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About the Story: The saying goes “You get what you pay for.” But is that true when it comes to drug-rehabilitation programs? L.A. is home to some of the world’s most luxurious and expensive rehab centers. But does paying as much as $65,000 to detox increase your chances of ending up clean and sober? Sam Louie found both happy and unhappy clients. (TRT: 8:23)

: AddictionSearch.com; BFD Blog!’s “Rehab Southern California-Style: Trouble in Paradise” Article; Cliffside Malibu; Defamer’s “Trendy Malibu Rehab Centers Accused of Acting Like Every Other Business in Los Angeles” Blog; Drug Rehab Blog; International Herald Tribune’s “Rehab ‘Round the Swimming Pool: Does It Buy Sobriety?” Article; Malibu Rehab Blog; Passages Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment Center; Promises Treatment Centers; Stone Eagle Retreat; Sunset Malibu; Tags: Crime, Drugs, Entertainment, Health, Malibu, Movies, Music

Rehab–Worth the Money?

Publish date: November 7, 2007
Last updated: May 7, 2009

Reporter's NOTES

Sam Louie
According to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, abuse and addiction to alcohol, nicotine and illegal substances cost Americans upwards of half a trillion dollars a year, considering their combined medical, economic, criminal and social impact. Every year, the abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol contributes to the death of more than 100,000 Americans.

So, where do you go when you’re addicted? We went to Malibu and took a look at one of the most prestigious recovery centers here in Southern California.

The center charges $65,000 for a month’s worth of rehab. Does it work and do you need to pay that much for sobriety? That’s where the debate rages, over the cost, the billing practices and the effectiveness of treatment.

Insider Viewpoints

Exclusive alcohol rehabs are, as you might expect, more successful than regular alcohol rehabs in helping patients achieve lasting sobriety. It’s no mystery, of course.

Alcohol rehabilitation is hard, and luxury alcohol rehab programs provide alcoholics with the physical and psychological support they need to get better for good. No one beats alcoholism alone.

More to the point, alcohol rehab doesn’t work if it isn’t done right. If you’re going to get better, it’s going to be in a private alcohol treatment center.

Anything less, in the end, couldn’t ever be good enough. Remember, alcohol rehabs can only help those alcohol rehab patients who seek them out.

Addiction treatment and addiction recovery are, ultimately, patient-driven undertakings. Before you can get better, you have to find the courage to seek the help you need. For your own sake, for the sake of the people who care about you, don’t wait another day to start doing what you must.

--Excerpt taken from Drug Rehab’s “Achieving Sobriety” Blog

After working at one of the Malibu [Calif.] rehabs, I was given an ultimatum—forcing me to betray my clinical ethics or to quit and maintain my personal integrity…It became entirely clear that the goal here was in the numbers and not in the best interest of the client.

Given the ultimatum, I assisted the client and went back to private practice. At Stone Eagle Retreat, we pride ourselves on being the Malibu rehab that no one has ever heard about.

Integrity and 30 years of addiction experience are the core motivation and main reason we even exist. We are the first rehab to legally partner with the Prometa Center in Santa Monica [Calif.] for state-of-the-art medical treatment that treats the cravings and physiology first before working on core and psycho-social issues…

In light of the current article “The Trouble with Rehab, Malibu-Style,” I felt compelled to make it quietly known that there are Malibu rehabs and there is a rehab in Malibu. There is a difference…

--Excerpt taken from Stone Eagle Retreat’s “Opinion/Editorial Letter to the Los Angeles Times"

COMMUNITY VIEWPOINTS

11.27.2007 | 4:51 pm
Thanks to the link to my blog post, Sam. In thinking about the sheer number of rehab facilities located in Malibu, no one can tell me that it is because the local demographic has waaaay more substance abusers than the population in general. It is simply where the money is.

http://FIGHT-PTSD.ORG

Big Fella - Chino, California

11.22.2007 | 7:32 pm
As far as I am concerned, you can get sober at a Skid Row rehab. Those expensive rehabs are a rip-off.

I managed a rehab in Boyle Heights, Calif. We had some really tough customers, but about 10% or more got “it.”

And I’m talking about gangsters, ex-cons, etc. Those “28-day-wonder” rehabs are a joke.

You have to hit bottom to sober up. Living in a masion and eating French cusine is not my idea of hitting bottom.

And all the group hugs you can squeeze into 28 days will not save you if you are not sick of being sick and tired. What will end up happening to those poor fools with silver spoons in their mouths is that, if they keep up their bad behavior, they will wind up with a plastic spoon–courtesy of the California Department of Corrections.

And some person named Bubba will make them his or her love interest. And since they are rich, they will pay for that privilege.

I am not writing this to be funny. I have a sincere concern for the alcoholic or addict that still suffers.

Mongolito - East Los Angeles, California

11.15.2007 | 2:03 am
Until you’ve witnessed what Passages does, it may be easy to dismiss the high price-tag as nothing more than a ploy to get the bucks rolling into the place. I can tell you that it’s so much more.

My husband spent a month there for alcohol dependency, and the change in him is beyond what I could’ve imagined. I searched everywhere for the right place.

Neither my husband nor I believed that he had a “disease.” We knew that there was an underlying cause and a strong desire to numb himself to keep from dealing with it.

Passages is the only place I found that dedicates itself to the treatment of the whole person. And that is exactly what my husband is now–whole.

He is connected with himself and those around him in ways he wasn’t even before he drank. Those who scoff at Passages’ success know that rehabs generally have a high recidivism rate, so–naturally–they are skeptical.

The reason that recidivism is high and has always been high is because of an outmoded way of thinking about dependency. Instead of rethinking our notions about addictions, we tell people that they have an illness and that they’ll have it forever.

I can’t think of a better reason to keep drinking, frankly. Passages challenges the conventional thought and has dared to declare what everyone knows deep down inside: It’s not what you’re drinking, smoking, shooting up or popping that’s wrong with you.

There’s a reason you gravitated to altered states in the first place. When you find and treat the underlying cause, as well as the chemical addiction, the desire for altered states diminishes and–yes–can go away entirely. I like to think to think that Passages owes its success, in part, because it offers a hopeful message.

grateful wife - Sierra Madre, California

11.08.2007 | 2:47 am
If you can afford it, a month at Passages or Promises is very nice, an upscale summer camp for the misguided. Is better recovery wise than the place costing much less?

No, it is not. The new-age terminology, such as psycho-social and reintegrative, are just part of the slick sales pitch. It is a nonregulated business and lots and lots of buzz words that sound just right to a desperate person and their family.

My experience is 10% of it is addressing the change to a new lifestyle and 90% is a luxury vacation. In my opinion, and having been there, it’s just plum unethical and a good and slick pitch to a fearful audience. However, it’s not really a “medical” facility, so I guess “medical ethics” need not apply.

havingbeenthere - Beverly Hills, California

11.07.2007 | 8:25 pm
No, these places are not worth it. The only person you need to go to is yourself.

The only place you need to go is your own heart. $35,000 for what?

An AA big book? An NA basic text? All they’re going to do is shove a 12-step program down your throat.

lazywolf - Los Angeles, California

11.07.2007 | 8:18 pm
I will be celebrating my 40th AA birthday on the 20th of this month. The thing that saved me was losing my “superiority” and learning humility. I can’t see that tens of thousands of dollars will implement this type of healing.

virginia l. - Irvine, California

11.07.2007 | 8:18 pm
I have a close friend who went through a similar situation as the woman on the broadcast. She was addicted to heroin, and her sister–in a desperate attempt to help her–got her into a home in Orange County.

The friend was apparently not read and, not even two days later, left the home–unable to cope. My friend was not refunded a cent of her $20,000-plus. Is there anything that can be done?

DonnaCa - Irvine, California

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