Déjà vu Part Deux

People tend to reflect upon the past more often as we near the final moments of the year. It’s no different with reporters (or bloggers) who look to history for stories during the holiday season when breaking news is at a standstill. Cynthia Crossen of the Wall Street Journal has done exactly that with a piece in the Déjà vu section titled If Dr. Keeley Could See You Now, You'd Be Headed for 'Jabs'. It’s about Dr. Leslie E. Keeley who’s “Gold Standard” scientific cure for alcoholism was touted to have a 95% success rate.

Dr. Keeley was part visionary, part charlatan, and the combination made him a wealthy man. He franchised his system to more than 100 treatment centers across America and in Canada and England. Five state legislatures in the U.S. agreed to use taxpayers' money to subsidize the $25-a-week cost of treating drunks at Keeley institutes. When Dr. Keeley died in 1900, his estate was valued at $1 million (about $25 million in today's purchasing power).~ WSJ.com

My first thoughts upon seeing the story, especially in a financial news arena, was that Mrs. Croswell was going to compare the “Gold Standard” of then, to the addiction cure-all Prometa that is currently being promoted by junk bond salesman Terren Peizer. I was disappointed in this aspect as there was no comparison, but I could not help but see the similarities between the fabulous claims and marketing techniques used by Keeler over a century ago to that of the high powered Prometa campaign.

One of the most glaring similarities is the slick marketing campaign of both “cures”. The Prometa billboard campaign using Chris Farley (dead from overdose) states that “Addiction is Physical, The Treatment is Medical” seems to be just the modern version of Keeley’s slogan "Drunkenness is a disease, and I can cure it.” There was also a heavy handed push of Keeley’s formula to local and state government that became very lucrative, Hythiam (the medical company that sells Prometa) is doing the same and has had limited success even though there has been no independent proof shown that the drug even works.

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The thing that really ties these two products together is the way that they both lure investors in with their slick presentations and then rely on these franchise clinics to support their claims. Well it doesn’t take a Homer doh’ moment to realize that from this point on they need to create positive news to protect their investment. It seems that Wall Street analysts are starting to catch on to this scheme after realizing that test results showing proof of Prometa’s promise are being produced by franchises and investors. Keeley claimed a 95% success rate from his elixir that is unless the patient returned to drinking by conscious choice, which is sort of a free get out of jail card used even today by miracle cures and treatments for addiction. Another way to shunt criticism is by providing traditional support groups and healthcare in addition to the Prometa regimen which are already known to have a positive affect in treating addiction. Of course this sort of outpatient or group support is certainly available for less than $15,000 a pop.

I hope that Mrs. Crossen, who is known for digging for the truth in her book Tainted Truth, will soon discover that her blast from the past about Keeley is very relevant when compared to the latest performance artist in the addiction world, Terren Peizer.