Why is detox only the starting point in a comprehensive addiction recovery program
Detox is often mistaken for addiction recovery. At Rise in Malibu, it is the starting point.
The Malibu-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility is built around a physician-led structure that coordinates medical detox, psychiatric oversight and doctoral-level trauma therapy from the first day of admission.
“It comes from the brain,” says Ron Finnerman, founder of Rise Rehab Treatment Centers. “The cure is not like getting your appendix out and going home. You can only achieve it through sustained recovery.”
Addiction, he believes, is the only illness that routinely carries guilt, judgment and shame along with it. That stigma often pushes people into isolation, making early intervention more difficult and reinforcing the very behaviors they are trying to escape.
In that isolation, self-medication becomes a coping mechanism. But the substance itself is rarely the core issue; 99 percent of the time, it is the effect—an attempt to manage distress that feels overwhelming or unresolved. If detox addresses the physical dependence without confronting what led to the pattern in the first place, the cycle simply resets.
How does integrated treatment address both physical dependence and psychological drivers of addiction
That belief defines the structure of Rise in Malibu’s program. From the first day of admission, treatment addresses both the physical dependence and the psychological drivers underneath it. Stabilizing the body is only one layer of it. Identifying and restructuring the patterns that led to self-medication is the larger objective.
The cure is not like getting your appendix out and going home. You can only achieve it through sustained recovery.
A Three-Physician Ensemble Working Together
What role does coordinated medical, psychiatric and trauma care play in addiction treatment
Rise in Malibu operates as a dual-diagnosis residential program built around what Finnerman describes as ‘a coordinated three-physician ensemble.’ The idea is medical detox, psychiatric oversight and doctorate-level trauma therapy, all working together.
Detox is overseen by Dr. Damon Raskin, a triple board-certified physician, with 24-hour nursing support. For individuals self-medicating with alcohol, the taper usually lasts four to seven days. During that period, the body is recalibrating and the nervous system can be unstable.
“It’s very dangerous to detox on your own, especially with alcohol,” Finnerman explains. “You can be susceptible to seizures.”
At the same time, a psychiatric evaluation is already underway. Dr. Ashley Benjamin, a former Air Force colonel who developed PTSD programming for returning service members, assesses depression, bipolar disorder and trauma-related anxiety while detox is occurring. Co-occurring conditions are addressed alongside substance dependence because, in many cases, they are intertwined from the start.
Medication-assisted treatment is available when appropriate. It is voluntary and closely monitored within the structure of residential care.
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The objective is not simply abstinence, but equipping individuals to re-enter life with tools, structure and accountability strong enough to withstand inevitable stress.
Trauma therapy forms the third component of the ensemble, led by Dr. Mark Stahlhuth and a team specializing in co-occurring disorders. Clients participate in daily one-on-one sessions that focus on unresolved trauma and stress responses that often sit beneath self-medication.
Many understand, cognitively, what happened in their lives. The work is helping them see how those experiences continue to shape behavior and to build alternatives before anxiety escalates into substance use.
The model is cumulative rather than segmented. Detox stabilizes the body. Psychiatry supports mood regulation. Trauma therapy addresses the behavioral patterns underneath. When those layers move forward together, treatment is not confined to crisis management. It extends toward sustained recovery.
Recovery as a Structured Continuum
How does structured long-term care support recovery beyond the initial thirty-day residential phase
“If you build a house, you start with the foundation,” Finnerman says. “Thirty days is the foundation.”
The initial 30-day residential phase focuses on safe detox and early trauma work. But from days 30 to 60, clients are encouraged to step down into partial hospitalization, maintaining daily therapeutic engagement while gradually reintroducing real-world responsibilities. And from days 60 to 90, intensive outpatient provides continued accountability with fewer hours but ongoing therapeutic oversight. For some, transitional sober living reinforces consistency in environment and routine.
One of the most important clinical inflection points during this transition is Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS), a phase that often emerges around day 45 or day 60. Although a client may appear physically stable after detox, neurological recalibration takes longer. Dopamine and endorphin systems disrupted by long-term substance use do not immediately normalize. During that period, sudden waves of anxiety, irritability or cravings can surface unexpectedly.
Rather than framing those moments as failure, Rise prepares clients to expect them. Clients are taught to recognize the pattern, communicate early and apply practical tools before rumination escalates.
“You can’t be a lone wolf,” Finnerman says.
According to him, sustaining recovery through these phases depends on more than time in treatment. It depends on readiness.
Many individuals arrive after what he describes as “false starts” — brief periods of sobriety followed by relapse. The pattern is rarely about intelligence or discipline. More often, it reflects ambivalence.
That ambivalence is addressed early. From the outset, two conditions are emphasized: willingness and the self-awareness to recognize the need for help. Without those, even the strongest clinical structure can falter.
And counterintuitively, the program does not expect daily stability. Clients are allowed to experience difficult days inside the structure of care. Those moments become part of the treatment itself. Instead of leaving to self-medicate, they process the urge in real time, learn that the intensity passes and build practical tools to manage the next wave.
Continuity remains central after discharge. Rise hosts weekly alumni meetings via Zoom, connecting former and current clients across states and countries. Clients are encouraged to reach out when new stressors arise rather than isolate.
The objective is not simply abstinence, but equipping individuals to re-enter life with tools, structure and accountability strong enough to withstand inevitable stress.
Small-Scale, Physician-Led Residential Care
The residential setting accommodates no more than six clients at a time, each in a private en-suite room. That this size is deliberate. A smaller group allows the medical and clinical team to remain closely engaged with each individual, adjusting care as needed and ensuring that no one blends into the background.
Clients are provided chef-prepared meals tailored to individual preferences and dietary needs, whether vegetarian, pescatarian, keto or comfort foods from home. Breakfast is served each morning; lunch is prepared fresh and dinner is shared together after programming concludes.
Physical health is also treated as essential to recovery. The facility includes an on-site gym, personal training, yoga, massage therapy and complementary modalities such as Reiki. Exercise aids restore balance.
The amenities are not designed to signal exclusivity. They are structured to create an environment where clients feel safe enough to engage fully in one-on-one trauma therapy and psychiatric treatment. When external stressors are minimized, clinical work can proceed with greater focus.
Aligning Clinical Structure with Financial Realities
Addiction treatment is shaped not only by clinical philosophy, but by how care is reimbursed. Insurance policies vary widely in how they structure mental health and substance use benefits, which affects how programs are staffed.
Rise in Malibu structured its flagship residential program around a physician-led model rather than reimbursement ceilings. The program, priced at approximately $100,000, reflects its staffing intensity and six-client capacity.
But recognizing that not every family’s resources or coverage align with that level of care, Finnerman has also established Rise at Mayberry Ranch. The same medical doctor, psychiatrist and doctorate-level therapists oversee treatment there, but within a different residential setting and cost structure. Private rooms begin at approximately $35,000, expanding access while preserving the integrated clinical leadership model.
When coverage does not align with either location, callers are referred to vetted programs considered safe and appropriate for their level of coverage.
“There are different levels of care,” he says. “The goal isn’t to divide by income. It’s to help someone get the highest level their circumstances allow.”
The center’s future planning continues to focus on expanding access further without compromising the structure that defines the program.
A Personal Commitment to Meaningful Change
Finnerman’s journey into the world of addiction treatment was born out of a heartfelt search for hope for a loved one in distress. Nearly a decade ago, when his family was grappling with the pain of addiction, Finnerman encountered programs that, in his view, seemed to lack the clinical expertise or genuine human connection his family so desperately needed. It was during these challenging times that he met the physicians who would later become the soul of Rise in Malibu.
“Our goal is not grand conquest,” reflects Finnerman. “It is to offer sincere help, one individual, one life, one family at a time.”
This spirit continues to be the heartbeat of the organization. Finnerman remains personally engaged in speaking with prospective clients and their families, honoring the intimate, person-centered ethos on which Rise in Malibu was founded.
For him, recovery is nurtured through authentic connection, dependable support and a sense of purpose. Because it is about offering real hope, not just making promises.
