Still, Assisted Recovery stresses abstinence. And it stresses the drug is not a cure, Vacovsky said. If they don't believe that then we're whistling Dixie in recovery. Along with the original site, Assisted Recovery has a site in Tucson operated by a therapist who heard about the Phoenix program. A site in St. Louis is operated by a former DuPont executive who was frustrated by the company's failure to promote the drug, Vacovsky said.
Counselors run the twice-weekly talk sessions.
The center has seven clients. Bruce needs to add five clients each month for the first five months to break even, she said. Among the first clients are two referred by Mitch Riggins, a federal probation officer based in Savannah. Riggins supervises 30 or so federal offenders who are also substance abusers. More than half are alcoholics.