Addictions: why stars flock to Clinic Les Alpes

“Why this ultra-luxurious drug rehab center is becoming a favorite of the world’s rich and famous.” This is the title of the article that the “Hindustan Times” has just devoted to the Clinic Les Alpes, in Les Avants (Montreux). A great ad. This is because the English-language Indian daily based in Delhi, invited by the healthcare establishment, publishes nearly a million copies.

“We hope that this article will strengthen our visibility on the Indian market,” confirms Inês Santiago, director, bluntly. Such media coverage also helps raise awareness about addiction and mental health issues.” She makes no secret of the fact that the clinic occasionally invites journalists “to introduce them to our treatment philosophy and the peaceful environment we offer.”

The “Hindustan Times” ranks Clinic Les Alpes “among the best luxury rehabilitation centers in the world, even in first place”. Its patient base includes leading figures from entertainment, nobility, business and politics, from Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia. Inês Santiago nevertheless refutes this label of luxury with which daily life adorns her, even if a week in the establishment, including spa, swimming pool and jacuzzi overlooking Lake Geneva, costs at least 45,000 francs.

The price of discretion

“This cost of 45,000 francs,” explains the director, “includes accommodation, meals, transfers from home or airport to the clinic, medication, a personalized therapeutic program, detoxification carried out on site, availability a medical team day and night (we have a ratio of 3.5 FTE per patient) and the organization of aftercare follow-up. All this in an exceptional setting. Our prices guarantee the highest standards of care and confidentiality.”

In this calculation, the price of discretion is therefore not negligible, according to Inês Santiago: “Although many consider our patients of high status or great wealth to have “the good life” or ultimate freedom, the reality is that we serve an extremely vulnerable population, hesitant to even openly ask for help. Their private lives are constantly the subject of public discussion, and a single bad headline can have incredible consequences for their country, their brand, their business. Here we offer a completely tailor-made program, but also total confidentiality.” “The clinic is a haven protected from the paparazzi,” summarizes Briton Patrick Wilson, founder of the clinic.

The patients’ stay is, of course, not paid for by compulsory insurance. But the clinic is approved by the Department of Health and Social Action (DSAS). The establishment employs nearly 50 professionals (doctors, psychiatrists, nurses, psychotherapists, hotel staff). “We treat very vulnerable people suffering from one or more serious conditions that can be fatal,” notes Inês Santiago. These are addictions (alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, drugs, gambling, porn, sex, work) and mental health problems (burn-out, depression, eating disorders).”

The most common addictions of Sonloup’s patients are alcohol and multiple substance addictions, followed by benzodiazepines and cocaine, according to Inês Santiago: “Currently we are seeing an increase in patients with personality disorders, post-traumatic stress and eating disorders.”

Since its creation in 2018, Clinic Les Alpes, which can only accommodate a maximum of thirty people at a time, has seen its attendance increase. And the establishment has a bright future ahead of it, judging by the figures brandished by its director: in Switzerland, nearly one in three people has at least one person in their entourage with alcohol problems. Cocaine use is on the rise.

According to the Swiss Health Survey (ESS), the proportion of pathological gamblers more than doubled between 2017 and 2022. In the country, smoking causes 9,500 deaths per year, which corresponds to 26 people per day and 14% of all deaths. And almost a third of the population suffers from a mental illness. These conditions are among the most widespread pathologies. They affect all age groups and all levels of society and cause difficulties in all areas of life.

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Claude Béda is a journalist for the 24-hour Vaud section. Passionate about social issues and the lives of people here, he covered several regions of the canton, before joining the Lausanne editorial team. More info

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