East Hamptonite Joe Schrank wears many hats, including: Interventionist, social worker, community advocate, and father to two boys, Paolo, age 8, and Andrew [whom he adopted from Kenya] age 14.  Joe shares, “I have been coming to the Hamptons in various incarnations for 20 years. What I love most about the East End is the fall, after the crowds and humidity fade away.” Learn more about Joe in his KDHamptons Diary below:

KDHamptons: Please describe what you do as a career for our readers?

Joe: I work on the problem of alcoholism and chemical dependency with individuals, families, treatment centers, communities at the state and federal level. It takes many different forms, interventions, running a treatment facility in the city and consulting in media, I am founder and editor at large of www.thefix.com

KDHamptons: We heard you offer the services of a drug sniffing dog [above] ? Please introduce us to Mik and share about projects he sniffs on…

Joe: One of the ways we are able to help families, schools, and businesses is with our drug detection dog. Many families THINK there is a problem, with Mik we can confirm or cast that stone aside. If there are drugs in the house, Mik will find them. From there, we can consult with what to do about the problem. We have been overwhelmed with requests from parents to have him find their kids drugs, or not, but it’s information that parents should have.

KDHamptons: What’s the truth about alcoholism and addiction in the Hamptons? are there any statistics? Would people be surprised?

Joe: The truth about alcoholism and addiction in the Hamptons is similar to any other community. There are 20 million Americans impaired with some range of drug use disorder, that has long reaching tentacles, it’s a community health problem that impacts everyone. With the robust social circuit in the Hamptons, some of the problems may be more acute.

KDHamptons: How does the summer season play into this or not?

Joe: Every fall we have many, many calls to consult on DUI cases that happened in the Hamptons. I think people would be surprised that the Hamptons has a vibrant, thriving, and robust recovery community of people living an intoxicant free lifestyle.

KDHamptons: Describe your perfect Hamptons day?

Joe: My perfect day in the Hamptons is the day after Labor Day, enjoying a deserted beach and picking up some fresh produce from the Sagaponack farm stand.

KDHamptons: What is your favorite Hamptons restaurant?

Joe: It may not be very posh, but our favorite Hamptons restaurant is the Princess diner. I have two boys always wanting hefty simple food. They do it really well there.

KDHamptons: If you could invite any three people to your Hamptons home for dinner [dead or alive], who would you choose?

Joe: If I could invite three people: Jim Morrison, what a great mind, Jesus, the philosophy in its simplest form would be a great conversation starter, and the Hamptons gourmet queen, Ina Garten, to give us all a cooking lesson.

KDHamptons: Have you traveled anywhere interesting over the winter season?

Joe: My girlfriend [Laurie Dhue, pictured below] and I took a trip to Nairobi to tour the home where my son Andrew was living before he came to live in New York. The third world certainly is a sharp contrast to the Hamptons.

KDHamptons: Where can Hamptonites go if they feel they need help?

Joe: Contact us at the Core Company. We are available 24/7. Just call: 1-866-818-8283, or go to http://www.corecompanynyc.com for more information.