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Since the days of Alexandria, lighthouses have been used as navigation aids for passing ships steering them home to safe harbor and clear of perilous seas. I know it may sound a little corny, but I think of our recovery meeting at the methadone clinic much in the same way. All too often patients in medically assisted recovery are isolated from the recovery communities of NA and AA tending to keep to themselves, sometimes hiding treatment from friends and family… even spouses!

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Getting hammered on the drunk bus to Delray Beach may sound more like a passage from a Carl Hiaasen novel than a piece on recovery, but it seems many on their way to Delray Beach, recovery capital of the US, booze it up as a tactic to increase the odds that insurance will cover the detox portion of their treatment.

The rehabs run regular shuttles, known as the 'drunk buses', to Fort Lauderdale airport to pick up each new wave of incoming addicts. Many are told to get hammered on the flight, because private insurance companies will only pay for rehab if patients are still in danger of having seizures as they detox (a not-uncommon risk). If they have already sobered up, they won't be considered a medical emergency. Cocaine addicts often have to pretend to be drunks so that they can get insurance cover. ~ Guardian

While I know it seems this sounds like a travesty, trust me, 90% of those headed for a treatment center are going to be pulling a last hurrah regardless if they have insurance or not.

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