For more than two decades, Passages Malibu has challenged conventional thinking about addiction treatment. In this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery, co-founder Pax Prentiss shares the philosophy that helped transform the treatment landscape and sparked ongoing conversations throughout the recovery field.

Drawing from his own lived experience with heroin, cocaine, and alcohol addiction, Pax discusses how his recovery journey led him to help launch Passages Malibu in 2001. He explains why Passages was built on the belief that addiction is often a symptom of underlying conditions such as trauma, anxiety, depression, or unresolved emotional pain rather than a standalone disease.

The conversation explores the center's individualized treatment model, which emphasizes extensive one-on-one therapy, holistic healing approaches, medical and psychiatric care, and personalized aftercare planning. Pax also discusses the importance of identity in recovery, challenging the notion that people should define themselves by their addiction for the rest of their lives.

Whether you agree with Pax's philosophy or not, this episode offers a thought-provoking perspective on recovery, treatment innovation, and the importance of creating individualized pathways to healing.

About the Guest

Pax Prentiss spent ten years addicted to heroin. Today he is the CEO and cofounder of Passages Malibu, one of the most respected addiction treatment centers in the world. When conventional treatment programs didn’t work for him, his father, Chris, asked him an important question: Why do you think you’re using heroin? Chris believed there had to be an underlying condition that was causing Pax to use. In the end, this method of discovering why someone uses alcohol or drugs became the philosophy behind the Passages Malibu program, and it became the foundation for a model that has helped more than 40,000 people get sober since 2001. Pax has been challenging the disease model of addiction since before it was a conversation worth having publicly. His approach is built on one-on-one therapy, individualized care, and treating the underlying conditions driving the addiction. The results have drawn executives, physicians, public figures, and families from across the U.S. and around the world.

Links:

• Contact:
  • E-mail: pax@passagesmalibu.com
  • Website: https://passagesmalibu.com/
• Social Media:
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxprentiss/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passagesmalibu
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passagesmalibu/
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RehabCenter

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Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.