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. 

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? For many addicts and alcoholics the picture is not a pretty one. Years of substance abuse usually has a catastrophic effect on the self image of the individual.

With addiction comes a lot of baggage. Addicts live a life of deception during their active use. The circumstances are different for each individual but they all culminate in a self-image that has been severely impacted. Many programs don’t address this problem, which I consider one of if not the most important components of a successful recovery and acquiring an attitude that will help the addict avoid relapse.

Virtually all addictive substances take a major toll on the addict’s ability to think clearly and process information. You will find that the use of alcohol and all drugs of abuse are progressive in nature, meaning that the frequency and quantity of use accelerates the longer the individual is actively using. For many addicts their drug of choice is not always available and they are forced to fend off withdrawal with drugs that are more easily available or socially acceptable. We often see poly-substance addiction in treatment. An example would be a cocaine user. Cocaine is not readily available in some instances and often the user is in an atmosphere that the use of their drug of choice would be prohibitive. To help cope with the extreme depression or withdrawal symptoms the cocaine addict often resorts to benzodiazepines or alcohol. As these situations become more frequent the addiction to cocaine also becomes benzodiazepine or alcohol dependence.

Addicts will go to extreme measures to protect their addiction. All addicts and alcoholics have events in their addicted life that makes them have feeling of self-loathing or be disgusted with themselves. Alcoholics have to hide their addiction to loved ones and the people they work with. They cannot go extensive periods without alcohol without going into withdrawals so they hide bottles and 99.9% of the addicts that enter treatment have switched to Vodka to avoid the alcohol on their breath being detected. Many times they have put themselves and others, including their family, at risk by operating vehicles or other dangerous activities while under the influence. They will use multiple liquor stores so as not to appear to have a problem and will drink heavily before going to a social event where alcohol use would be inappropriate.

Drug users also put themselves in harms way to obtain their drugs. The obvious would be a heroine user that has to obtain the drugs for dealers on the street. The less publicized are the pain and anxiety medication users that have multiple doctors prescribing them medications and are buying from numerous online pharmacies.

When you are an addict you can often see no way out and feel hopeless. Your self-image is that of an alcoholic or addict. As self-esteem is lowered, most perpetuate the problem by accelerating their use and their distorted image of themselves becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. They see themselves first and foremost as an alcoholic or addict.

When the dependent person enters treatment at a typical treatment facility they are detoxed to remove the mind altering substance from their body safely. They then enter the psychological treatment stage which usually consists of minimal counseling and a great deal of 12-step work. Traditional Alcoholics Anonymous style of treatment mandates the addict to take a moral inventory of themselves. During this process the individual has to recall all of the inappropriate conduct that occurred during their life as an addict. In most cases this style of treatment reinforces the addict’s self-image of being a loser and a person that is terminally flawed. Self-esteem is rarely worked on and is not even on the agenda in most treatment programs.

Addicts and alcoholics are no different than any other people. They have just had events in their life that they found difficult or impossible to deal with and resorted to mood altering substances in their efforts to self-medicate the problems away. Their self-medicating efforts resulted in a physical addiction. The normal perception of the alcoholic is that of a homeless person who is dirty and mentally deranged and drug addicts are perceived as being emaciated junkies that rob and kill to support their habit. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Effective treatment must include extensive work on rebuilding a positive self-image. Most addicts and alcoholics are good, caring, loving people that simply developed a substance abuse problem. They are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, employers, employees, coaches, teachers, healers, spiritual leaders… For them to regain control of their lives and maintain long term sobriety, the issue of self-perception must be dealt with. Positive reinforcement of the good aspects of their life is critical in helping them focus on a healthy recovery.

While you can get sober at the urging of a loved one, you must care enough about yourself and hold yourself in high enough esteem not to relapse and return to the life of self destructive addiction.