Substance Abuse Program Blends Science, Chinese Medicine, and Holistic Practices

Inpatient care provides hope to many addicts but long-term success rates are relatively low. New treatment options allow less expensive in-home care, providing a multi-faceted approach to address brain chemistry, nutrition and behavioral issues. This therapy may be better suited to younger alcoholics who make up the majority of drinkers, as identified by recent studies.

Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and other high profile stars are known to drop $48,000 a month for posh treatment at alcohol recovery centers like Malibu's Promises. They're provided all the trappings of a luxury resort: masseuse, gourmet meals and 500-thread-count sheets. Is it effective? This week's headlines tell the story.

Here's the irony: many who need the most help--and can afford the best--have not yet discovered an innovative treatment that doctors, addiction specialists, and researchers are now recommending to their alcohol dependent patients. The program, mentioned in Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, was quietly developed by an ex-problem drinker who has never divulged her identity. Grounded in science, including research published in the Lancet Journal and the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, it blends Western research, traditional Chinese medicine, and holistic practices into a highly effective therapeutic approach. Hundreds of thousands of visitors to the program's associated website fit the newly defined alcoholic demographic as identified by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: they are young, they begin drinking early in life, and they are highly functional.

Patients in the program, dubbed "My Way Out" after a book of the same name, undergo treatment at home with full discretion. Medication, nutritional supplementation, self-administered hypnotherapy, dietary recommendations, and exercise are prescribed. Support is critical and encouraged in the venue most comfortable to the patient: local face to face meetings or anonymous online visits to a virtual community.

Individuals are reported to typically quit drinking or significantly reduce their consumption as they lose weight, eliminate numerous health ailments from their lives and find themselves finally able to overcome their cravings for alcohol.

For more information about the program visit www.mywayout.org or visit the online community at www.mywayout.org/community.

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