I woke up early this morning and was enjoying my coffee while waiting for the Sunday paper to be delivered.  I turned on the TV, watched the news and then started flipping through the program guide.  I found an infomercial that was coming on Court TV in a few minutes called “The Addiction Cure”.  Being involved in the treatment industry as well a recovering alcoholic, I was immediately curious.  I read a book by a gentleman named Chris Prentiss a couple of years ago called “The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure” and wondered if this paid infomercial might have some affiliation. 

As the program started, the host displayed a copy of the aforementioned book.  He gave a brief overview and then introduced Mr. Prentiss.  Chris Prentiss is the co-founder and co-executive director of Passages Malibu, a very expensive and upscale treatment center located in Malibu California with his son Pax.  Passages treats addictive behavior by addressing underlying psychological issues.  Their treatment is quite lengthy and very involved.  According to their website, they have a host of therapist with different specialties.  Among them are marriage and family therapist, hypnotherapist, chemical dependency counselors, spiritual therapist, continuing care counselors, acupuncturist, doctors, nurses, and client supervisors.  The facility is located on the Pacific Ocean and features a very upscale environment with manicured grounds and gourmet meals.   The cost of treatment at Passages is rumored to exceed $50,000 per month and is private pay.

The infomercial touts this book as a definitive permanent cure for addiction.  Mr. Prentiss states in his interview that by simply reading his book and applying it’s teachings that you can cure any addiction, regardless of the severity or peculiarities of the problem.  He says that it works for gambling, sex, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, dietary and any other addiction or compulsive behavior. 

He also tells the television audience that you can read the book and cure yourself.  He says that the book can be used by people that might be too busy at work or can’t find a babysitter so that they can go into treatment for their addiction.  I sat and watched all twenty eight minutes in total disbelief.  Why would someone with a high profile treatment facility like Passages resort to an infomercial to sell books?  I thought at first that it might be a genuine effort to help people defeat their chemical dependency but as the program progressed I was left with the impression that this was not the case but rather was designed to sell books at an inflated price.  At the end of the infomercial, the book was offered for $24.95 plus S&H.  It is listed as a $29.95 value.  I checked on Amazon and indeed the list is $29.95 but Amazon sells it for $19.77 in hardback and $10.85 in paperback.   

As I said earlier, I read the book a couple of years ago.  I consider it a very good and informative book with a non-traditional approach to recovery.  It is entertaining and an easy and compelling read.  The first few chapters describe in detail the addiction issues that Pax, the son, dealt with for a number of years.  Pax was cross addicted to several drugs during his youth and his particular problems culminated in Heroin addiction.  The remainder of the book talks about his recovery and the underlying reasons that were driving his addiction. 

“The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure” is an interesting book but it is far from a “cure” for alcoholism or addiction.  Chris Prentiss states in his infomercial that alcoholism is not a disease and that it was classified that way only to make it coverable by insurance companies.  If it is not a disease, how did he come up with a cure?   

Passages Malibu states on their homepage that they have the “highest success rate in the world” but they also employ “continuing care” counselors.  There is also an outpatient alcoholism treatment center in Atlanta that states that their program is eight times more effective than the national average.  They bill themselves as “The Nations Leading and Most Effective Alcoholism Counseling Alternative to 12 Step Alcohol Addiction Treatment and Counseling Programs”.  After completing their program and attaining one year of sobriety you are rewarded with a coveted “Gold D” for your efforts.  They say that after attending their program you are not in recovery, but “recovered”.

One would have to assume that neither of these facilities has any clients that relapse or returned to dependency.  I seriously doubt that this is the case.  I also have no idea how either of them can legitimately make the success claims of being “Number One.”  There are no ways to measure themselves against other treatment centers or programs.  Most treatment centers are not aware when a client relapses after an extended period of time because contact is usually lost.  I went through three treatment centers for alcoholism and never heard a word from any of them after I left the program.  AA keeps no records, nor do most other non-12 step support groups.

There are many treatment centers, programs and philosophy’s available to deal with addictions.  Some are very effective and some are not.  12-step or AA style of treatment works for some and is totally ineffective for others.  One must remember that AA has a phenomenal success rate when you consider that it is free and run by a group of recovering addicts with no psychological or professional training.  Most effective treatment centers that utilize the12-step treatment philosophy also provide counseling, medical, psychological and after care elements.  It is my belief that there is no definitive or perfect way to treat the disease.  Our treatment has many components and is individualized for each person.  All clients have different needs and it is our belief that there is no “one size fits all” answer.

You cannot permanently “cure” alcoholism or drug addiction.  Once you have crossed the threshold into chemical dependency several things occur both physically and psychologically.  It is not possible for an alcoholic to drink casually or responsibly, a Heroin addict to take pain pills, a gambler to go to Vegas or a sex addict to go to a brothel without returning to the dependency.  Addictive patterns can be altered, psychological issues can be addressed and dealt with, chemical substances can be removed from the system, the body can heal and a happy productive life can be resumed but alcoholics and addicts can never be totally cured.  If resumed, alcohol and drug consumption may be controlled for a short time but will eventually end up with the addict resuming the addictive behavior and again being fully involved in dependency. 

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