Can A Recovery “Debit” Card Help Addict’s Learn Healthy Spending Habits?

by AdamS on July 1, 2012

It can be incredibly difficult for recovering addicts to transition back into the real world. Many of the things that regular people take for granted, things like driving, shopping, running errands, can be very difficult for people who are in a fragile state of recovery, especially those going through methadone detox. One of the biggest challenges these people face is relearning how to budget their money. In the past, typically, people who were addicted to drugs or alcohol would spend the majority of their income on their addictions and disregard the monetary consequences, until they would find themselves in detox rehab. Thankfully, a new program, initiated by MasterCard, has been started to help these individuals who are reentering society to do so with a tool that allows them to control their spending.

Managing Spending Patterns

The “Next Step MasterCard Program”, which was founded by three recovering addicts, is making daily life much more manageable, monetarily, for people who are fresh out of rehabilitation. The program is basically a prepaid, reloadable, debit card that acts as a watchdog for individuals spending habits and patterns. For example, these cards will not work at establishments where, traditionally, it is easy for someone with an addiction to get into trouble. Places like liquor stores, nightclubs, bars, and casinos are all examples of locations where this program’s card would not work. In addition, the card does not allow for cash-back and ATM withdrawals. Instead, the card is managed by a daily spending limit, and therefore makes it much less easy for an individual to use their money on dangerous and potentially relapse causing activities.

Removing Temptations

One of the reasons this program seems to be working so well is that was designed by the very people it is supposed to help. If there is one thing addicts are adept at, it’s making sure they are able to maneuver their resources around so that they obtain their drug of choice. With this card, it makes accessing resources to obtain drugs or alcohol much more difficult. “We can’t obviously be foolproof, but we want to add another line of defense in the way of people being triggered to go out and relapse,” Eric Dresdale, a recovering addict and founding member of the “Next Step MasterCard Program” says. “The unfortunate thing with people in this community is, if they want to relapse, they’re going to find a way to relapse. What we’ve done with this product is make that much more difficult.”

In addition to making it more difficult for recovering addicts to put themselves into risky positions, the program aims to reeducate people on how to healthily and responsibly spend their money. With the card, users are limited to only 40 swipes in a single month. That’s just a little over one transaction per day. In addition, users will have access to budgeting reports and tools online to help them keep track of their spending habits. The target demographic for this program is recovering addicts between the ages of 17-30, and the founders hope that it will help to reopen the lines of healthy communication between recovering addicts and their family members. Hopefully, this new program catches on in the recovery community, as it is a fantastic tool to help those who are reentering society after a stay in detox rehab, newly sober, with their daily lives. If you know anyone going through methadone detox please recommend this card to them.

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