One of the most important lessons taught in treatment centers is accountability. To maintain long-term sobriety, clients need to be pushed to be responsible for their own alcohol recovery. Products like Soberlink are making it easier and more convenient for them to take ownership of their behaviors.
Soberlink for Post Treatment Care
Cindy Feinberg of The Recovery Coach designs treatment for individuals whose careers make it difficult for them to attend inpatient therapy. “We decided to implement Soberlink into our treatment program around two years ago,” she said. “What I like about it is
don’t feel like prisoners and we’re not hovering over them. We set them up to have their own accountability.”
Royce Dockrill of Valient Recovery, another satisfied client, concurs. His program works to assess and treat mental health conditions related to alcohol and drug dependency. “Soberlink … provides a really good support system, keeps patients accountable, and helps rebuild trust in family units and relationships,” he said.
He continued, “We of course recommend Soberlink for all of our patients whose primary drug of choice is alcohol, and we even recommend it for patients abusing other substances, so they aren’t at risk of relapsing while drinking.”
“Before we found Soberlink,” says Amber Hollingsworth of Hope for Families Recovery Center – an outpatient A&D facility, “we were using regular urine testing. Personally, I think [Soberlink is] much more effective than other options for the treatment of alcoholism. Patients don’t have to go to a lab, or sign in anywhere – it’s easy!”
Soberlink for Family Law and Custody Cases
Besides its effectiveness in providing accountability, Soberlink is also useful for clients navigating the legal system. Both Hollingsworth and Feinberg mentioned how Soberlink can offer assistance through weekly toxicology reports. Feinberg’s organization provides these reports to divorce attorneys and custody case managers who request evidence of sobriety to help individuals maintain relationships with their children.
Soberlink can be helpful in other legal matters too. Hollingsworth said, ”The first person at our facility who started using Soberlink . . . went to court for DUI. Ultimately, using Soberlink helped him get his charges dropped.”
Additional Benefits of Soberlink
Regular testing with Soberlink can also help rebuild family relationships, regardless of whether the courts are involved in the process. “Family members are typically very pleased with having Soberlink. It gives them peace of mind; they’re not constantly worried if someone’s been using,” said Dockrill.
The biggest draw of Soberlink, though, is its convenience. Since clients can test from anywhere, it can remain an accessible tool even after a client graduates from treatment or is reduced to a lower level of care. Says Feinberg. “Not enough treatment centers follow up. Many centers only equip clients with a list of resources and phone numbers. Here at The Recovery Coach, our long term plan continues at home with additional support and accountability. Ultimately I wish everyone would leave a treatment center with Soberlink in their hands, it’s a great tool.”
Dockrill sums up the goals of all three treatment organizations by saying, “Overall clients that leave the program with a Soberlink Device do the best out of all our clients.”
About the Author
Kathleen Esposito is a certified addictions counselor in the Pacific Northwest. She helps individuals recover from drug, alcohol and gambling dependencies through group and individual therapy and regularly speaks at treatment centers.