“First and foremost, you lead by example. You try to be the type of human being you know they want to become.” Peter Downing On the role of a sobriety coach

Many Canadians learned a new expression this week: “sobriety coach.” At a press conference Tuesday, a man identified as Bob Marier allegedly kicked one of the shirtless protesters heckling Mayor Rob Ford.

Marier is, indeed, Ford’s sobriety coach. So what does he do? And who is he?

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Little is known about the mayor’s new companion. He has declined frequent requests to speak with reporters at city hall. Media reports have identified him as a recovering cocaine addict and alcoholic from Montreal. Ford’s office has confirmed that the mayor has a sobriety coach, but otherwise refused to speak about the elusive Marier.

“I’m not going to be commenting on anything to do with the mayor’s sobriety coach,” said Ford spokesperson Amin Massoudi.

Calls to Councillor Doug Ford, manager of the mayor’s re-election campaign, were not answered.

But longtime sobriety coaches cast doubt on whether Marier’s public behaviour was consistent with the fulfilment of his professional duties.

“That’s not how you do it,” said Peter Downing of Cerberus Life Management, referring to the alleged kicking episode.

Downing, who is based in California, was a sobriety coach for many years and now matches addicts with other coaches, who are usually recovering addicts themselves.

“People I employ have to be in recovery for more than 10 years. They have to be very emotionally mature for that job,” said Downing.

The basic job of a sobriety coach is to ensure that clients don’t relapse. The best way of accomplishing that, said Downing, is to be a role model. “First and foremost, you lead by example. You try to be the type of human being you know they want to become.”

Sobriety coaches can have widely varying levels of involvement in addicts’ lives, ranging from 24-hour surveillance to occasional phone calls.

“Some people don’t need to be watched like a hawk; they just need to know that somebody’s nearby,” Downing said.

Coaching stints often last for the first three months of an addict’s recovery, widely seen as the most important phase, said Addiction Canada operations director Robin Haslam.

During those 90 days, he added, there’s usually a “very tight agenda” of phone calls and in-person meetings designed to ensure the client stays on the wagon.

According to an article on The Fix, an American website focused on addiction, sobriety coaches often charge up to $1,000 a day. “Fees for the most prestigious sober coaches (and the most demanding clients) can top $80,000 a month,” the article reads.

The CBC reported last week that Ford is paying Marier, but did not specify the amount.

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Patty Powers, a Toronto-born sobriety coach now working in New York, said that the helping hand and watchful eye of people like her are indispensable to some addicts.

“Some people can’t just go crawling into an AA meeting and spill their guts to a bunch of strangers,” Powers said.

Still, she added in an email, having the right person for the job is crucial.

“You want to be careful when hiring someone … A coach is not a parole officer or bodyguard.”