Category: Articles

Celebrity Recovery Coach David Charkham Visits DARA

Alternative Treatment, Articles, Education

David Charkham at DARA Rehab_1We were recently visited by David Charkham, as very well know therapist and recovery coach based in the UK.

He has been in practice since 1989 in both private and public health services. His Recovery Skills workshops, created in 1989 to support clients with substance misuse conditions, have been presented across the UK as well as internationally.

In his role as a recovery coach, he has accompanied many performers on their world and European tours. Most recently, he was the recovery coach to Ozzy Osborne on his Black Sabbath European Tour 2014.

David is also the guest lecturer at the Centre for Addiction Treatment Studies, University of Bath.

Please find his comments after visiting DARA below:
“After my recent visit to DARA, having spent several days visiting both centres I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending either of these excellent programmes. Having visited and worked in many treatment programmes on several continents, I have gained a good insight in to the mechanics of successful treatment. DARA ticks all the boxes.

It is a big bonus having two treatment methodology’s for clients. For those not comfortable with the twelve-step method, there is an excellent alternative using the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based approach.

After presenting several workshops and meeting clients, I was able to receive unbiased feedback and observe the treatment process close up.

The experienced staff that I witnessed interacting with clients were supportive, boundaried and compassionate in their approach.

David Charkham at DARA Rehab_2Managed by ex-senior NHS trained staff with multiple years of experience, the completion rates at both centres remain impressive.

With extremely favourable all-inclusive costs, excellent accommodation and catering, clients are able to start their recovery process in a peaceful, tropical setting.

Upon completion, clients are also invited to return five days every year for a renewal free of charge.”

Koh Chang

Drug and Alcohol Rehab Sucess Rates

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I am writing this article since a question I am asked on a daily basis by potential clients and doctors referring people is, “What is your success rate?” The only honest answer anyone can give someone is “I don’t know”.

There is a problem with stating success rates in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, since there is no way to give a truly honest answer to the question. The reasons for this are many.

1) How do you define success? A client is clean or sober for one year, five years, or their lifetime? How could anyone possibly know the answer to this question without daily drug testing for the rest of a person’s life?

2) Many of the clients who come to Drug & Alcohol Rehab Asia come for the anonymity that we guarantee. Some are high profile clients or work in safety critical positions and do not want us to ever contact them again after they leave to be sure that their drug or alcohol rehabilitation stays a private affair.

3) We develop a very close relationship with our clients. Many of them do not want to let us down, so we can never know for sure if they are telling the truth if we do follow up with them after they have left.

4) Our clients come from many different countries around the world; it would be a phenomenally difficult and extremely expensive exercise to try and verify that they are still clean or sober.

5) When doing follow-ups only a percentage of clients will respond. Therefore, this will make any assessment skewed. This means that when a centre offers a success rate what they are saying is: Of the zzz people contacted xxx responded. Of those responses, yyy said that they are still abstinent. Note the word ‘said.’ So, any success rate mentioned is only a percentage of the people who responded. And then there is no way of telling whether they have told the truth. So, for example, say you asked 100 people and 60 respond. Of the 60 responses 30 said that they are abstinent. You could say that you have a 50% success rate. However the truth is that you have a 30% success rate based on the respondee’s reply. The bottom line is that it is meaningless.

6) If a client comes to a centre with the goal of reducing their drinking to a level they can control, would they be considered a success?

I know of one centre in particular that states a very high success rate. Technically, their numbers might be accurate by the scale and parameters they use; however, if a client is admitted to them for using crack cocaine, and a year later when they follow up with the client, he or she is no longer using crack but has switched to heroin, this is considered success to them. I am sorry, but switching from one drug to another, to me, is not success. It may be harm reduction if a client switched from heroin to methadone and some people might consider this a level of success.

Also, most centres that state success rates usually only follow up with the person for six months to one year; if, after that year, the person has relapsed, it does not go against the centres’ statistics.

The only 100% definitive number I can give anyone is that we have a 92% course completion rate. That is, if a client books for 28 days they stay for the full term of their treatment. Compare this to the average centre in the UK that runs anywhere between 30% to 50%.

We have managed this by being in a remote and luxurious location with no access to drugs or alcohol, treating each client with respect, and tailoring an individualized programme to the client instead of forcing the client to fit into predefined programme. By being a client-centered and evidence-based programme, people realize very quickly that we can help them.

I know from my contact with our clients that do keep in touch with us, that many, if not most, are doing very well. They made the life changes that were required and try to adhere to the plan we helped them to develop.

Our therapists have many use years experience working with drug and alcohol clients. We know what we are doing; if you give us 100%, we will do everything we possibly can to be sure you not only live a drug or alcohol free life, but attain your goals of living a happy substance free life.

When looking for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre I would suggest that if they state a success rate you ask them how they came up with that number? What do they consider success? What are the questions they ask when interviewing past clients? How long do they follow up? Then also analyze their answers. Most of these numbers will be misleading at best and out right fraudulent at the worst.

The only possible way to ever have a truly accurate success rate would be every client that enters a centre would have to agree to a lifetime of regular drug tests. Only then could you give a definitive answer to success rate. In reality this could never happen.

I will leave you with one small example and this is in no way anything against AA. It is just a question I would ask after reading the statement below.

In 1992, a random survey of 6,500 A.A. members in both the United States and Canada revealed that 35 percent were sober for more than five years; 34 percent were sober from between one and five years; and 31 percent were sober for less than one year. The average time of sobriety of members is more than five years. According to A.A. World services, the survey is designed to provide information to the professional community and the general public as part of its purpose to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer from alcoholism.

So it seems like they have approximately a 32% to 34% success rate. Which may be true; however, one needs to know how well the research was conducted. They surveyed “6,500 A.A. members” and “The average time of sobriety of members is more than five years.” How were these members picked? Who picked them? Was the research internally and externally valid? For example, was it a properly randomized study? The 32% to 34% success rate is only for the people that remained members of A.A. What happens to the numbers if you add all the people in that left the programme?

Breaking Down The Barriers

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Recent Study Confirms Years Pass Before Addicts Get Help

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By Roland F. Williams, MA, Licensed Advanced Addiction Counselor (LAADC), Internationally Certified Addictions Counselor (ICADC), Nationally Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (NCAC II), Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor Level II (CDAC II), Advanced Certified Relapse Prevention Specialist (ACRPS), Nationally Certified Substance Abuse Professional (SAP)


In a recent report by the US Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), researchers surveyed 669,000 adults admitted for substance abuse treatment for the first time last year and found that the average length of time since they started using the substance they were primarily being treated for was an amazing 15.6 years! Not surprisingly, the average time between the start of substance abuse and the first admission for treatment is longer for men (16.5 years) than for women (13.8 years). When the researchers examined specific substances of abuse, the average length of time between first use and first treatment was longest for alcohol (20.2 years) and shortest for prescription painkillers (7.8 years).

The report clearly shows that the damaging consequences of substance abuse can often be undetected or unacknowledged for many years. This not only undermines the addicts’ health and well-being, but also the lives of those around them. That is why it is essential that the global treatment industry works to prevent substance abuse in the first place, and in instances where it happens, identify the problem, getting people the treatment they need as soon as possible. This in turn ensures that the addict, their families, friends and society at large, do not have to endure years of needless suffering.

According to the United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2011, the number of illicit drug users has risen from the late 1990s, though the number of problem drug users remains stable at an estimated 15 – 39 million people worldwide. The consequences of both drug trafficking and drug abuse are manifold, and include effects on public health, such as the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, public well-being, public safety and even national security. Drug-related deaths are estimated at 104,000 to 263,000 annually, with more than 50 percent of these fatalities resulting from drug overdose.

In an attempt to increase awareness and early intervention, many nations are engaging in organized activities with positive results. For example, the United Nations have pledged to eradicate drugs from international society, designating the 26th June as the ‘International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’. This day serves a stimulus for governments worldwide to lend financial and political backing to the UNODC and other relevant agencies to combat drugs globally.

Global initiatives aside, the addicted person usually has many reasons for not entering treatment. Concerns about price, whether the environment will be punitive as well as worries about the quality and efficacy of clinical care, all prevent people from making the decision to seek rehabilitation. The good news is that innovative, effective and affordable treatment programs such as DARA eliminate many of the barriers most often used as excuses for not entering treatment.

DARA is unique in that it offers a highly sophisticated integrated treatment model in an amazingly beautiful setting with highly trained staff at a fraction of the cost of comparable programs. If this model was the norm in the treatment industry rather than the exception, more people would seek the care they desperately need sooner, rather than later.

Happiness from Four Perspectives

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AA/12 Step, CBT, Motivational Enhancement, Psychotherapy

Happiness can be understood differently from different perspectives of substance abuse treatment.

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Happiness as the Goal in Recovery

The goal for most people who give up an addiction will be for them to reach a state of happiness. Initially the individual may be happy just to have the pain of their addiction cease, but in order to stay on the sober path they will usually want more. It is often said that recovery is a process and not an event. This refers to the idea that giving up alcohol or drugs may make the pain stop, but it is probably not enough by itself to lead to happiness. In other words the individual will have more work to do if they wish to achieve this. The different paths that people take in recovery can be viewed as different routes to happiness.

Defining Happiness

Happiness is something that most people claim to be looking for in life. It is one of the most commonly used words in the English language yet there is no clear idea to what it is actually referring to. This is because the word happiness is highly subjective. The most usually way to define happiness would be to say that it is a state of well being and contentment. It can also be described as possession or attainment of what would be considered good. It can be difficult to pin happiness down exactly and this is why the different recovery paths have slightly different understandings of what the word means.

Happiness in AA/12 Steps

The ultimate aim of the 12 step program is for the individual to experience a spiritual awakening. What is being referred to here is not really some supernatural event but instead means that the individual has managed to completely turn their life around so that they are now living a good life – to family and friends this may indeed appear like a miracle. The 12 steps can be viewed as a journey to lasting happiness. The Big Book describes how those who follow this path will experience a new freedom and a new happiness on page 83 – How it Works. This refers to the development of serenity which is probably the most lasting form of happiness that any human can achieve. Serenity does not mean walking around full of bliss all the time, but it does mean that the individual enjoys an almost constant experience of inner peace no matter what is happening externally.

Happiness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy uses oral communications to solve problems related to dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and cognitions. It is based on the idea that the way people act and feel is a result of their thinking. This means that by changing the way they think it will be possible to eliminate undesirable behavior and negative emotions. According to this approach happiness is achieved by the elimination of dysfunctional behaviors, thinking and emotions – it is the absence of these that would be viewed as happiness within the CBT approach.

Happiness and Motivational Enhancement

Motivational enhancement therapy uses motivational interviewing to encourage clients to transform any undesirable behavior. It works be addressing the individual’s ambivalence towards addiction recovery in a non confrontational way. This means that the individual finds within themselves the motivation to give up alcohol or drugs. They can then once again take charge of their own life and move in a more positive direction. From this perspective happiness is viewed as having vision and focus in life. It is the purposeful seeking of positive goals that gives life its real value and leads to happiness.

Happiness and Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy refers to a number of different techniques that aim to increase the individual’s own sense of well being. It does this by helping people develop a greater understanding of their own motives, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and actions. It is the hidden things in the individual’s inner world that can be the source of their unhappiness. From this perspective happiness occurs when those negative things become visible so that they can be dealt with. Each human creates their own personal narrative, and if this contains too much negativity it can lead to suffering.

How to Achieve Happiness in Recovery from Addiction

The different treatment options available to people in recovery use various interpretations of what happiness means and how it is achieved. The one thing that all of these approaches agree upon that it is possible for each individual to create happiness for themselves – although they may need some assistance to maximize their efforts. Other ideas for how people can achieve happiness in recovery include:

  • Keeping away from mind altering chemicals is vital for people in recovery who want to achieve real happiness. Those who relapse back to their addiction are right back on the downward circle to misery.
  • Maintain a positive outlook on life. If people are always expecting the worse to happen it saps their motivation, and they can create self-fulfilling prophesies.
  • Spend plenty of time with friends and family. The biggest regret that people have on their deathbed is not spending more time with their loved ones – very few people regret not making more money.
  • Helping other people is probably the most powerful way for the individual to develop happiness. These demonstrations of compassion benefits everyone in the transaction – in many instances the person offering the help will benefit the most.
  • Spend time with positive, happy, and successful people. Humans are highly influenced by those they spend their time with – peer pressure can be positive as well as negative.
  • Let go of anger, hatred, and resentment. These negative emotions are highly self destructive and prevent people from ever achieving happiness in life.
  • It has been suggested that smiling frequently (even when people do not feel like smiling) increases happiness. This is why in 12 Step groups they will often advise newcomers to fake it to make it.
  • Happiness is not achieved by obtaining things but by people being satisfied with what they already have. Those who put conditions on their inner feelings of well-being are preventing themselves from being happy now – for example, they say they will be satisfied when they own a fancy car.
  • Those individuals who have a balanced life are more likely to find happiness than those who just focus on one aspect. The key to success is to have a good mix of interests that includes things that are physical, mental, and spiritual.
  • If people lack meaning and purpose in their life it can be extremely difficult for them to achieve any type of happiness. Everybody will have their own idea of what gives life meaning – for some it may be spiritual pursuits while for others it could be their friendships.
  • Dogmatism and narrow-mindedness can get in the way of finding peace in life. The best way to approach life is with a beginner’s mind so that current beliefs and opinions do not stop the individual from learning new things.
  • The only time that people have is right now. Those who are always thinking about the past or worrying about the future will miss out on their life.
  • Techniques such as mindfulness meditation can help people develop the ability to live in the present moment.