When a lawyer or judge crashes their Porsche into a ditch, a physician is found with an IV in her arm or a pilot is caught in the cockpit with alcohol on his breath, bar cards, medical and pilot licenses are revoked and careers are ruined. As such, when these professionals are struck by alcoholism and addiction they are statistically more motivated toward recovery than any other. Expected to be untouchable community heroes whose soberness is pivotal to the life and death of their patients and clients, they cannot just go to any rehabilitation program. As such, a pilot entrepreneur, Chris Loguidice, who went through recovery himself, has created an ultra private luxury rehabilitation facility called Journey Malibu (http://journeymalibu.com/about-drug-rehab/professional-health-recovery-program/).
"Journey Malibu's unique program is headed by one of the nation's foremost addiction physicians, Dr. James DeMarco," said Chris Loguidice. "He serves as Executive Director for us and is the President of the Hawaii Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and has completed a formal Academic Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at the University of Hawaii's Department of Psychiatry, Division of Addiction Medicine."
"Of the recovery patients in the general population only 30% are successful and 70% relapse within 2 years," said Dr. DeMarco. "However with professionals who are required to be in monitoring programs the 5-year success rates are as high as 90%.(4) We prepare the professional to comply with all licensing and monitoring boards to return to their careers with minimal disruption and emotional trauma."
Here are the sobering statistics on this group of professionals:
- Physicians: According to the Psychiatric Times, prescription drug misuse and dependence with physicians is higher than the general population. Addiction impairs more physicians than any other disease. 80% to 90% recover over a 5-year period of time.
- Pilots: Amongst mental health issues for pilots, the most common problem is alcoholism; about 2700 have been treated. Any pilot who gets caught with alcohol in their system may see their entire career end on the spot. A major airline reports a 76% recovery rate amongst their pilots.
- Lawyers: Alcoholism appears to be more prevalent among lawyers than in the general public. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 7% percent of Americans are alcoholics, and amongst legal professionals, between 15% and 24%. Roughly 1 in 5 lawyers is addicted to alcohol. Based on a study that showed a 26% mental illness rate among attorneys, there should be almost 50,000 attorneys seeking treatment. However in 2008, only .4% of California's attorneys participated in a program.
Unlike other residential recovery facilities which offer a group program, Journey Malibu provides a highly individualized program with a high 'staff to patient' ratio. Journey Malibu's program includes:
- CBT/MET/DBT
- Neurobiology of Addiction Education
- Individual/Group/Family Therapy
- Relapse Prevention
- Monitoring Board Compliance Procedure
- Somatic Experience therapy
- Bio Feedback
- Nutritional Intelligence program
- Physical Fitness Therapy
- Reinvention Coaching
- Acupuncture/massage therapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Creative Arts
- Daily Yoga/Thai Chi/Meditation
Journey Malibu (www.JourneyMalibu.com) is an ultra-luxe alcohol and addiction rehabilitation facility catering to a specialized population of those affected by the disease, physicians, lawyers and pilots. The very private Tuscan villa tucked into the hills of the exclusive seaside hamlet was founded by a recovering pilot and is headed by an addiction physician, both of whose personal experiences inspired them to help other professionals.
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