Skip to Content

Abstinence and Recovery Monitoring

Abstinence and Recovery Monitoring is a program that verifies compliance of an already agreed upon abstinence and recovery plan.

More and more, mediators, attorneys and judges are recommending abstinence and recovery monitoring to avoid conflicts between parties, to verify abstinence and to identify treatment and recovery failure in a timely manner. 

My experience has shown that too many family law settled substance related cases fall apart because there is no accountability and guidance. When the case falls apart it is difficult to establish the facts that led to the breakdown. The breakdown can end up costing hundreds of dollars in legal fees. With Abstinence and Recovery Monitoring each case is carefully documented and followed. Failure to comply or relapses are caught early so that effective intervention can happen.

cliff

Abstinence and Recovery Monitoring includes:

  • Once a month clinical interviews
  • Collateral contacts with treating professionals and significant others
  • Monitoring of random testing schedules
  • Continuous alcohol monitoring using Soberlink
  • At home drug testing using Genotoxlabs technology

Types of family law cases that would benefit from Abstinence and Recovery Monitoring: 

  • High conflict cases
  • Multiple treatment/relapses
  • Multiple issues
  • Vulnerable children
  • High conflict co-parent relationship

Benefits of Abstinence and Recovery Monitoring:

  • Reliable documentation regarding progress or lack of progress
  • Minimizes misinformation
  • Increased successful long-term recovery
  • Manage expectations
  • Early intervention to prevent abstinence and treatment failure
  • Decrease length of a relapse
  • Help attorneys negotiate agreements that are treatment and recovery sensitive
  • Take the other parent out of a "monitoring role", increase trust between the parties and therefore, decrease co parenting conflicts
  • Improve the co-parenting relationship