What is Recovery Assistance?
The AIR Recovery Assistance Program
(RAP) is a set of comprehensive services designed
to complement and support the lessons learned and skills acquired
during treatment. Each participant in the Program receives
a personalized plan based on their history, progress in treatment
and prescribed continuing care. The essence of the RAP plan
is to reinforce the treatment facility’s continuing
care plan and to provide access to clinically appropriate
recovery resources, while creating personal responsibility
and accountability for the participant. In addition, the Program
educates and supports the family or workplace on their participation
in and support of the recovery process.
Recovery Assistance is not merely monitoring
an individual in recovery and waiting for relapse to happen.
Recovery is maintained through a commitment to sobriety and
a willingness to follow the prescribed continuing care to
prevent relapse.
The Problem
Treatment works. However, 47% of those that complete treatment
successfully still relapse within the first year. Conversely,
research shows that 90% of airline pilots and 82% of medical
personnel are able to maintain long term recovery. Why? These
groups have access to structured programs designed to intervene
on the addiction, facilitate access to treatment resources,
reinforce continuing care plans and support sustained recovery.
The Solution
The leading cause of relapse is failure to follow the prescribed
continuing care. Structured post-treatment programs have been
shown to provide better recovery outcomes than treatment alone.
AIR has modeled our Recovery Assistance Program
on these established methods.
Who benefits from RAP
- Families of an individual who has completed treatment.
- Employers managing recovering employees.
- Participants looking for guidance and support.
Benefits of RAP
- Facilitates the transition from treatment to recovery.
- Complements and reinforces prescribed continuing care
plans.
- Creates personal responsibility and accountability increasing
the potential for long term sobriety.
- Better outcomes and improved rates of recovery.
- Expedites return to work, home or school.
- Provides third party validation and compliance documentation.
- Educates and supports the family or workplace on their
role in the recovery process.
- Removes family members and workplace supervisors from
the role of monitor.
- Time and cost-effective.
Program Rational
While investigating ways that AIR could better support those
in recovery, some interesting facts were discovered. Programs
that support recovery, commonly referred to as “assistance
programs” have been in use in certain industries for
a number of years and are providing surprising results.
As an example, airline pilots who experience
problems with drugs or alcohol are required to participate
in an assistance program following their discharge from treatment.
Recovery rates for airline pilots participating in these programs
are reported to be in the 90% to 95% range. These recovery
rates are 30% to 45% higher than individuals who undergo treatment,
but are without the benefit of an assistance program after
they are discharged. Other assistance programs, such as those
available to doctors, nurses and other medical personnel also
experience increased rates of recovery.
At the same time we found evidence that relapse
of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma
were mainly attributed to patients not fully complying with
their prescribed continuing care. In addition, the research
showed that relapse rates for addiction were very similar
to the relapse rates for these other chronic illnesses.
These two groups of evidence pointed to a common
thread. The importance of prescribed continuing care plans.
Individuals with chronic illnesses who did not adhere to their
prescribed continuing care plan experienced a relapse. While
individuals who were involved in post treatment assistance
programs that focus on compliance with continuing care plans
enjoy greater recovery rates.
In light of these findings, improving recovery
rates seemed all too simple. Except, assistance programs
were
only available to licensed professionals in certain industries
and not available to the general public.
The next logical step was to create the Recovery Assistance
Program, modeled on the best practices and methodologies
of
established assistance programs for our clients and the general
public.
Program Overview
AIR’s Recovery Assistance Program (RAP) is designed to
improve recovery rates by helping people effectively implement
and follow their continuing care plans. The program strives
to provide access to appropriate recovery resources, create
individual accountability, and serve as an advocate for recovery,
while predicting and preventing relapse.
RAP is comprised of three main components:
- TREATMENT LIAISON – prepare and educate
- RE-ENTRY BRIDGE – transition and implement
- MONITORING – verify and report
During the Treatment Liaison phase of the program
the objective is twofold. First, is the preparation for the
day the RAP participant is discharged from the treatment facility.
This is achieved through communication with the treatment
facility to review treatment outcomes, identify relapse triggers
and become familiar with the prescribed continuing care plan.
Research is conducted for the RAP participant’s local
community to identify the support resources that are required
by the continuing care plan. Secondly, education is provided
to the family and or workplace in order that they can be fully
supportive of the recovery process.
Once the RAP participant is discharged from
the treatment facility, the Re-entry Bridge phase begins.
The purpose of this phase is to provide a smooth transition
from the sheltered treatment facility environment into their
new life in recovery. Typically this is done through a face
to face meeting with the RAP participant and everyone who
has a vested interest in the recovery process. The cornerstone
of any recovery is the prescribed continuing care plan and
as such it is reviewed in detail. The plan is implemented
and included as part of a personal calendar for the participant.
During the plan implementation, local recovery
support services, such as outpatient group, 12 step meetings,
medical and mental health services, are aligned to the continuing
care plan and calendar. Finally, expectations and boundaries
are established around the RAP participant’s continuing
care plan and participation agreement.
The final phase, Monitoring, will continue over
the next twelve (12) months. Verification of program compliance
is accomplished through a series of regularly scheduled teleconferences
between the RAP participant and their assigned AIR Recovery
Advocate. Through the use of various clinical case tools the
Recovery Advocate will look for predictors of possible relapse
and take preventative action as appropriate. Additional verification
of compliance will come in the form of the Recovery Advocate’s
contact with the local recovery support services that are
contained in the continuing care plan. Adherence to sobriety
will be verified through a series of randomly scheduled toxicology
screens. The client family or workplace will receive reports
on compliance and recovery progress on a regularly scheduled
basis.
The integration of the Recovery Assistance Program
and the prescribed continuing care plan produces a truly personalized
recovery plan. A plan designed to not only identify, predict
and prevent relapse, but also support the needs of the RAP
participant and their family system as well.
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