Introduction
Early intervention is a crucial component in achieving lasting sobriety. Addressing addiction issues early on can prevent relapse and foster resilience, creating a stronger foundation for recovery.
START UP RECOVERY, located in Los Angeles, has embraced this approach by offering transitional living that focuses on professionals, C-suite executives, and young people who desire to push the reset button on their lives. The organization provides a unique continuum of care that extends beyond traditional treatment, empowering clients with extended support as they progress through their recovery journey.
Co-founded by Gregg Champion, START UP RECOVERY is grounded in his commitment to creating safe and empowering recovery environments. “We’re dealing with a demographic that doesn’t want help most of the time… they don’t know they need some guardrails around their recovery,” Champion, the facility’s Program Director, explains. Through practical, technology-enhanced strategies, Champion and his team seek to build accountability and independence for clients.
This case study explores the common early intervention challenges faced at START UP RECOVERY and demonstrates how their new approach, supported by innovative tools like Soberlink, effectively addresses early intervention challenges to foster long-lasting sobriety.
Challenge
For Gregg Champion and his team at START UP RECOVERY, the goal of fostering long-term sobriety through early intervention was met with several practical challenges. Champion and START UP RECOVERY discovered five primary issues—common mistakes that many Addiction Treatment Providers face when striving to maintain accountability and provide consistent support. These challenges underscored the importance of finding a balance between giving clients the independence they needed and ensuring effective, compassionate oversight.
5 Common Early Intervention Mistakes
1. Relying Too Much on Human Monitoring
Before implementing Soberlink, START UP RECOVERY relied heavily on staff to ensure client compliance through constant check-ins and tracking. Case managers often had to physically track down clients, which Champion found both time-consuming and counterproductive. He describes, “The old way of doing things was you had a case manager following people, calling them, tracking them down... a whole lot of messaging and a lot of knocking on doors and chasing people.”
- Goal: Champion aimed to reduce the dependency on staff for monitoring, allowing the process to become more seamless and respectful. “It was a lot of back and forth... and so much wasted energy,” he explains. The goal was to implement a system where clients could maintain accountability independently, easing the burden on staff.
2. Creating an Adversarial Relationship with Clients
The manual monitoring process often led to an adversarial relationship between clients and staff, which Champion saw as a barrier to building trust. Staff members, who were responsible for enforcing compliance, sometimes appeared as enforcers rather than supporters, which disrupted the therapeutic environment. “It kind of took away the kindness that I think treatment plans have to have instilled with them,” Champion shared.
- Goal: To create a supportive, collaborative environment where clients could feel empowered rather than policed. “It almost became adversarial,” Champion remembers. He wanted START UP RECOVERY early intervention strategies to foster mutual respect and trust, allowing clients to engage positively with the recovery process rather than feeling constantly scrutinized.
3. Lacking Remote Monitoring Capabilities for Independent Living
Transitioning clients to independent living requires a delicate balance of freedom and accountability. Without a remote option for early intervention, clients faced fewer guardrails as they moved into more independent settings, which could lead to lapses in accountability. Champion emphasized the need for tools that allowed clients to practice independence responsibly: “They’re really earning their way back to their lives.”
- Goal: To maintain accountability even as clients moved into more independent environments, START UP RECOVERY sought a remote monitoring solution that would allow clients to demonstrate responsibility while still having structured support. This would give clients the autonomy they needed to rebuild their lives with confidence.
4. Neglecting Family Involvement and Assurance
Family support is a critical part of recovery, yet families often feel disconnected and anxious about their loved one’s progress without regular insights. Champion saw this as a missed opportunity to provide reassurance and involve families meaningfully in the recovery process. “Families are a big part of any treatment plan... whether it's day one or day 101,” he stated.
- Goal: To strengthen family involvement by using tools that offer clear insights into the client’s progress. Champion’s goal was to provide families with the peace of mind they needed, allowing them to stay connected to their loved one’s recovery journey and to offer continued support with confidence.
5. Overlooking the Importance of Technological Integration for Effective Outcomes
START UP RECOVERY previously relied on outdated, manual methods for verifying sobriety, which were labor-intensive but could ensure that the actual person was testing and not attempting to cheat. However, these manual methods often felt intrusive, impacting client dignity and making the monitoring process adversarial. Champion recognized the potential of advanced technologies that could verify a client’s identity and maintain their sobriety in a more respectful way. “We want to use and leverage technology that's out there. When we saw the facial recognition come into play, that was a game changer,” he said, emphasizing how this type of feature improved the accuracy and reliability of monitoring while preserving client dignity.
- Goal: To incorporate modern, reliable technology into the intervention process to ensure consistent and accurate monitoring while preserving client dignity. Champion aimed to make early intervention more effective, allowing clients to take ownership of their recovery journey in a dignified manner.
Solution
To address these challenges, START UP RECOVERY incorporated Soberlink, a remote alcohol monitoring tool, into START UP RECOVERY’S early intervention strategies. The device’s easy-to-use features, like facial recognition and real-time results, offered clients and case managers a structured yet dignified approach to accountability. “The client is in charge of their own destiny…they are given this device… and the case manager can check in remotely to say, ‘Okay, Client A went and tested just now,’” Champion shares. Below is how Soberlink addressed each of the five common early intervention mistakes:
- Relying Too Much on Human Monitoring: Soberlink’s automated features reduced the need for case managers to constantly check on clients. Champion describes it as a “beautiful platform” that freed up staff from having to chase clients, allowing more time for constructive support.
- Creating an Adversarial Relationship with Clients: The use of Soberlink empowered clients to take accountability without feeling hounded. Champion noted, “It made both the client and the case manager or tech feel that both of them are doing their job.”
- Lacking Remote Monitoring Capabilities for Independent Living: Soberlink made it feasible for START UP RECOVERY to support clients transitioning to more independent settings, like their apartment communities, where clients could feel “that independence…that they’re restarting their lives.”
- Neglecting Family Involvement and Assurance: By integrating Soberlink, families could trust that their loved ones were monitored effectively. “Families… rest well at night knowing that Soberlink is part of the treatment plan,” Champion says, noting that this added assurance builds trust in the process.
- Overlooking the Importance of Technological Integration for Effective Outcomes: START UP RECOVERY could rely on Soberlink’s technology for dependable results, avoiding inconsistencies seen with human intervention. Champion remarked how the case managers “get the facial recognition to make sure it's the right person, and then they get the results negative or positive. It really brought a nice, human kind of way of doing things.”
Results
With Soberlink’s aid in early intervention, START UP RECOVERY has seen positive transformations for clients and their families. The tool provided measurable improvements in engagement, helping clients stay connected to their recovery journey in a meaningful way. Champion shares that “it really allows us to have meaningful outcomes when they go home… they know they have to blow into Soberlink three times each day,” which has translated into increased compliance, the ability to intervene immediately if needed, and ultimately, reduced relapse rates.
For families, Soberlink and early intervention have provided peace of mind, allowing them to feel assured in their loved one’s progress without constant, direct involvement. “The family is resting…knowing that some piece of technology is helping us guide their loved one to a meaningful outcome,” Champion explains. This assurance has strengthened family support, contributing to clients’ long-term success and creating a supportive community around them as they transition back to independence. By implementing Soberlink, START UP RECOVERY has fostered an atmosphere where clients feel safe, empowered, and supported in their journey to lasting sobriety.