We all want to trust addiction recovery centers. After all, they exist to empower people to step into a life of sobriety, restored relationships, and wellness—or so we think.

It’s discouraging, but many recovery centers value profits over people. This leads to  incidents with ill-intended programs, resulting in a loss of trust. However, this problem, and the need to clean it up, is being addressed by an organization called LegitScript which is dedicated to helping companies and organizations of all sizes keep their services legal and safe for consumers—including those in the recovery industry.

As LegitScript puts it, 

“The anonymity that the internet affords has given criminals, brand infringers, and other miscreants the ability to hide who they are, and what they are doing. For consumers, it means a less safe, less transparent environment. For businesses, it means potential losses from fraud and bad customers, as well as increased regulatory and reputational risk.”

Most recovery centers have genuine intentions to be a source of help and mission-driven guidance. If you're reading this, chances are you're one of them. Welcome. You probably already understand that it's more important than ever to be recognized as legitimate and trustworthy, a solution now available through LegitScript certification—and we at Gloo definitely think organizations like you should take that seriously.

We interviewed Steve Millette, former CEO of the Colorado-based recovery center CeDAR and currently the head of the recovery vertical at Gloo, to discuss why recovery centers should be using LegitScript and he had some solid reasons to share.

They're provided here so you can see the benefits for yourself:

1. You will stand out from the crowd.

LegitScript’s goal is to make the internet safer, and cybercriminals' lives more difficult. If you aren’t a cybercriminal, LegitScript wants to see you and other well-intended recovery centers thriving and practicing. But until a recovery center obtains certification, there is no other credible way to distinguish the well-intended from the ill-intended. Your best bet is to get certified—and LegitScript claims to be the only independent certification organization for the job.

Getting certified will let the world know that you operate in a legitimate way, helping gain the trust of those you're trying to reach. Do it with LegitScript and you will obtain qualification from a leading organization whose certification is either required or recognized by many of the world’s leading credit card networks, search engines, and regulators—including Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Visa.

2. You will reduce or even completely avoid advertising disruptions.

Without obtaining certification, addiction treatment centers face having their ad campaigns disrupted, paused, or even suspended—and they rely on targeted advertising and marketing to reach those who need treatment.  LegitScript currently offers an addiction treatment certification for drug and alcohol treatment providers, which helps consumers find the care and services they need in a safer, more reliable way.

Getting LegitScript certification will allow you to participate in online advertising, e-commerce, and payment processing programs with minimal disruptions, which is what you need to bring in the right people and keep your treatment center a place of recovery and trusted wellness.

Think of it this way: You win your ability to advertise online, and you will win your people.

3. You can rest assured knowing you are working with
a trusted partner.

More than ever before, it’s crucial that recovery centers are trustworthy and sound.

In September of 2017, Google announced they were removing AdWords from the internet for addiction treatment due to the incredible amount of fraud and abuse being perpetrated by recovery centers and other websites. Some of these AdWords were earning Google hundreds of dollars per click. Then, in August of 2018, Facebook began doing the same thing, removing ad campaigns tied to recovery centers. The increasing amount of cyber crimes in the recovery industry lead to multitudes of campaigns being shut down, many of them belonging to trustworthy recovery centers. Something needed to happen.

After testing with pilot groups, LegitScript, in partnership with the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) approached Google, presenting itself as the solution. This lead to LegitScript empowering Google to relaunch a safer way to use AdWords for the recovery industry. Since then, many of the world’s leading companies have chosen to use LegitScript for certification and monitoring, including Facebook, Amazon, and Visa.

Beyond that, LegitScript has partnered with some of the top organizations in the recovery industry, including NAATP, the Center on Addiction, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD). In addition, LegitScript offers a resource tool to report any suspicious websites that may not already be in their database.

Talk about commitment to justice. When you choose to get certified through LegitScript, you will rest assured knowing you are working with a trusted partner—and others will know it too.

4. Your people deserve it.

Let’s take a step back from the logistics of this for a moment and focus on people—in the end, that’s what addiction recovery centers are all about.

Whenever someone chooses to go through the inquiry or enrollment process of a recovery center, they are expressing their commitment. As a treatment organization, it’s important for people to know they can rely on you. After all, you're acting as a major beacon of hope, not only for those who need treatment, but for their families and loved ones who are so often the people first exploring help and options.

When obtaining your certification through LegitScript, you're not only reflecting a commitment back to your people, you're proving to them that you are who you say you are. After all the time and money you put into your program, services, and the online ad campaigns designed to get your brand out to the people, don’t you want your organization to live up to all its marketed reputation?

We call this trust, and it's what your people deserve.

In the end, this all comes back to the people you’re trying to serve. Do you care about helping them step into a life of sobriety by increasing access and awareness? What about seeing them recover from their addictions through a safe, quality treatment experience? Can you say you’re passionate about seeing families and friendships restored? If so, you’ll to build relationships with your people and develop a trust they can rely on.

But the relationships that power the growth of your people can’t happen without also covering the basics. Getting your addiction recovery center certified through LegitScript is your next move to set you apart from the rest, enhance your ability in online advertising, work with a respected partner in the industry, and develop trust with your people while watching them grow.

5. Oh and by the way, it’s required.

We couldn’t leave this one out!

If you want to run any sort of online advertising campaigns for your addiction recovery center a LegitScript certification is required.

As of now, LegitScript stands as the only approved organization for the job. And while monopolies can sometimes be intimidating or concerning, it’s important to realize the intention behind the organization and the solutions it provides. Other than how long the process can take to get certified, no one who's trying to do the right thing is complaining about it. Take Google and Facebook for example, who were already open to regulating and self-regulating before the government even intervened.

In Millette’s words, “If the two biggest platforms in the world have done it, it's a matter of time before others do as well.”

So what’s holding you back?

Click here to begin the process of your LegitScript certification. And if you need more time to learn more about LegitScript’s process of certification for addiction recovery centers you can find lots of good information about
it here.