Practical Advice on Achieving High Recovery Rates for Affluent and Prominent Alcoholics and Addicts
Overview
Few problems are as vexing and seemingly impossible to resolve for families, advisors and trustees as the active alcoholic or addict, particularly those who continue to use after treatment. While low recovery rates for treatment and subsequent relapse may be understandable in the aggregate, on the individual level the experience is frustrating and unnerving for all concerned.
Often the response is “treatment,” yet few family members and advisors are familiar with the success rates for treatment or what leads to sustained recovery. The purpose of this article is to provide information about treatment outcomes and to discuss what works for recovery, starting with two key facts:
• The most common outcome of treatment is relapse.
• Pilots and physicians have first time recovery rates in excess of 85%
These very important points led us to investigate how recovery rates can be improved for the wealthy and prominent. In doing so, the authors met with hundreds of affluent alcoholics, learned about their relapses and recoveries, and used Mr. Messinger's experience as a Hazelden intern to understand the pros and cons of treatment for this population. Above all, they drew on personal experiences growing up with and/or living as adults with wealth, prominence, and addiction.