A luxury hotel, with a picture postcard view of Lake Lucerne, may seem more suited to a celebrity wellness retreat than a psychiatric clinic. And yet that is where NEOVIVA’s Oliver Neubert and his team of professionals help a handful of clients at a time get their lives back. Monaco Tribune spoke with the clinic’s founder and chairman about its exclusive and somewhat unique addiction treatment in Vitznau, Switzerland.

What is an addict?

“There’s a whole bunch of diagnostic criteria,” says Neubert. But for us, only one is relevant. It’s when you begin to experience negative consequences, and the use continues in spite of that. If you can’t fix that yourself, you need help. That’s when we come in.”

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Not a ‘rehabby thing’

“We’re not one of these ‘rehabby things’ run by people in recovery. We’re a fully licensed medical, psychiatric clinic. We’re abstinence-oriented but are not dogmatic about it. Of course, while clients are on site, they need to remain abstinent.”

“NEOVIVA’s residential setting within a private section of a public hotel is purposefully chosen to mirror real-world scenarios where clients are confronted by triggers such as social gatherings and alcohol consumption,” reads their website. In other words, NEOVIVA bursts the ‘rehab bubble’ provided by most addiction rehabilitation facilities: controlled environments free of any triggers. “When clients come out, real life hits them, triggers everywhere, and I have seen a lot of people relapse the moment they leave the safety of the rehab bubble… «  says Neubert.

NOT at NEOVIVA. Due to the setting in a hotel, clients are naturally exposed to triggers; they live among other hotel guests in a social setting, but clinic staff are always on hand to help them learn how to deal with the triggers they experience. “That’s why we have some staff who are in recovery, some with 30 or more years of abstinence: we understand the client,” explains Neubert. To hotel guests, NEOVIVA’s clients are just a group with dedicated conference rooms. There is no indication of NEOVIVA’s presence and what they do. Discretion and anonymity is guaranteed.

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“Our treatment delves into the medical, psychotherapeutic, social, and philosophical aspects of our clients’ lives, guiding them through profound questions of meaning and purpose,” says Neubert. And purpose is something people can lose when they retire…

Business leaders, wealthy expats… living the dream?

“If I were to paint the typical expat picture of someone at risk, it’s someone who has worked really hard all their life, become successful, built a life… they sell or hand over the company, move to paradise to live the life they deserve … and then what?” says Neubert. Most business leaders are driven and perhaps feel defined by their professional lives. “So, when it all stops – they lose purpose.” It can be challenging not to feel needed any more. When the initial “you can sleep late and play golf” wears off, “you’ve lost most of your social connections because they were work-related, perhaps moved to a new location… you meet new people through social functions where alcohol is invariably involved.” 

Alcohol is the number one cause of death worldwide for 15 to 49 year olds, according to the World Health Organisation. “And yet it’s so integrated into our society,” observes Neubert. “Alcohol is an anxiolytic, reducing social anxiety, so you can get over yourself and talk to people!” 

A long-time abstinent himself, having kicked an up to 4-bottle a day vodka habit, he is “not against alcohol, I’m not on a mission. But [expats] start to drink to help them deal with not being needed. The nice glass of wine in the beautiful home makes them feel relaxed, no responsibilities… and the lingering feeling of ‘what am I doing with my life’ is just kept down with the alcohol. Or if they start to feel the pressure of that feeling, alcohol helps too.” Especially if they had already started to drink to cope with professional pressures… “While they’re working they may actually control themselves more, but once they retire they can slide into addiction due to a feeling of disconnectedness to their old life.”  

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“Being part of the wealthy expat community, always needing to be respected and expected to throw the really good parties, to always be sociable and the prototype of the happy, wealthy expat, creates its own unique stress through constant social comparison. Nobody is interested if you are not doing well – so you put on a happy face and “live the dream”. But when the party is over and the guests have gone home, then what? You are alone, and the feelings of disconnectedness come back.”

Stigma

Many Monegasques or residents are successful business leaders in a competitive environment, used to being in control and with a reputation to uphold. Perhaps they fear addiction will be perceived as a weakness?

Oliver Neubert agrees. “There is huge stigma, but not just from society or the people around them, the biggest one is self-stigma: “I’m not an alcoholic, like those guys on the park bench with the brown paper bag,” whether the person is successful through business or “just inherited a pile of money, which brings its own challenges.” 

The clinic receives more applications than it can handle, as only 5 clients are treated at a time. How do they prioritise, and how long do people typically stay? 

“Most places take anybody who pays. We don’t.”

Oliver Neubert, Chairman and Founder of NEOVIVA

“Those are good questions. Part of our initial consultation is to determine ‘Are we the right people to treat you?’ I’m sorry to talk negatively about some of my colleagues, but most places will take anybody who pays. We don’t. We only propose treatment when we are convinced we can help this person in the long-term. If we realise we are not the right place for them, be it due to our setting or financial reasons, we try to help find something that suits them. So yes, we do some triage. And we do get a lot of enquiries, but we’re also not cheap. Treatment with us is about 30k USD a week. It’s expensive,” he concedes, “but if you compare it to private psychiatric care in Switzerland for foreigners, we’re not far off. Besides, if you compare it to the damage and cost of the addiction in their lives, it’s not a bad deal. Commonly a six-week stay is recommended. It sounds long, but if you really want to get well, that’s what it will take.” In most cases, it is only when treatment begins that the true depth of their issues is revealed.

“Detox is the easy part”

Clients first receive a full checkup at a partner hospital, including a brain MRI, and detox under NEOVIVA’s medical guidance if necessary, only entering the hotel when cleared by the hospital’s and NEOVIVA’s medical staff. “Most have a substance or alcohol problem. That’s the easy part. We can detox people from any substance in a week. Then the real work starts, and that’s when it gets scary,” says Neubert. “We do a deep dive into the underlying causes, find out what function does the behaviour or substance use have and help our clients to resolve the psychological problems they may suffer from. This could be depression, anxiety, trauma or any other problem. We even have our own pharmacy in-house, which is a huge deal in Switzerland. However, we don’t rely on medication as a primary path; we’re abstinence-oriented. We use only as little as necessary and work intensely with our clients to give them the skills and tools to live healthy lives, free from addiction.” 

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“Clients get in touch and say ‘I’d like to come for a week.’ We say ‘yeah… no’. Our property may be in a holiday destination but that’s not what we’re selling. We’re providing treatment.”

Resistant or reluctant? 

“Does the clinic ever treat patients who didn’t choose to be there?” we wondered.

“We don’t accept people who absolutely refuse to come.” Sometimes families give the clinic leverage: “Often they’re young adults who suddenly become wealthy, they spin out of control, so the family steps in.”

The initial consultation by a video meeting covers motivation, substance use, behaviour, and gauges ambivalence or resistance. “I’ve seriously never encountered a client who didn’t have some kind of ambivalence about treatment or starting a new way of life,” Neubert states. “It’s a big deal. Drug use, behaviour, even social media… if a young person comes in for social media addiction, you’re taking away their ‘go to escape’. Same with the alcohol, it’s a crutch.” 

Even if treatment is what clients come for, some can be “super-resistant” to treatment.  “They pay, they come, they know they have huge issues, and then they don’t want to talk about it. It’s so common!” Neubert laughs. “It’s like ‘I want a 6-pack but I don’t wanna go to the gym.’ We understand, because the stuff we do is hard,” he says, stressing that last word. 

The clinic’s youngest client to date was 15. “In the initial consultation we determine how mature they are. We’re not their parents. We did have to arrange for him to do his homework,” Neubert smiles, “but largely, he was able to take on his responsibilities.” Conversely, a 40 year old man had to be asked to tidy his room, and change his T shirt. “We had to parent him!” 

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Life beyond

After clients leave, they have access to NEOVIVA’s continuing care programme for a minimum of 7 months, included in the cost, whereas most rehabs “switch” the client to an aftercare team, if one exists. In Oliver Neubert and his team’s experience, the transition is too critical, and people ‘drop out’ when the connection to their carers is lost. “We’ll be on this journey with our clients for as long as they want us,” says the clinic’s founder.

Enquiries to :
welcome@neoviva.com
+41 58 100 08 08
www.neoviva.com