William Messinger, JD & ADC (ret)


What works for Recovery for the Well-off and Well-Known;
Resources for Affluent Families and Their Loved Ones Facing the Challenges of Alcohol and Drug Addiction

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All about relapse — download my article for families here.

No one is immune to the powerful grasp of alcohol and drug addiction. Wealth, success, educational achievement, social rank and celebrity are no protection from this dangerous disease. 

  • For families of means, money and status fuel addiction and can create devastating cycles that impact the well-being of families for generations:  The Genetic Gift That Keeps on Giving
  • For advisors and trustees, the active alcoholic or addict can present frustrating and seemingly impossible challenges.
  • For those of us seeking recovery, the treatment industry exploits and resents us, fails to meet our clinical needs, and blames us when we relapse

There is a proven alternative: The highly successful programs for doctors and pilots with continuous abstinence outcomes exceeding 80% at five years.

Airline Pilots Soar to Recovery

In 1998, I originated the concept of applying the very successful treatment protocols for pilots and doctors to other groups, including the affluent and prominent.  This was after completing 28 days in 1995, with almost all my “peer” group relapsing.  Given this experience, along with multiple failed treatments in family members, I began to search for a much-improved alterative to current treatment. 

  • There it was in a headline in the 1998 Hazelden Bulletin:
    Airline Pilots Soar to Recovery: 92% Success at Two Years

Why do Doctors and Pilots have Exceptionally High Recovery Rates?

Because they have effective regulatory boards that mandate and oversee treatment. They initiate treatment early on and continue with effective post-treatment supervision, drug testing and information releases. 

In contrast, most people with addiction do not take treatment seriously until after several relapses and ruined lives- once the damage has been done.

  • Reflecting these vast program differences, recovery rates for traditional treatment are said to be in the 15% range.

To minimize risk of this happening, families must play the same role for their loved ones as do oversight boards for their professional groups. 

This website reflects over twenty years of experience working with families, their businesses, trustees and professionals to encourage their loved ones to seek help, receive clinically appropriate care and follow a path to recovery.

  • ALL EVIDENCE SHOWS that the family can be a powerful, positive influence in sustaining sobriety and improving outcomes.

This is in contrast to the Al-Anon message of doing nothing which is responsible for so many unnecessary tragedies

This website also reflects some of the unique challenges in recovery for our group, including clinical needs and barriers to recovery.

While I am no longer taking on clients, please use the following resources to find a provider who is well-versed in ongoing recovery management:

Contact Us

651-209-7670 | info@billmessinger.com | 332 Minnesota St., Suite W1360 | St. Paul, MN  55101

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