I visited San Patrignano, a recovery community in Rimini, Italy, for four days last week, where 1,500 people are in residence, all committed to learning how to live a full and healthy life without drugs. The community was started in 1978 by Vincenzo Muccioli, and the program requires a commitment of three to five years, is free to the person and to tax payers, teaches each person to work in one of fifty sectors (graphics, cooking, woodshop, building, plumbing, weaving, design) and has a documented recovery rate of 73 percent after three years of exiting the community (three studies completed the University of Bologna). There are many models for recovery, and this is one.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5F-Gz9iDAA)
(http://www.sanpatrignano.org/en)
My reflection: When Jeff was in active addiction, he refused the option of San Patrignano. “Three to five years,” he said incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding.” When I told a publicist in New York City about San Patrignano’s model, she said dismissively, “No one cares what they do in Italy. We are the United States.” Jeff was in 12 different short and long-term treatment centers in the United States over a 14-year period.
Today’s Promise to consider: There are many models for recovering from drugs and alcohol. Education is critical. Learning about different models for long-term care might help save my loved one’s life. I can’t force my loved one into recovery, but I can learn about and offer him options.
I have studied this recovery community and it is quite unique and remarkable in many different respects. I have also spoken to other parents who did send their child to San Patrignao and each were very pleased.
I wanted desperately to send my son there but with felonies on his record due to his addiction I could not obtain a passport for him.
If I win the lottery I will buy an island somewhere and mimic San Patrigno. This is the type of program that our addicted children desperately need. We can not expect our addicted children to recovery with a 30, 90 or even 120 day program. They need extended care and that takes years not months.
There are other programs similar to San Patrigno in Canada and I believe Seattle but the key to San Patigno is it’s in a foreign country a long way from the United States.
I want to go there now. Take everyone I know and love. PAt, I’ll help you if I win the lotto. Similar issues here.
I’m watching my son doing on one day at a time -narc anon, personal counselling and addictions counselling. Medication for deep depression.
Sometimes, he says it is all too much. And he just needs to chill. And not have work of recovery always in his face. But it is.
Still, there is much to celebrate in active recovery! Even after reality of relapse.
Education is key and the learning never ends.
ON we go to create our own healing spaces.
I agree with Pat. 30 days or 6 months is “not” enough time for an addict to receive proper rehabilitation. They need daily structure and the psycho-social type of environment that san patrignano offers. They absolutely cannot be cured in even months; it takes years of a new structured environment and the diligent work and support of everyone at sanpa.
If you talk to any of the people there many will tell you that at the beginning they did not like but with time they grew to love the new lifestyle and feel a new sense of worth!
THIS IS WHAT THE ADDICT NEEDS FOR “REAL” REHABILITATION!!! We need to contact local, state, and federal governments to get this started in our country.
It is also an alternative to prison and the time served there is better than prison and decreases recedivism greatly as opposed to coming out of prison and going back to old ways because that is all they knew…
this country needs to ban together to get the ball rolling and start a SanPatrignano here. The one in Italy is a testament to what real rehabilitation is but it is not big enough for all the addicts that exist. The European and Asian world is studying them to re create it their own countries.
this week there is a world workshop that ends the 15th of this month so people can learn from their model!
wish I could have been there.
The last addictions doctor my daughter saw was very compassionate and she felt safe with him. When we first met with him and discussed treatments I remember him saying that rehabs were definatly an option but that Sara would have come out at some point and face the world and life around her. She would need to learn better mechanisms to do this (he said this in a much better way than I have here).
That reality really scared me. The world, society and life are difficult at the best of times let alone trying to put your life back in order after tearing it all apart. There is very little compassion in society for addicts so its no wonder many slip back into the world of drugs.
This program sets addicts up for life by giving them the tools they need in a supportive understanding environment. Why we don’t have many more programs like this is beyond me. Surely they would be a financial alternative to jail.
Pat you mentioned other programs similar in Canada. Do you know the name of this program? I would like to check it out.
Sue,
Here are some of the resources I found in looking back through my files. However, I did not find the one in Canada. This was back in 2010 to 2011.
Hope these help.
http://www.cenikor.org
http://www.italoeuropeo.com/focus/deepening/1259-san-patrignano-opens-in-london
http://www.delanceystreetfoundation.org
Thanks Pat I will look into these.
when I emailed admissions at San Patrignano, I received a response that due to visa restrictions U S citizens were not being admitted.
I had shown the website to my son who was interested. Another disappointment. Any ideas for closer similar programs?
Dear Pat,
I’m so disappointed you got this information from San Pa. While it’s true that getting a Visa is difficult, it’s not impossible. An American boy I know entered San Patrignano just one month ago!
I’ll send you a message to your gmail account with a mother’s name whose son was at San Patrignano and she’ll help you negotiate the waters if your son is serious.
My love to you,
L
I posted another comment just a few min. ago, my addicted love one’s dad’s nationality is Italian & from Milan. Would this be helpful? Let me know how to advocate for more places like San Patrignano here in the USA! They gotta do something, this country’s drug epidemic (particularly opiates/h) is WAY out of control!!
Hi Libby,
Thank you so much for the information. When in the midst of my daughter’s active addiction I searched high and low, day and night trying to find answers. I found comfort by websites from other parents and I can not thank you enough for your words of wisdom and resources through continued education. Now, two years later my daughter now diagnosed with bi-polar (sober for two years) uses her love for knowledge to continue to thrive transferring next year to UC Berkley…of course as you know the road is long and requires love, support, boundaries. As a parent, I think this experience (hidden scars yet vivid memories) makes you want to reach out to other families. I feel so many families suffer in silence and I would love to see if the US can model San Patrignano? I absolutely agree that the majority of inmates are filling our jails and prisons due to addiction. I think if we had access to free programs like San Patrignano we would not have such overcrowding as well as repeat offenders. I will continue my research and would appreciate and welcome any ideas for modeling a program like this in the US. I know when I was searching for long term treatment options I personally hit so many walls…not to mention my insurance company was absolutely horrible to deal with…we definitely need to change our model in the US because addiction is truly an epidemic in this country.
Dear Tracy,
Your words “hidden scars yet vivid memories” are powerful.
God bless your daughter! She is thriving at UC Berkley. It is a long road, but she is on it. Good for her.
San Patrignano is an amazing model and an even more amazing place. All that you write is true about addiction and the prison system in the US. Insurance is a huge issue. During Jeff’s 14-year addiction and admission into 12 different treatment centers, insurance helped only once and for five days.
What will it take for the US to embrace the San Patrignano model for treatment? I don’t know, but I pray that something changes in the States to help all us who are suffering.
Love to you.
I am trying to reach libbycataldi to find out about a US
child getting into San Patrignano. My son was in contact with them and had two skype interviews but they just kept telling him he could not get a Visa; this was back in
October. He then relapsed & went off the radar. I have located him and want to begin the process again of trying to get him to Italy. Could you put me in touch with the woman who’s son got in. Also I want to know if anyone is in the process of fund raising to build such a place here in the U.S. I would like to participate in any such project. Thank you, Robin
I would also like information on how to get my son into San Petrignano. I have made several requests on the website with no reply. Any info is appreciated.
Jeri,
The hardest part with acceptance into San Patrignano is procuring a Visa from the Italian Embassy here in the US. The parents, who got their children into San Patrignano, managed to get a Visa from the Italian Embassy that allowed their child is stay in Italy over the three-month limit. Your son will have to request admission and, with a Visa, the application is processed.
Good luck!!
Thank you Libby. I have recently been in contact with San Patrignano admissions. They have been very helpful and comforting. We have started gathering info on a visa. We are hopeful! I have read your book a million times
and have watched the video with you and Jeff just as many times! Truly inspirational at times when I felt like nobody I knew could relate to me. Thank you so much!!
I am also having trouble getting a long term visa for my son to go to san patrignano! We have everything needed and he has been accepted but we can not get a medical visa from the Philadelphia Italian Embassy! My son has been waiting 4 months….any suggestions? Before i have to bury my son?
Hi Loretta, I am in the visa process now, collecting necessary information. Can you let me know what type of problems you had, and if successful, how you managed it?
Dear Jeri,
I’m thrilled that you are hopeful about San Patrignano. It’s an amazing community of healing and hope.
Thanks for staying close and for your words of compassion and support. Let’s keep each other and our sons in our prayers. My love to you,
L
Dear Libby, would it be possible for you to put me in touch with any families that have been to San P? I would love go hear more about it and their experiences.
Thoughts and prayers to you and your family and to all searching for ways to be supportive.
Jeri Ann
Dear Jeri,
I’ll write to a mom and ask her if I can give you her email address. I’ll be back as soon as I hear from her :).
I have a son with mental health issues ( ADHD ) meds and street drug addictions. He is 29 now and in and out of provincial prisons here in Canada. Offences are minor but seem to be escalating. He hda been on this journey for ten years now.
I have studied San Pats model, organized a skype intake meeting with him and then he disappears and ends up in jail again. This time he will be in for 5 months, the longest he has been stable on meds and without street drugs. He likes the idea of Italy but continues to say ” If it was one or two years I would go”. I have heard this over and over. His Mother and I do not enable. He has not lived at home for six years but I do visit with him and encourage him.
I am hoping by way of this note to find folks that have sons or daughters that have attended San Pat’s and would be interested to share their experience with my son. We do not have anything in Canada that comes close to this long term program.
Please help us !
Sincerly
I have a son with mental health issues ( ADHD ) meds and street drug addictions. He is 29 now and in and out of provincial prisons here in Canada. Offences are minor but seem to be escalating. He hda been on this journey for ten years now.
I have studied San Pats model, organized a skype intake meeting with him and then he disappears and ends up in jail again. This time he will be in for 5 months, the longest he has been stable on meds and without street drugs. He likes the idea of Italy but continues to say ” If it was one or two years I would go”. I have heard this over and over. His Mother and I do not enable. He has not lived at home for six years but I do visit with him and encourage him.
I am hoping by way of this note to find folks that have sons or daughters that have attended San Pat’s and would be interested to share their experience with my son. We do not have anything in Canada that comes close to this long term program.
Please help us !
Sincerely
Jeff
Dear Jeff,
I am in Italy and traveling. Please excuse my delay in responding.
San Patrignano is an amazing community where miracles happen. My son refused to go and said, “Three to five years. Are you crazy?!” My son’s addiction lasted 14 years. As you wrote in your message, the person has to choose to go.
The biggest issue with entering San Pa is a Visa that is needed to stay longer than 3 months. I know of only two American families, who have been able to obtain a medical visa to enter San Pa. Talk with someone at the Italian Embassy in Canada and ask if procuring an Italian Visa is possible.
In terms of having your son talk with someone who has attended San Pa, I know a young boy, who is now living in the States. My guess is he would be happy to talk with your son. There is another American boy, who is currently there.
The boy I know in the States went to San Pa, but told his mother he would stay only 1 year. He went (she obtained a Visa) and he stayed 5 years. It often happens that way.
Hope this helps. Good luck and I’ll keep your son in my prayers.
Libby
I found this website as I have a close American friend who is looking for a way for a relative to enter San Pa. I have a daughter (we are English) who has now been in SanPa for just over two years. The change in her is phenomenal I would encourage any potential “entrant” to persevere, I just thought that a personal message might give encouragement.
Dear Betty,
Thanks for the encouragement to all here. I agree with you that San Pa changes lives. The biggest problem with an American applicant is the visa. Since the stay in Italy (San Pa) is over 3 months, the person needs a visa. If the person applying is a member of the EU, there is no problem, but for an American citizen the process is much more difficult. I know only a few American families who have been able to obtain a medical visa for their addicted loved one. I wish we had something like this in the States – a three-to-five-year program of health and recovery.
Thanks for finding us and for offering hope.
L
.
Hi there, I just found this website as i wa googling what the wait period is to get into San Pa. My cousin has been in touch with them via phone and email and is waiting a reply. We are in Australia. He has finally decided that he needs to do something drastic to change/save his life and is very excited, however i am a little nervous that he will be waiting too long to get the ball rolling and lose the optimisum. Also wondering if people from Aus (or other countries) can get into Italy for an extended period on a study visa. Is San Pa an accredited training organisation or can you only get in on a medical visa?
Many thanks for your help! Marja
Dear Marja,
As far as I know, San Patrignano accepts people from all over the world with any kind of visa, just as long as the person can stay in Italy for longer than 3 months. San Pa is accredited, but I’m not sure the accreditation is recognized in Australia. The better response will come from the admissions office at San Pa, but I would recommend doing anything you can to get your cousin into the community. It’s an amazing place. The wait period is part of the process, but keep on the admissions team until you have the answers you need.
Good luck. I’ll keep you all in my prayers.
Thanks Libby! That all sounds very positive. Any idea from anyone how long the average wait period is?
He hadnt heard back as of yesterday but is going to email them again today with more questions and some additional thoughts on why he is determined to come to San Pa. Do you think it is better to email or call or both?
Any other tips on how to get accepted would be great 🙂
Marja, The most important part is the person’s willingness and persistence. I would encourage him to write and call. The great news is that he is determined to come to San Pa. Good luck. I’ll keep him in my prayers.
Fantastic blog post , I was enlightened by the information ! Does anyone know where my business could locate a sample 2008 CA Disc-020 document to fill in ?
My son Michael has been in and out of rehabs since the age of 15. I am first generation American. I would like to obtain a visa for my son so he can go to this place of miracles.
angelderuvo
I am also having trouble getting a long term visa for my son to go to san patrignano! We have everything needed and he has been accepted but we can not get a medical visa from the Philadelphia Italian Embassy! My son has been waiting 4 months….any suggestions? Before i have to bury my son?
I hope your son made it in to San Petrignano.
This looks amazing! Mine is currently in rehab here in the US (already did inpatient 3 months) & now same program outpatient, as far as I’m concerned. I’m still keeping my eyes opened by staying connected (mostly looking) in case she relapses & asks for help. However, she’s 35yrs. old & with a baby whose actually with her. I doubt she’d agree moving that far away for 3yrs. (especially to a different country) & into another continent without her child. I’m way 2 old to volunteer into taking such a big responsibility @ my age (raising someone that young) since baby’s currently 6 months old!!
Dear Bianca,
San Patrignano is an amazing and healing place where recovery happens. If your daughter’s father was born in Italy, then she may be able to get a Visa easily to stay in Italy for three-to-five years. San Pa accepts children, too, and they have an incredible ‘mother’s village’ where all the mothers stay together with their children.
Look at the San Patrignano website where you’ll find how to approach admission. The addicted loved one has to want to attend and there is an interview involved. You can also call. Many people in admission speak English, or her Italian father can call.
I’ll stay close in hope.