We will say so on the call and help point in a better direction. That is more useful than booking an appointment we are the wrong fit for.
Starting
The first step is a free 15-minute phone consultation. Call Keri London at 404.939.7712, or send a message from the contact page. If the drinking sits alongside ADHD, which is a common pairing at this age and one we see a lot, that combination has its own page.