Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery -
Reaches a milestone

What were you doing in February 1979?
At Proctor Hospital’s Chemical Dependency Center, they were admitting their first patient. As a pioneer in hospital-based chemical dependency treatment, Proctor Hospital quickly gained a reputation for quality, compassionate care and leading technology.

In its first decade, the Chemical Dependency Center started several programs including Aftercare, Family Program for adults and children, Outpatient Rehabilitation (intensive outpatient treatment), round-the-clock assessments and Adult Children of Alcoholics and Relapse Prevention treatment. The next five years saw further expansion of outpatient services and the opening of another outpatient facility. During this time, nicotine addiction treatment, Addiction Day Treatment (partial hospitalization) and Intensive Assessment services were established.

In 1993, the face of addiction entering the Chemical Dependency Center began to change, so expansion took on a different focus. The Chemical Dependency Center began aggressively and comprehensively treating gambling and spending addictions. This prompted a name change from the Chemical Dependency Center to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, which better reflected its mission and vision in treating multiple addictions. Soon to follow were treatment programs for food and sex addiction and, in 1996, the nation’s first comprehensive Internet addiction treatment program.

Expansion also included stepping outside of the treatment field and into the training and consultation arena in 1994. The Gambling Counselor Certification Training program and Paradigm magazine began educating professionals on addiction-related issues and treatment techniques while print, radio and television appearances by the Illinois Institute’s staff, along with its website, educated the public throughout the United States and abroad.

In the past year, the Illinois Institute has again focused on expanding its line of services and access to those services. To expand access, it began operating another comprehensive facility in June 1998 located at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Ill. To expand its scope of services, it started providing employee assistance and student assistance services.

It has been an exciting 20 years. In 1999, the Illinois Institute will honor its past and the pioneering efforts of leaders in the field. In April, it will also be celebrating its present and looking into its future with the ribbon cutting of a new inpatient facility on the Proctor Hospital campus.

In the past 20 years, there have been many significant advances in addiction treatment that have bettered the lives of millions of people. It is obvious to those of us who work in the addiction treatment field that we have only begun to understand the diseases we treat. We expect the next 20 years to bring new technology and better treatment techniques at a pace more rapid than ever before. The Illinois Institute eagerly anticipates and welcomes the challenges, revelations and triumphs ahead as we enter the next millennium.

—Rick Zehr

Rick Zehr, M.S., C.S.A.D.C. is the Vice President of Addiction and Behavioral Services at Proctor Hospital.