Chapter 0: Mark Story

Hi, my name is Mark Jaranski from New Horizons Counseling, and this video series is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Recovery.

The New Horizons approach has been around since the late 1970s. It began when two women in California, both struggling with cocaine addiction, realized there wasn’t much real help available at the time. So they did something simple but powerful—they sat down with a yellow pad and began mapping out their own recovery process.

From that work, the New Horizons program was born. One of the founders later opened a practice in Phoenix, Arizona, and the other brought the approach here to Hawaiʻi.

For me personally, my own story with addiction stretched over many years. I tried different approaches—12-step programs, counseling, online resources—but nothing seemed to create lasting change. In the mid-1990s, I came across New Horizons in the Yellow Pages and decided to call. I shared my situation, and I was invited in.

That moment changed my life.

What I found was a simple, structured, and empowering cognitive behavioral approach that actually helped me shift the way I thought—and ultimately the way I lived. It didn’t just support recovery; it reshaped how I understood choice, behavior, and change.

It impacted me so deeply that I shifted my entire career to do this work full time. Today, I work with people using what we call the New Horizons Choice Process—a cognitive behavioral approach to addiction and recovery that focuses on practical tools for real-life change.

In this video series, my goal is to walk you through the book Figure It, Face It, Fix It chapter by chapter, giving you a clear overview of how this program works and what each part is designed to do.

One thing I’ve learned over time is that many programs talk about cognitive behavioral therapy, but they don’t always show you how to actually apply it in daily life. That practical application is what this series is about—how to change thinking patterns in a way that leads to real, sustainable recovery.

You can find my book on Amazon by searching Figure It, Face It, Fix It, or you can visit figureitfaceitfixit.com. The workbook version is designed to be interactive so you can actually write and work through the material as you go.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, and we’ll be going through each one together in this series to give you a clear, practical understanding of the process.

On a personal note, my journey started back in the mid-1970s when I was about 13 years old. Like many people, it began with experimenting—weed, alcohol—and over time it progressed into a wide range of substances. I grew up in that era, and I experienced a lot of it firsthand.

Most of those substances I was eventually able to walk away from, but alcohol became the challenge that stayed with me the longest.

In my mid-30s, I finally reached out for help through New Horizons. Before that, I had already tried counseling and spent a year in an AA program, which I have deep respect for. But for me personally, I still wasn’t able to fully shift the underlying thought patterns that kept the cycle going.

What I later came to understand is that real change requires more than willpower—it requires changing the belief system underneath the behavior. That’s what cognitive behavioral therapy helped me do. It didn’t just teach me to say “no”—it helped me reach a place where saying “no” actually felt aligned, empowering, and clear.

At 35, I began working with Katie, one of the original founders of New Horizons here in Hawaiʻi. She guided me through the program, and it completely changed the direction of my life. Over time, we became colleagues and close friends. After her passing in 2008, I took over New Horizons in Hawaiʻi as part of our agreement.

In 2012, I wrote Figure It, Face It, Fix It, which is now available on Amazon and continues to be used as a practical guide through this process.

Today, I work with clients both in person and through telehealth across the United States and internationally. The work is simple, direct, and focused on helping people create real change they can sustain.

In this series, we’ll go chapter by chapter through the core ideas of the program, breaking down what cognitive behavioral therapy actually looks like in practice—and how it can be used as a real tool for freedom from addiction.

In the recovery world, the most common labels are "alcoholic" and "addict." For many people, these terms serve a purpose. They can help bring awareness to a problem, reduce denial, and encourage accountability.

But through my own recovery journey and years of studying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I've discovered that labels can also create obstacles.

For years, I asked myself the question:

"Am I an alcoholic?"

The problem with that question is that it's a comparison question.

When I asked it, I wasn't looking at my own life honestly. Instead, I was comparing myself to everyone else.

On one end of the spectrum was the person who had an occasional drink once or twice a year. On the other end was the stereotypical image of someone whose entire life had been overtaken by alcohol.

I looked at my own situation and thought:

"Well, I'm not drinking like that person. I still work. I still function. I still have responsibilities. Maybe I don't really have a problem."

That comparison kept me stuck for years.

Because when we compare ourselves to others, we almost always find someone doing worse than we are. And when we do that, we avoid asking the questions that actually matter.

The better question isn't:

"Am I an alcoholic?"

The better question is:

"Is this behavior creating problems in my life?"

That question changes everything.

It removes the comparison.

It removes the labels.

It removes the arguments.

Instead, it brings the focus back to what really matters: your experience.

Is alcohol affecting your relationships?

Is it impacting your health?

Is it creating stress, anxiety, financial problems, or emotional pain?

Is it preventing you from becoming the person you want to be?

These are the questions that helped me finally see the truth about my own drinking.

When I stopped worrying about what label applied to me and started looking honestly at the results I was creating, my motivation to change became much stronger.

This is one of the core principles I use with clients today.

I don't focus on labels.

I focus on patterns.

I focus on behaviors.

I focus on the beliefs, thoughts, and emotional wounds driving those behaviors.

Because lasting recovery isn't about arguing over what to call yourself.

It's about understanding what's no longer serving you and creating a life that feels better than the one you're trying to escape.

The goal isn't to decide whether you're an alcoholic or an addict.

The goal is to ask yourself:

"Is this behavior helping me create the life I want?"

If the answer is no, then you're already asking the right question.

And that's where real transformation begins.