Malibu Model
The Malibu Rehab Model is an addiction treatment strategy used by many of the drug rehabilitation centers in Malibu, California. The model emphasizes dedicated personal care, including meals made by chefs, personal trainers, luxurious rooms and settings, and equine therapy. Stone Eagle Retreat admits only six clients at a time.
The Malibu Rehab Model has come under criticism for being more about public relations rather than a treatment for addition recovery. Mel Gibson checked into Passages after his DUI arrest, Lindsay Lohan periodic stints at Promises and Brittany Spears checking into three rehabs in one week, getting tattoos and shaving off her hair along the way, haven’t done much to maintain their reputation.
Still, some such as Stone Eagle Retreat offers an example of the origins of the Malibu Model, by maintaining an individual approach to treatment by limiting their number of patients to six while offering a 21 acre setting with therapies ranging from one-on-one counseling to health and wellness programs to hypnotherapy and massages.[1]
What is the treatment like for the Malibu Rehab Model?
The Malibu Rehab Model differs from traditional models such as the Minnesota Model in that the Malibu Model allows patients more liberty with a holistic approach that focuses on taking away everyday stressors so the person can focus on the underlying cause of their disease. For example, Chris Prentiss says that Passages works to "assist individuals to cure themselves, for all healing comes from within." Nancy Szakacsy of Stone Eagle Retreat says that "an individual experience cannot be healed except through one's own understanding of oneself and through one's active participation."
Within the Malibu Model recovering addicts are treated to meals prepared by private chefs, and receive daily maid service. They also attend group meetings but the focal point is more towards individual therapy. In their off time, residents can go into town to sip a Starbuck’s coffee or shop at one of Malibu high end stores. According to Nancy Szakacsy, "the suffering is optional, the learning is not."
The Malibu Model is in contrast to a traditional approach where residents often have daily chores, and more group meetings. At The Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, California patients are not allowed to leave the faculty and receive limited visitors. The stark difference in the two models have been fodder for criticisms from traditionalist and the media.
Key Issues of the Malibu Rehab Model
Key individual issues need to be addressed for a holistic rehab to assist in saving a life:
- Biological: The limbic system of the brain is altered by excessive drug and alcohol use. The manifestation of this alteration is the physiological craving for the drug or alcohol. The addicted brain tells the body that it needs the drug or alcohol like it needs water or food for survival. It would be difficult for any other key issue to be addressed in rehab treatment if this issue is not addressed first. There are medical treatments currently available that successfully treat cravings over a 5 day period (for example: Prometa Treatment). Not many rehabs address this issue thus other therapeutic program elements are not as productive or well received due to preoccupation with fiending and craving.
- Psychological: Underlying mood disorders can drive one to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. A complete clinical psychological assessment and dual diagnosis treatment are critical components that most rehabs address.
- Social: Clients must be shown how to live life differently, the sober way. Drug and alcohol related social triggers can immediately render biological intervention and cognitive behavioral tools learned in treatment ineffective. Rehabs must give much attention to aftercare planning and work with families, friends, sponsors and other support systems to change any social structure not supportive of sobriety and sustained abstinence. Not all rehabs continue on with clients after graduation but many understand it’s when they will be needed most.
- Nutrition and Exercise: Food, supplements and the natural chemicals released by an active lifestyle, like medicine, alter body chemistry and make sobriety feel that much better. Many rehabs do provide outdoor activities but few prioritize implementing and modeling a sustainable, moderate diet and exercise program into the recovery program. This element is also considered a crucial component of the new social structure.
- Spirituality: The therapist or spiritual guide must be able to jump in and resonate with the client as opposed to analyzing them from a distance in order to help them discover or rediscover intrapersonal wisdom. So few truly are capable of "going there" with another individual and this is why visiting a rehab and meeting with the director before committing is crucial for holistic recovery. There is too much going on subconsciously for a client to receive complete care without engaging with someone able to illuminate these elements for them.
Community impact
Many residents of Malibu who paid millions for their ocean estates are frustrated that their high-end neighborhood are exceedingly becoming home to the drug and alcohol rehabilitation community. The sentiment among residents seem to be that rehabs are fine, but "not in my backyard."[2]
How long have rehabs been around?
Although techniques vary widely, many programs are based on the 12-step method pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. The precursor of the Malibu Rehab Model and the first full-fledged medical treatment to get people permanently off drugs or alcohol was launched in the 1940s by a group of Minneapolis doctors. The Minnesota Model is based largely on the 12 Steps of Alcohol Anonymous. Treatment within the Minnesota Model often require patients to live in Spartan conditions, eat simple food, and sleep in dorm-like buildings, and performing chores to instill order and discipline in their lives.
Does rehab work?
Outcome varies from one person to the next. For a person who truly wants to be in control of their addiction and strive to live a healthy, productive and meaningful life, a quality rehab program that addresses the key holistic issues can give them the best chance at a successful ongoing recovery. Keep conscious of the fact that recovery is a process that presents challenges everyday and that there is no cure. To say there is a cure demeans those in recovery who are confronting and overcoming these daily challenges. Many continue to be sober for decades.