Sportive Recovery: Alcohol retreat for athletes

Sports Recovery

Sport-based coaching for an alcohol-free future

Are you wondering whether it would be better to drink less alcohol? Perhaps some of these feel familiar:

You’re actually (very) sporty, yet despite your training your performance has plateaued. Your alcohol consumption is no longer just about enjoyment. You often drink on your own—or even a little in secret. Perhaps people have already spoken to you about your drinking.

Alcohol is one of the most socially accepted drugs in our society. More than that—it’s woven into our communities, a ritual for special moments in life, and it’s not uncommon to be criticised if you don’t join in—until, yes, it becomes “too much”.

There are many people in the same situation as you. But it’s time to change that.

Who am I?
How I can help you stop drinking alcohol!
Who is “Sports Recovery” for?
What else is important …
Costs

Who’s the guy who’ll help you stop drinking?

May I introduce myself? I’m Gregor Schäfer — a dedicated amateur athlete with a focus on triathlon, and a sober alcoholic. I drank for years — without any apparent problems. Even when I was drinking daily, I stayed athletic and “functioned” in everyday life, at work, and in competition. I’ve stood on the start line with residual alcohol from the day before and still managed to finish in the upper midfield. For many years, my motivation to stop wasn’t particularly strong. But slowly, my consumption crept up. When I finally started looking for a way to drink less, I struggled to find support that actually fit my life. A detox clinic? Weeks away from work? Therapy with people who had “drunk themselves to ruin”? Or those educational programmes explaining why alcohol is bad for the body?

When it came to choosing a clinic, I had to compromise. Even during the shortened course of therapy (the so-called “six-week combination therapy”), I realised what truly matters — and what merely eats up time. Taking time out is important. Slowing down and creating space for yourself helps many processes. But there are personal limits. People with the cognitive capacity for self-reflection and deeper, more philosophical conversations can try to complete the programme in a shorter period. However, there are no “short programmes” funded by health insurers or the German Pension Insurance if your goal is to stop drinking.

I was looking for help that matched my reality. That’s how Sports Recovery came to be.

Who is “Sportive Recovery” for?

For people with a strong connection to sport: ambitious athletes or former professional athletes who have taken the compensatory route via alcohol and other controlled substances and, ideally, have (not yet?) experienced a total collapse; and/or
the same clientele who have been successfully “treated” but wish to achieve a refresher/stability through a short three-week programme in order to consolidate the strength they’ve gained.
Those seeking exchange with like-minded people and to build their professional network.

You want to stop drinking alcohol and feel drawn to our Sportive Recovery offer — great! To see whether the programme is right for you, please read the PDF on Einordnung nach Jelinek read it carefully and check the following points (this may take 2–3 days, as there are quite a few pages to go through):

According to the “VAKC” classification, you are not yet in the critical phase — or you sense you’re about to enter it.
You should be able to cycle (on a road bike), swim, and jog for at least 45 minutes without a break. You own a road bike or can borrow one.
You have no diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or other physical limitations that require medical supervision. If you do, you’ll be better served in other facilities such as the Median Clinics or — if affordable — the Betty Ford Clinic.
You are willing to talk about yourself and your life.

Further notes briefly summarised in a video:

What else is important …

Before the programme starts, you should first reduce your alcohol consumption “instinctively” — ideally to zero — because we are not an alternative to medical detox. Sports Recovery is not a “detox” and cannot replace one. A wrong assessment can be very dangerous, and under certain circumstances we reserve the right to stop the training and take appropriate action — possibly referral to a clinic.
During the three-week programme, you must not drink alcohol. If you notice that “normal” consumption is no longer possible for you and/or the gaps between drinking pauses keep getting shorter, you should set a clear goal of becoming fully abstinent, because once you reach phase K it is no longer possible to “learn” controlled drinking.
With addiction, always remember: time matters! Zeit ist entscheidend! Less than three weeks makes little sense for this programme, as every alcohol-free day strengthens your success. In the first two weeks, it’s common to feel a temporary “craving” for alcohol, and you may experience mild night sweats in the first week. Only in the third week do the first small wins begin — the ones that allow participants to build the cornerstones of abstinence on their own.
Sports Recovery must be privately financed. The training programme is not covered by health insurers or the pension insurance. We issue an invoice for coaching fees, which can be tax-deductible. This also means there are no formalities required, and the programme can be run even more anonymously. It’s even possible to cover it with annual leave. Thanks to the small group, discretion is even better ensured than in larger clinics.

These are the costs you can expect:

Accommodation in a single room with full board for 21 days at a lakeside facility in Waldhessen
9 × 90-minute group coaching sessions (3× per week) — we work with skilled therapists
3 × 60-minute one-to-one coaching sessions (1× per week) — with Gregor Schäfer
1 × massage with physical assessment, approx. 60 minutes
Daily sports programme with approx. 2–5 hours of activity, tailored to group dynamics
Excursions can be planned at weekends, with or without coaches
Full board with an Indian touch, wide selection of vegan dishes; additional in-house wellness services available for an extra fee

3.800,-