Resort 12  is a new residential rehabilitation facility, located in mountainous and tranquil grounds close to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand.  It is dedicated to the LGBTQ community, which is up to three times more likely than other groups to suffer from addiction and trauma-related issues, making it the only specialist residential LGBTQ rehab centre ouside of the US.

Resort 12 is part of The Cabin Addiction Services Group, which specialises in providing world-class treatment for both substance addictions, and process addictions such as gambling, sex, internet, food and others. Treatment is administered by a team of highly experienced, licensed addiction specialists using an evidence-based treatment model. This model has been independently verified to be more effective than conventional addiction treatment methods and yields a 96% programme completion rate.  

The Group has Residential and Outpatient Treatment Centres worldwide in Europe, the Far East and Australia. The opening of Resort 12 follows the successful launch of The Edge, another specialist addiction programme specifically designed for young men aged 15 to 25, engaging in intense physical activity such as Muay Thai boxing and wilderness excursions as cornerstones to a revolutionary treatment method.

To showcase Resort 12 in the UK, Principal Counsellor Stu Fenton will be hosting an informal lunch for London-based counsellors, therapists, mental health care professionals and representatives of the LGBTQ community at the Sanctum Soho Hotel on July 23.

The event will include a presentation from Fenton on his own personal story, details on the unique facility and treatment methods, and the opportunity to hear first-hand from Resort 12 client Rory, a 34-year-old gay man who had been battling addiction to prescription drugs and crystal meth for many years and is now clean and has his life back. 

Also in attendance will be Resort 12 Brand Ambassador Fat Tony who struggled with his own addictions for 28 years. He is passionate about the need for an LBGTQ specific treatment centre and wishes something like this would’ve been available for him: “Although I have been in recovery for drug addiction and alcoholism for over 10 years, I didn’t deal with my sex addiction until much later, mainly because of shame and not being able to talk openly about it in group therapy sessions.” 

Fenton has a lot of experience working with gay men and is dedicated to helping individuals achieve their goals in regard to alcohol and drug addiction, self-esteem issues, life skills, grief and loss. His desire to work in this field comes from his own personal experiences with addiction, body image issues and family conflict.  Fenton comments, “‘LGBTQ clients are wired differently when it comes to addiction and trauma. To recover, their specific issues need to be addressed and their culture needs to be understood by empathetic and knowledgeable professionals.” Resort 12 guarantees a safe and confidential sanctuary with a culture of understanding, respect and support, regardless of sexual and gender identities. Clients benefit from the care of empathetic, nurturing therapists and staff, and the shared experience of peers.

The proven individual and group therapies used include psychoanalysis, mindfulness meditation, an adapted 12-step model, eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR), art therapy and yoga. In addition to core therapies, the 20-bedroom resort runs optional breakout groups on issues which are of specific relevance to the LGBTQ community, like chemsex, gender identity, relationship disorders, body image and shame.

The opening of Resort 12 has been welcomed by many high-profile celebrity supporters including David Furnish, Sir Elton John and Boy George, who said, “Everything good in my life right now is because I am sober. When I was first in recovery, awareness around LGBTQ addiction and trauma was limited. That’s changed. That’s why an LGBTQ treatment centre like Resort 12 is so important.” 

Therapists are warmly invited to the July 23 London event. To request an invitation to the event email [email protected]