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Futures of Recovery Healthcare specializes in treating adults 30 years and older suffering from substance use, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorde...
$29,500 - $82,500
Learn / Athletes and Addiction: Can You Attend Rehab Without It Becoming a Headline?
Athletes and Addiction: Can You Attend Rehab Without It Becoming a Headline?
By
| Published July 1st, 2019| Professionally Reviewed By
Reviewed by Rajnandini Rathod on July 1, 2019
We all know the Lance Armstrong story. Truth be told, that doping scandal was just the tip of the iceberg.
From all four corners of the sporting world, professional athletes battle with keeping up with the competition, and performance-enhancing drugs are one such way to do so.
But what about when athletes begin abusing drugs or other destructive behavioral patterns outside of the workplace? When depression and isolation overcome an athlete off the field?
Addiction in sport is quite common. And due to the nature of the work, it can be difficult for athletes to both accept and receive the help they need without it destroying their career. Yet, if you carry on without getting help, you put everything at risk—your career, your health, and even your life.
Michael Phelps,1 for example, lost his sponsorship deal with Kellogg’s when he was pictured smoking cannabis. Montee Ball’s2 career in the NFL was short-lived due to an alcohol problem and depression. Chris Herren’s3 professional basketball career ended due to drug abuse; paramedics revived him several years later from a heroin overdose.
Here’s how, if you’re a professional athlete, you can attend rehab and get the help you need, without landing yourself in the headlines.
Ad
Ad
Vail Valley, Colorado, United States
All Points North Lodge is a comprehensive wellness and personal development campus specializing in addiction, trauma, and mental health.
$49,000-$200,000
Ad
Malibu & Los Angeles, California
Oro House provides compassionate treatment focused on connection and a full continuum of services. Voted California's Best Addiction Treatment Center of 2021 by...
$30,000-90,000/month
Ad
Canton, Massachusetts, United States
Located on 6 acres of greenery, Bedrock Recovery Center is a hotel-style rehab providing trauma-informed and evidence-based treatment plans for adults.
Ad
San Clemente, California, United States
Located in sunny Southern California, Chapters Capistrano provides holistic, evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and addiction.
$39,500 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nestled in the private hills of Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills Recovery is a boutique substance abuse treatment center offering holistic care.
$30,000+/month (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Houston, Texas, United States
J. Flowers Health Institute provides personalized, concierge care, for busy professionals, adolescents and young adults, and highly complex individuals.
$49,500 - $129,000
Ad
Raymond, Illinois, United States
Located in the countryside, Lincoln Recovery takes an evidence-based approach to treatment, offering onsite detox, individualized programming and luxurious priv...
$25,000 - $35,000
Ad
Dana Point, California, United States
Monarch Shores offers luxury housing with beautiful ocean views and individualized addiction treatment in Southern California.
$34,500
Ad
Malibu, California, United States
A 5-star Yelp-rated Luxury Treatment Center in Malibu, offering a majestic ocean view, 1-1 doctorate-level therapy sessions, and private ensuite rooms.
$90,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Using an innovative treatment program called The Sierra Model, Sierra Tucson has been rated one of the region’s top-ranking hospitals by U.S. News.
$20,000-$45,000
Ad
Newport Beach, California, United States
With multiple facilities strategically located on magnificent Newport Beach, Sierra by the Sea provides gender-specific, primary and long-term treatment.
$16,500-$33,000
Ad
Ashby, Massachusetts, United States
A 70-acre secluded retreat offering tailored treatment plans, evidence-based therapies, and a family-like atmosphere in the Massachusetts woodlands.
$22,000 - $31,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Florida, USA
Tikvah Lake Recovery is an extremely personalized executive treatment center for those who seek the ultimate in treatment, privacy, and luxurious comfort.
$60,000–$85,000 per month
Ad
Hollywood, Florida, United States
A multi-structured program that offers gender-specific residential housing and personal treatment plans.
$30,000-$60,000 (Insurance Accepted)
1. Leave the Country
The United Kingdom. The United States. These countries, as I’m sure you know, thrive on celebrity culture.
Their people soak in celebrity problems like they’re their own. But there are countries where celebrities can walk down the street without hassle (and attend rehab without tabloids).
Switzerland, for example, is renowned for its security, privacy and non-sensationalism. The country has some of the most exclusive rehab centers in the world, all of whom prioritize your privacy and ensure that the tabloids can’t get to you.
Many centers here offer individual therapy and bespoke treatments so that you can get the help you need without fear of getting caught by, well, TMZ.
To find out more about rehab in Switzerland, watch our video series on Swiss rehab centers.
2. Get Exclusive Treatment, Tailored to You
If you’re a celebrity athlete who is addicted to drugs and you’re looking to get help and stay out of tabloids, consider avoiding group therapy sessions. Obvious, right? Well, while other people in therapy might not tell your story to the news there and then, they might sell it at another point in the future.
Keeping out of the tabloids is about risk reduction. The fewer people that see you, the less likely your story will leak.
Attending private individual treatment that is personalized to you is one way to do that. Whether it’s at Tikvah Lake Recovery center in Florida or The Dawn Rehab center in Chiang Mai, just be sure to keep it off-grid.
3. Get the Tabloids to Sign a Super-Injunction
Before you go to rehab, there are steps you can take with the media to legally inform them that they can’t report on particular issues for the sake of selling a story.
In the U.K., a super-injunction4 is an effective way of minimizing reported stories about your rehab (it uses the term “reported stories” because it’s becoming difficult to avoid stories leaking on social sites like Twitter).
Ryan Giggs’ case is a famous example. He sought an injunction to protect his identity over an alleged affair with a reality TV contestant, as well as a super-injunction to protect himself against an affair he had with his brother’s wife for eight years.
While these stories were eventually leaked and brought to light by media sources, a super-injunction can be an effective way of reducing your risk of making the headlines, especially if your story is personal to you and uncontroversial.
4. Tell Your Team You’re on Holiday or Hiatus
In most cases, tabloid news stories are leaked from the inside. It’s not unusual for a member of your team to sell your story to make a quick buck. And while we encourage you to only work with trusted people, that isn’t always the case.
To minimize your risk of getting “caught in rehab,” avoid telling people. It might seem like simple advice, but money buys secrets, and the media has a lot of money.
Your team only needs to know that you’re away on holiday or hiatus; they don’t need to know more details.
5. Be the First to Share About It
This is definitely counter intuitive and not for everyone. If you don’t want to be in the headlines for a drug or alcohol problem or other mental health issues, submitting an honest, transparent statement to media sources or posting an update on your social media accounts is the last thing you would choose to do.
However, this approach may work really well. You may desire, for instance, “to be the change you want to see in the world” and show that it’s okay to seek out treatment for addiction and mental health issues. That it’s actually the best thing you can do and a sign of strength not weakness. You may feel that being straightforward and honest about your situation will actually help mitigate speculation and gossip, especially if you’re concerned about it leaking anyway. Although all were in blackmail situations, consider Alexander Hamilton with the Reynolds Pamphlet, Jeff Bezos with his Medium article,5 and John Skipper with his resignation statement.6 If you do go this route, be prepared for potential consequences.
Be Sure to Seek the Help You Need
With all this said, the most important factor about attending rehab is to get the right help you need.
Many locations across the globe have unique and tailored solutions that will work for some athletes but not for others.
Be sure to do your homework on the rehab center you’re interested in and choose a center based on the treatment available and the expert clinicians who work there. These clinicians, after all, are the ones who will help you get sober and stay sober.
Browse the LuxuryRehab collection to find the right center for you or continue reading our blog to learn more.
- Papa, Anthony, et al. “Michael Phelps The Greatest Olympian Ever Smokes Pot And Drinks Booze.” HuffPost, 15 Aug. 2016, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-phelps-the-greate_b_11525628 [↩]
- Montee Ball’s Comeback from Rock Bottom Has Nothing to Do with Football. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/montee-ball-nfl-career-broncos-wisconsin-return-drinking-domestic-violence/1p3rjf5kt7vbv1xgxsxxvae01u [↩]
- Kevin Conlon. “Former NBA Player Recounts Struggle with Drug Addiction.” CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/24/us/addiction-nba-chris-herren/index.html [↩]
- “What Exactly Is a Super-Injunction and How Do They Work?” The Independent, 24 Oct. 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/super-injunction-legal-what-is-how-high-court-privacy-businessman-a8599096.html [↩]
- Bezos, Jeff. “No Thank You, Mr. Pecker.” Medium, 8 Feb. 2019, https://medium.com/@jeffreypbezos/no-thank-you-mr-pecker-146e3922310f [↩]
- “ESPN: Skipper Resigns over Substance Problem.” ESPN.Com, 18 Dec. 2017, https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/21804776/john-skipper-resigns-espn-president [↩]
Return to Blog Home
By
| Published July 1st, 2019| Professionally Reviewed ByReviewed by Rajnandini Rathod on July 1, 2019
Learn / Athletes and Addiction: Can You Attend Rehab Without It Becoming a Headline?
Athletes and Addiction: Can You Attend Rehab Without It Becoming a Headline?
By
| Published July 1st, 2019Professionally Reviewed By
Reviewed by Rajnandini Rathod on July 1, 2019
We all know the Lance Armstrong story. Truth be told, that doping scandal was just the tip of the iceberg.
From all four corners of the sporting world, professional athletes battle with keeping up with the competition, and performance-enhancing drugs are one such way to do so.
But what about when athletes begin abusing drugs or other destructive behavioral patterns outside of the workplace? When depression and isolation overcome an athlete off the field?
Addiction in sport is quite common. And due to the nature of the work, it can be difficult for athletes to both accept and receive the help they need without it destroying their career. Yet, if you carry on without getting help, you put everything at risk—your career, your health, and even your life.
Michael Phelps,1 for example, lost his sponsorship deal with Kellogg’s when he was pictured smoking cannabis. Montee Ball’s2 career in the NFL was short-lived due to an alcohol problem and depression. Chris Herren’s3 professional basketball career ended due to drug abuse; paramedics revived him several years later from a heroin overdose.
Here’s how, if you’re a professional athlete, you can attend rehab and get the help you need, without landing yourself in the headlines.
Ad
Tequesta, Florida, United States
Futures of Recovery Healthcare specializes in treating adults 30 years and older suffering from substance use, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorde...
$29,500 - $82,500
Ad
Vail Valley, Colorado, United States
All Points North Lodge is a comprehensive wellness and personal development campus specializing in addiction, trauma, and mental health.
$49,000-$200,000
Ad
Malibu & Los Angeles, California
Oro House provides compassionate treatment focused on connection and a full continuum of services. Voted California's Best Addiction Treatment Center of 2021 by...
$30,000-90,000/month
Ad
Canton, Massachusetts, United States
Located on 6 acres of greenery, Bedrock Recovery Center is a hotel-style rehab providing trauma-informed and evidence-based treatment plans for adults.
Ad
San Clemente, California, United States
Located in sunny Southern California, Chapters Capistrano provides holistic, evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and addiction.
$39,500 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nestled in the private hills of Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills Recovery is a boutique substance abuse treatment center offering holistic care.
$30,000+/month (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Houston, Texas, United States
J. Flowers Health Institute provides personalized, concierge care, for busy professionals, adolescents and young adults, and highly complex individuals.
$49,500 - $129,000
Ad
Raymond, Illinois, United States
Located in the countryside, Lincoln Recovery takes an evidence-based approach to treatment, offering onsite detox, individualized programming and luxurious priv...
$25,000 - $35,000
Ad
Dana Point, California, United States
Monarch Shores offers luxury housing with beautiful ocean views and individualized addiction treatment in Southern California.
$34,500
Ad
Malibu, California, United States
A 5-star Yelp-rated Luxury Treatment Center in Malibu, offering a majestic ocean view, 1-1 doctorate-level therapy sessions, and private ensuite rooms.
$90,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Using an innovative treatment program called The Sierra Model, Sierra Tucson has been rated one of the region’s top-ranking hospitals by U.S. News.
$20,000-$45,000
Ad
Newport Beach, California, United States
With multiple facilities strategically located on magnificent Newport Beach, Sierra by the Sea provides gender-specific, primary and long-term treatment.
$16,500-$33,000
Ad
Ashby, Massachusetts, United States
A 70-acre secluded retreat offering tailored treatment plans, evidence-based therapies, and a family-like atmosphere in the Massachusetts woodlands.
$22,000 - $31,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Florida, USA
Tikvah Lake Recovery is an extremely personalized executive treatment center for those who seek the ultimate in treatment, privacy, and luxurious comfort.
$60,000–$85,000 per month
Ad
Hollywood, Florida, United States
A multi-structured program that offers gender-specific residential housing and personal treatment plans.
$30,000-$60,000 (Insurance Accepted)
1. Leave the Country
The United Kingdom. The United States. These countries, as I’m sure you know, thrive on celebrity culture.
Their people soak in celebrity problems like they’re their own. But there are countries where celebrities can walk down the street without hassle (and attend rehab without tabloids).
Switzerland, for example, is renowned for its security, privacy and non-sensationalism. The country has some of the most exclusive rehab centers in the world, all of whom prioritize your privacy and ensure that the tabloids can’t get to you.
Many centers here offer individual therapy and bespoke treatments so that you can get the help you need without fear of getting caught by, well, TMZ.
To find out more about rehab in Switzerland, watch our video series on Swiss rehab centers.
2. Get Exclusive Treatment, Tailored to You
If you’re a celebrity athlete who is addicted to drugs and you’re looking to get help and stay out of tabloids, consider avoiding group therapy sessions. Obvious, right? Well, while other people in therapy might not tell your story to the news there and then, they might sell it at another point in the future.
Keeping out of the tabloids is about risk reduction. The fewer people that see you, the less likely your story will leak.
Attending private individual treatment that is personalized to you is one way to do that. Whether it’s at Tikvah Lake Recovery center in Florida or The Dawn Rehab center in Chiang Mai, just be sure to keep it off-grid.
3. Get the Tabloids to Sign a Super-Injunction
Before you go to rehab, there are steps you can take with the media to legally inform them that they can’t report on particular issues for the sake of selling a story.
In the U.K., a super-injunction4 is an effective way of minimizing reported stories about your rehab (it uses the term “reported stories” because it’s becoming difficult to avoid stories leaking on social sites like Twitter).
Ryan Giggs’ case is a famous example. He sought an injunction to protect his identity over an alleged affair with a reality TV contestant, as well as a super-injunction to protect himself against an affair he had with his brother’s wife for eight years.
While these stories were eventually leaked and brought to light by media sources, a super-injunction can be an effective way of reducing your risk of making the headlines, especially if your story is personal to you and uncontroversial.
4. Tell Your Team You’re on Holiday or Hiatus
In most cases, tabloid news stories are leaked from the inside. It’s not unusual for a member of your team to sell your story to make a quick buck. And while we encourage you to only work with trusted people, that isn’t always the case.
To minimize your risk of getting “caught in rehab,” avoid telling people. It might seem like simple advice, but money buys secrets, and the media has a lot of money.
Your team only needs to know that you’re away on holiday or hiatus; they don’t need to know more details.
5. Be the First to Share About It
This is definitely counter intuitive and not for everyone. If you don’t want to be in the headlines for a drug or alcohol problem or other mental health issues, submitting an honest, transparent statement to media sources or posting an update on your social media accounts is the last thing you would choose to do.
However, this approach may work really well. You may desire, for instance, “to be the change you want to see in the world” and show that it’s okay to seek out treatment for addiction and mental health issues. That it’s actually the best thing you can do and a sign of strength not weakness. You may feel that being straightforward and honest about your situation will actually help mitigate speculation and gossip, especially if you’re concerned about it leaking anyway. Although all were in blackmail situations, consider Alexander Hamilton with the Reynolds Pamphlet, Jeff Bezos with his Medium article,5 and John Skipper with his resignation statement.6 If you do go this route, be prepared for potential consequences.
Be Sure to Seek the Help You Need
With all this said, the most important factor about attending rehab is to get the right help you need.
Many locations across the globe have unique and tailored solutions that will work for some athletes but not for others.
Be sure to do your homework on the rehab center you’re interested in and choose a center based on the treatment available and the expert clinicians who work there. These clinicians, after all, are the ones who will help you get sober and stay sober.
Browse the LuxuryRehab collection to find the right center for you or continue reading our blog to learn more.
- Papa, Anthony, et al. “Michael Phelps The Greatest Olympian Ever Smokes Pot And Drinks Booze.” HuffPost, 15 Aug. 2016, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-phelps-the-greate_b_11525628 [↩]
- Montee Ball’s Comeback from Rock Bottom Has Nothing to Do with Football. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/montee-ball-nfl-career-broncos-wisconsin-return-drinking-domestic-violence/1p3rjf5kt7vbv1xgxsxxvae01u [↩]
- Kevin Conlon. “Former NBA Player Recounts Struggle with Drug Addiction.” CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/24/us/addiction-nba-chris-herren/index.html [↩]
- “What Exactly Is a Super-Injunction and How Do They Work?” The Independent, 24 Oct. 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/super-injunction-legal-what-is-how-high-court-privacy-businessman-a8599096.html [↩]
- Bezos, Jeff. “No Thank You, Mr. Pecker.” Medium, 8 Feb. 2019, https://medium.com/@jeffreypbezos/no-thank-you-mr-pecker-146e3922310f [↩]
- “ESPN: Skipper Resigns over Substance Problem.” ESPN.Com, 18 Dec. 2017, https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/21804776/john-skipper-resigns-espn-president [↩]
Return to Blog Home
By
| Published July 1st, 2019Professionally Reviewed By
Reviewed by Rajnandini Rathod on July 1, 2019
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