AIR Introduces "Licensed Professional-Level" Relapse Prevention Plan Program
ST. PAUL, Minn., June
7, 2006 – Recognizing that up to 90 percent
of airline pilots, doctors and other regulated professionals
who go through treatment for drug and alcohol addiction
remain sober and in recovery – while as many as 50
percent of addicted people in the general population relapse
after treatment -- a new relapse prevention plan program called
the Recovery Assurance Program (RAP) has been launched by
Addiction Intervention Resources.
The Recovery Assurance Program
provides the general public -- for the first time –
with access to the same level of post-treatment support services
and monitoring that is received by members of regulated, licensed
professions. “When airline pilots and other licensed
professionals are required to follow continuing care plans
-- and are rigorously monitored -- they recover at a rate
almost twice that of the general population,” says Bob
Poznanovich, president of Addiction Intervention Resources.
“Why shouldn’t that kind of continuing care be
available for anyone wanting to stay sober?”
Through RAP, families and employers
can gain access to services such as structured monitoring
of the person in recovery, individualized case management,
compliance reporting, drug testing, consultation with employers,
authentication of sustained recovery, return-to-work policies,
and recovery agreements adopted by Recovery Assurance Program
participants.
Designed to increase recovery rates
by as much as 40 percent, the new Recovery Assurance Program
offers:
- Risk management and return to work consulting, drug and
alcohol workplace policies/training and relapse prevention
support for employers.
- Support services for family members who have an individual
entering recovery, removing the family members from the
role of monitor so that the Recovery Assurance Program --
rather than a loved one -- can ensure that continuing care
recommendations are followed by the individual.
- Personalized plans based upon the RAP participant’s
history, treatment outcomes and prescribed continuing care
to keep individuals committed to their own recovery. As
a “Recovery Advocate,” the program designs daily
calendars for post-treatment activities, reviews local support
services including 12-step meetings, and monitors ongoing
continuing care compliance.
- Monitoring that spans clinical debriefings with the treatment
center, verification of recovery meeting attendance, reporting
updates on post-treatment benchmarks to both the family
and the workplace, and drug or alcohol testing (upon request).
“Chemical dependency is a chronic illness
like diabetes or heart disease, and has relapse rates similar
to that of other chronic illnesses,” notes Poznanovich.
“Why is the relapse rate so high? Because the responsibility
for following continuing care plans is left to the recovering
individual, with little accountability or oversight.
“By providing any person in recovery with
the structured support services that only professionals in
regulated industries tend to receive, Recovery Assurance Program
can do more than prevent patients from relapsing -- we can
help families and employers save lives.”
For more information about the new Recovery
Assurance Program, visit www.AddictionIntervention.com,
or call toll-free 800-561-8158.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Paul Maccabee / Adam Benscoter
612-337-0087