Cosmopolitan UK — June 2017

COSMOPOLITAN · 113

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BEHIND THE

SCENES

Louisa Pritchard

“One of the stories

that struck me most

was a client of

Charlotte’s – who also struggled with

bulimia – eating food from the communal

bins at 2am after a house party. Addiction

is devastating – no matter how privileged

your life or the size of your bank account.”

THE COTTAGE, SURREY, UK

The Cottage only treats one client at

a time, with therapists on hand to

arrange a personalised treatment. Kitted

out with Egyptian cotton sheets,

a private chef and chauffeur, it may

end up being difficult to leave.

PASSAGES, MALIBU, USA

There’s only room for 12 guests here, and

at a whopping $67,550 for a month, it’s no

wonder this has been named as one of

Forbes’ most luxurious places to dry out.

THE DUNES, EAST HAMPTON, USA

Set over four acres with a pool, spa,

tennis court, personal trainer and

bespoke nutritional meals, this

place aims to feel just like home.

The most luxurious

rehabs in the world

These centres have all the resources

needed to help their clients get clean

constantly by their side. I remember

once, during the treatment of Hannah*,

an alcoholic former child star, I took

her to the supermarket. I told her to

get a trolley and she just looked at me,

all lost and bewildered. It turned out,

at 27, she’d never had to do something

like this before: her whole life had

revolved around other people telling

her what to do, what to wear, what to

eat. As we walked up and down the

aisles together, she had no idea what to

buy or even what she liked eating. At

the time she laughed it off, but the next

day she phoned me saying she couldn’t

carry on with the treatment, that she

was useless and it was just too hard.

Unfortunately if someone pulls out of

the programme, there’s little we can

do. It’s their choice. But I will try to do

whatever I can to stop it happening.

Later, when I go to meet a new client,

Jess*, and find she isn’t home, I don’t

give up. Instead, I tell her husband I’ll

leave my phone on and I check into a

nearby hotel – something I have to do

occasionally when clients go AWOL.

It’s 2am when Jess’s husband calls to
tell me she has been picked up by the
police near Beachy Head, East Sussex.
It’s a common suicide spot, and the
police found her heading that way,
her car swerving. They charged her
with drink-driving and she told her
husband she’d wait at the police station
before catching the first train back.
Her husband blindly believed her,
but I know she isn’t safe to come
home alone, so I jump in my car and
start driving, repeatedly calling Jess.
After 30 tries, she eventually answers,
and through the sobs she tells me
where she is. When I reach her, she’s
huddled over a bench on a freezing
train platform. She looks up and says,
“I can’t do this any more. I’m just
thinking about which train I’m
going to jump in front of.”
I crouch on the floor in front of
her as she veers between sobbing
hysterically about what her life has
become and resolutely vowing that
she’ll end it all and jump. We’re there
for a few hours, until other commuters
start arriving. Dressed in their work
clothes, they are a vivid reminder of
the career pressure that has, in part,
driven Jess, a hugely successful
barrister, to such depths. Eventually
she agrees to leave the platform –
and I support her back to my car.
Once Jess is back home with her
husband, I head home, feeling slightly
shaken by the experience. This job
does get to you – it can be so frustrating
if someone relapses, or isn’t accepting
your help. But part of the job is having
to stay on top of my own emotions: if
I went home after a day like today and
said, ‘It was fine,’ then that wouldn’t
be human – I do get upset and I do
get angry, but I have to put that aside
when dealing with my patients.
I also have to make sure that while
caring deeply about them, I don’t
let myself become too attached or
take on their problems as my own.
There’s a dark hole out there and
I see it daily – I have to be careful
*NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. HAIR AND MAKE-UP EMILY-JANE WILLIAMS. STYLING SAIREY STEMP. DRESS, NEW LOOK. BAG, MATT & NAT. SHOES, VANS. SHOT IN A HIRED LOCATION HOUSE. SOBERSERVICES.CO.UKnot to throw myself in it. ◆