Oliver Neubert is a man on a mission. “I want to share everything I know,” he says. Too often when a person presents with addiction, “the primary concern is just the drug or alcohol use. But that’s a simple fix: we can deal with that in seven to ten days, even shorter, depending on how much pain you’re willing to undergo,” he says with a rueful smile. “But then the real work begins: you need to go into the reasons you used in the first place. Too often people avoid that crucial step. ‘Please wash me, but don’t make me wet’, as one of our clinicians used to put it.”

Addiction is a complicated beast; every person is unhappy in a different way. It is characterised by dependence on something, sure. But, as Neubert observes, lots of us are dependent on caffeine, say, without terrible results. “There are about 400 different models of addiction - disease, choice, etc. What we do know is that it’s a life-threatening thing, and that it threatens not just the lives of the individuals, but of their families too. If you are continuing to use, despite negative consequences, then you have a problem.” Neubert started NEOVIVA in 2022 to support clients as they address that problem.

“We aren’t selling luxury, we are selling treatment,” he says. “People come when they’ve lost control over their lives. We do have a spa, but that’s not the point.” Following medical detox in a local hospital, clients take up residence in a private section of a hotel on Lake Lucerne. “The hotel’s other guests have no idea what we do; there are no signs anywhere,” Neubert explains, adding that the centre has a maximum of ten clients at one time. Clients check in under pseudonyms, and even payment is carried out through a third-party wellness company. People seeking treatment are not locked up, as they often are elsewhere; they may leave at will, and their relatives can stay in one of the many nearby hotels. Also unusual here: the whole NEOVIVA team will be available as a lifeline even once you return home, offering continuity of care.

“After the detox, we slowly and gently start with the deeper work,” Neubert explains. “And then the daemons come out: you start to face the things that scare you, and your gut reaction is to use pseudrugs, alcohol, sex, gambling. That’s why we have staff who are in recovery, some with 30 or more years of abstinence: we understand the client, and we share our stories.”

Neubert holds a postgraduate certification in addiction psychology and counselling, as well as a master’s degree in addiction studies from King’s College London, where he did research on employment rates for people in long-term recovery (data shows that after five years, risk of relapse falls to baseline). He is also celebrating his 36th year of sobriety.

In my own journey, I never received treatment,” he explains. “I started using at 12, was kicked out of school, and ended up in the US, where I studied photography. With Hollywood parties, my life came crashing down: L.A.’s drug problems were bad in the 80s. I was evacuated back to Switzerland. Thirtyfive years ago, the treatment for addiction was mainly about the substance use. Harm reduction was just coming in. There was some psychological support, but not much. The only thing I knew at the time was: I cannot go back. Call it the gift of desperation.

“But if you really want to address the underlying issues, you need professional treatment. Peer support is not enough. Twelve steps aren’t enough and they are not treatment. To really address the underlying issues, you need psychiatry and clinical psychology and mutual aid support.”

What does success look like in rehab? Neubert says that the answer is complex but could be summed up as: significant positive impact on life. Just as each person’s experience of addiction is different, so are their routes to recovery; NEOVIVA arranges highly personalised treatment programmes to address each individual’s needs. But there is one universal requirement. During treatment at NEOVIVA, the team requires abstinence from clients, which means complete cessation from substance abuse of any kind. The requirement of abstinence is broadly acknowledged to be the most effective way to treat addiction. The experienced on-site team helps clients to achieve and sustain abstinence as the foundation of their recovery.

However, whether clients choose to continue to abstain from drugs and alcohol once they leave treatment is their own choice, and the team members say that, whatever a client decides, they will be there to offer continuing support.

Neubert makes the point that abstinence on its own is not the only measure of success following addiction treatment. “We want to see that you are better off. If I think of my own early recovery, yes, I was abstinent, but my quality of life was terrible: I was suffering. In time, I did the steps, the introspection, I became very interested in the science behind addiction. The gap between science and academic understanding and the treatment field is enormous. At NEOVIVA, we are bringing these different strands together to treat the whole person so they can learn to be happy again.”

NEOVIVA’s team of Recovery Counsellors (RC) are key players in the healing process. Supporting clients across various aspects of recovery, they possess an understanding of the underlying causes of addiction. Their role involves assisting clients in learning coping strategies and recognising unique triggers, all within a supportive environment. With 31 years of sobriety, Michael John is a seasoned recovery veteran equipped with the skills and pragmatism to help others work through their own addictions. As John puts it, his mission is to “help others overcome adversity, chart a new course, and realise that life in recovery is not only better, but it can actually be fun.”