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Program Overview
Our NON-12 Step programs combine:
The use of safe, effective medications that stop the craving and obsession with alcohol, and opiate drugs to support the repair of brain chemistry which has been gradually impaired by alcohol and or opiate abuse.
Treatment and talk therapy which includes extensive one-on-one counseling and therapy grounded group meetings. Treatment focuses on the whole person and emphasizes learning how to deal effectively with the underlying issues that lead to, and perpetuate, addictive behaviors.
The non 12 step recovery tools we teach focus on:
- Building and maintaining your motivation to quit and stay quit.
- Learning to recognize the triggers for drinking and how to refuse to act on them.
- Learning ways to cope with difficult situations and unpleasant emotions.
- Anticipating problems and planning healthy strategies in advance.
- Changing mental and emotional patterns that lead to unhealthy behaviors.
- Learning how to manage life's problems in a healthy, sensible way.
- Goal setting to begin rebuilding a positive and satisfying lifestyle.
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ARCA NEWS FLASH
US Government Study Proves Most Effective Alcohol Treatments - Naltrexone, Counseling and Medical Management
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that patients that received naltrexone, specialized alcohol counseling, or both had the best drinking outcomes after 16 weeks of alcohol outpatient treatment. All of the patients in the study also received Medical Management -- an intervention consisting of nine brief, structured outpatient sessions provided by a health care professional.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) launched COMBINE in 2001 to identify the most effective current treatments and treatment combinations for alcohol dependence. It is the largest clinical trial ever conducted of pharmacologic and behavioral treatments for alcohol dependence. The COMBINE study was conducted at 11 academic sites that recruited and randomly assigned 1,383 recently abstinent, alcohol-dependent patients to one of nine treatment groups.
COMBINE Study Highlights
Here are the highlights of the COMBINE study results after 16 weeks:
- All groups substantially reduced drinking during treatment. Overall percent days abstinent tripled, from 25 to 73 percent, and alcohol consumption per week decreased from 66 to 13 drinks, a decrease of 80 percent.
- Patients who received medical management plus either naltrexone or specialized counseling showed similarly improved outcomes (PDA= 80.6 percent and 79.2 percent, respectively.
- Patients who received naltrexone reported less craving for alcohol.
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Naltrexone Specialized Alcohol Counseling an Effective Treatment for Alcohol Dependence When Delivered with Medical Management
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Tuesday, May 2, 2006
The medication naltrexone and up to 20 sessions of alcohol counseling by a behavioral specialist are equally effective treatments for alcohol dependence when delivered with structured medical management, according to results from "Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions for Alcoholism" (The COMBINE Study). Results from the National Institutes of Health-supported study show that patients who received naltrexone, specialized alcohol counseling, or both demonstrated the best drinking outcomes after 16 weeks of outpatient treatment. <more>
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ARCA in the News 
A little-known drug, naltrexone, is hailed for its success
By Thomas Ropp,
The Arizona Republic, 1998
A few months ago they had hit bottom. Lost everything. Now they say they have focus. Alcohol has lost its buzz. Its taste is often repugnant. The difference they say is a little known drug called naltrexone. <more>
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PENN & TELLER
features Assisted Recovery
Watch a clip (broadband)
As Seen on Showtime - As a recognized leader in the non-12 Step recovery movement, Assisted Recovery's founder and Director Lloyd Vacovsky was interviewed for the Penn and Teller Show on the Showtime Cable TV network.
This episode about AA, entitled "12 Stepping", began airing in September 2004. In this episode, Penn & Teller were particularly critical of AA, and of government-mandated attendance to what is essentially a spiritual program.
In his comments, Vacovsky emphasized that individuals should explore all treatment options, including non 12 step programs, and to choose what is most appropriate for their own needs.
By Thomas Ropp,
The Arizona Republic, 1998
A few months ago they had hit bottom. Lost everything. Now they say they
have focus. Alcohol has lost its buzz. Its taste is often repugnant. The difference
they say is a little known drug called naltrexone. <more>
...............
PENN & TELLER
features Assisted Recovery
Watch a clip (broadband)
As Seen on Showtime - As a recognized leader
in the non-12 Step recovery movement, Assisted Recovery's founder and Director
Lloyd Vacovsky was interviewed for the Penn and Teller Show on the Showtime
Cable TV network.
This episode about AA, entitled "12 Stepping", began airing in September
2004. In this episode, Penn & Teller were particularly critical of AA,
and of government-mandated attendance to what is essentially a spiritual program.
In his comments, Vacovsky emphasized that individuals should explore all treatment
options and to choose what is most appropriate for their own needs.
ASSISTED RECOVERY CENTERS OF AMERICA
(or ARCA) was the first alcohol treatment program in the nation to adopt the scientific research on naltrexone, which was primarily conducted at the University of Pennsylvania’s Treatment Research Center in Philadelphia, PA, and offer it to the public as a non-12 Step treatment option. Pharmacotherapy or the use of medications in combination with therapy is the centerpiece of treatment at Assisted Recovery.
Assisted Recovery is proud to have played a key role in the transfer of this new technology from UPenn and the research environment to “real world” application, and of our part in establishing the Pennsylvania Model of Recovery as an effective non 12 step treatment option for people seeking to recover from alcohol (or commonly called alcoholism) and opiate/drug dependence.
Assisted Recovery now offers several different non-12 Step recovery programs,for both residents and non-residents, each of them outpatient treatment options designed to start you or your loved one on the road to recovery, and a life free from the bonds of alcohol dependence and or opiate dependence, without forced reliance upon a Higher Power or the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Non-12 Step Treatment
We would like to emphasize that we are not anti-AA or NA. We sincerely believe that each individual seeking recovery from alcohol abuse or drug dependence should have as many options as possible, including AA’s and NA's primarily spiritual approach to recovery (turning your will and your life over to a Higher Power).
We recognize that AA, NA and the other 12-Step programs have helped many people get started on the road to recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. For nearly 60 years, it was virtually the only option that was available to them.
Unfortunately, it is an option that is not appropriate for a great many people seeking recovery, for numerous reasons. Fortunately, today there are other alternatives to 12 step programs, and non 12 step programs have proven effective for a great many people.
The Pennsylvania Model of Recovery
The Pennsylvania Model of Recovery addresses biological, psychological, and social components of the recovery process, and it differs from other treatment models in that it fully embraces the use of safe, effective medications to assist in the recovery process.
The Pennsylvania Model combines the use of several different FDA approved medications to address the biochemical roots of the addiction, together with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which helps with the psychological and social aspects of the problem. The result is an effective new bio-psycho-social approach to the treatment of alcoholism. A 4th component, spirituality, is left entirely up to the choice of the individual.
Click for a slide show about the Pennsylvania Model
The Pennsylvania Model is named in recognition of the research and work of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Treatment Research Center in Philadelphia, PA. In particular, we’d like to recognize the research and steadfast dedication of Dr. Joseph Volpicelli, MD, PhD, who was a great help to us when Assisted Recovery was founded in 1997.
The vast body of scientific research on alcoholism and opiate drug dependence available today confirms that drug and alcohol treatment success rates improve dramatically with the use of effective, FDA-approved anti-craving medications, such as naltrexone, Vivitrol® and Campral®, as well as Suboxone® for opiate drug dependence.
Research on the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy still continues today at numerous other eminent academic institutions, including Yale University, Rutgers University, the University of Texas and the University of California at Los Angeles, among others.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in July of 2005 stated, “All approved drugs have been shown to be effective adjuncts to the treatment of alcohol dependence.” For example: naltrexone (brand name: ReVia®),Vivitrol® ondansetron (brand name: Zofran®), and most recently Campral® (generic name: acamprosate.)
Despite overwhelming clinical research documenting the effectiveness of these medical tools, the vast majority of treatment providers, most of whom are 12 Step-based, continue to decline to advise clients of the availability of these medications as an effective adjunct to treatment.
We'd like to emphasize that these medications are helpful tools that assist in the recovery process in non 12 step recovery programs: they are NOT cures in themselves. For example, naltrexone for alcohol abuse and Suboxone for opiates, will not solve family or relationship problems created by dependence. Campral will not solve employment or legal issues. Such medications are vitally important new tools that will help the individual by “leveling the playing field” (by eliminating physical and emotional cravings) so that other such issues can begin to be addressed in addiction counseling.
With the use of these effective medications, quitting drinking and or opiate drug dependence is no longer the most difficult part of the recovery process. (To put it quite simply, with the craving out of the picture, the most difficult part becomes learning how to be happy in life without the use of alcohol or opiates).
To help individuals with this process, Assisted Recovery utilizes modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as developed by Dr. Albert Ellis of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City, to help individuals address the psychological and social components of the recovery process.
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