Soberlink and Harry Haroutunian, MD
Alcohol monitoring and customized care options are changing the way we approach and view addiction treatment.
A Shift in Addiction Treatment
The treatment industry and its methods have remained largely unchanged for nearly 50 years. But with the reclassification of addiction as a chronic disease, there’s been a shift in the treatment model. This shift has leaned away from acute and episodic care, and toward treating addiction with ongoing care.
Relapse rates following Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) treatment remain at alarmingly high rates nationwide. The current treatment model for AUD typically includes an intensive period of treatment with little to no follow up once discharged. AUD is classified as chronic illnesses, but instead of applying a chronic illness management approach, treatment is episodic and leaves gaps in care.
The use of clinical alcohol monitoring for AUD cases can significantly improve outcomes. Studies even show that patients who participate in monitoring programs after treatment are less likely to relapse¹. As such, monitoring programs can provide an essential safety net for at least the first year of recovery. While sobriety monitoring isn’t a new concept, truly modern options can be hard to come by. Soberlink’s recovery technology is as convenient and real-time as today’s increasingly mobile world demands.
Monitoring methods have typically come in the form of outdated and unreliable, periodic testing that provide no real structure or benefit for recovering people. Dr. Harry Haroutunian is one physician taking personalized patient care to the next level by implementing Soberlink as a part of his unique concierge addiction medicine services.
Soberlink Solutions with Dr. Haroutunian
A responsible and sustainable clinical alcohol-monitoring program will include structure, accountability, and open communication with treatment professionals and trusted members of a recovery circle.
Dr. Haroutunian’s patients are typically not local and have sought him out because the traditional treatment design is, for whatever reason, just not an option.
Soberlink offers Dr. Haroutunian unprecedented convenience and access with remote testing, real-time BAC results, and cloud-based storage. The automation offered by the Soberlink System aims to help patients take control of their recovery by establishing an accountability structure. Communication between patients and their recovery circle is constant and transparent with Soberlink.
Dr. Haroutunian provides medical, psychological, psychiatric, counseling, case management, detox, clinical diagnostic evaluations, and a host of other services all provided within a concierge treatment platform. In addition, many of Haroutunian’s patients require a level of discretion that isn’t possible with the popular, social treatment model.
“We have had high-profile cases where the Device was the catalyst in getting some patients back into their profession, which never would have happened without a way to provide a track record or documented verification showing longitudinal abstinence from alcohol,” said Dr. Haroutunian.
Accountability and Impulse Control
Incorporating accountability tools into the monitoring program was difficult, if not impossible, for Dr. Haroutunian to achieve just a few years back. Soberlink’s real-time test results allow clinicians, counselors, monitors, and loved ones the opportunity to review BAC levels, assess situations, and quickly make clinical decisions in the best interest of the client.
Dr. Haroutunian finds that with his patients, the thought of real-time testing helps to reduce impulsive behavior. Soberlink acts as a mental deterrent, allowing the brain the time it needs to weigh the consequences and begin to extinguish the craving. This valuable window of time helps patients recognize the impulse, and act intentionally act in the best interest of their health and recovery.
Improving Outcomes and Fighting Stigma
In the fight against Substance and Alcohol Use Disorders, half of the battle is fighting stigma so that patients can be given the opportunity to recover. Dr. Haroutunian and Soberlink are actively working to help curb the high relapse rate by changing the perception of and treatment model for Alcohol Use Disorders.
Dr. Haroutunian continues to innovate recovery management by using Soberlink alcohol monitoring as a mental deterrent for people with co-occurring substance use disorders. These patients often either drink alcohol before returning to their drug of choice, or they feel that the Soberlink Device is a reminder to remain abstinent. In addition, families benefit through trust in the Soberlink system, thus allowing them to end their job as sobriety monitor and pave the way for healthy boundaries.
Accountability, consistent structure, and trust are often absent from the lives of those in recovery, but modern technology provides a means to establish and reinforce these missing components. Soberlink, when coupled with Dr. Haroutunian’s supportive continuum of care, has proven to be a formidable opponent to active addiction.
About Dr. Harry Haroutunian, MD
Dr. Harry L. Haroutunian (or, “Dr. Harry,” as he is affectionately known by his patients) has helped individuals and families suffering from the disease of addiction for nearly 40 years via his role as doctor, author, lecturer, sponsor, and friend. Dr. Harry is an internationally-known speaker and authority on topics of addiction and recovery from the disease of addiction, and has been featured in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post and appeared on the Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Drew on Call and The Dr. Phil Show.
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¹ James R. McKay, PH.D., and Susanne Hiller-Sturmhöfel, PH.D., “Treating Alcoholism As a Chronic Disease,” Alcohol Research & Health
About the Author
Soberlink supports accountability for sobriety through a comprehensive alcohol monitoring system. Combining a breathalyzer with wireless connectivity, the portable design and technology includes facial recognition, tamper detection and real-time reporting. Soberlink proves sobriety with reliability to foster trust and peace of mind.