Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, founder of Clínica Recal, brought together some of the best-known faces of the Madrid aristocracy and jet set last night at his traditional charity dinner. At his call came, among other names, Jaime de Marichalar, the brothers Fernando and Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, Jaime Martínez Bordiú, Juan Abelló with Ana Gamazo, Javier Fitz-James Stuart, Teresa Domecq, Blanca Osorio, Otto de Hannover, Pablo of Hohenlohe and, naturally, his sister, Sophia of Habsburg.
All gathered with the same objective: to raise funds and provide scholarships to people without resources in their clinic specialized in the treatment of addictions such as drugs, alcohol, gambling and, in recent times, screen addiction.
There are dozens of charitable initiatives that run through the calendar each year, but the Clinic founded by our protagonist is one of the few “essentials.” How do you ensure that people who are sometimes so evasive about social dates cannot refuse? In conversation with La Vanguardia, this is how Maximilian of Habsburg explains: “Thank you for the compliment (laughs). I think the reason so many people attend is because it is a very nice project. Every time we give this dinner, one of our patients tells his life story and it has a lot of impact: people realize the suffering that addiction entails.”
The archduke prefers to be discreet about the amount raised this year. “I’ll just tell you that it is an important number. The money is always used to provide scholarships to patients without funds and we are also opening a new unit for eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia, a very important project for which we will need everything we can raise.”
The Recal Clinic – which means “recovering souls” – is an addiction treatment center created in Madrid in 2001. Its medical team works every day to help the reintegration into society of those people affected by addiction to any type of drug. substance and/or behavior. Alcoholism, drugs, sex, tobacco or gambling are some of the addictions that the clinic helps them overcome, in addition to offering free help to their families. The Majadahonda clinic is fully occupied and the center of Madrid continues to grow to help addicts and their families.
Eating disorders are the area that has experienced the most growth in recent times, up to 30% since the beginning of the pandemic: “It may be due to confinement and excessive use of networks. Anorexia and bulimia affect young people and create unimaginable suffering for those who suffer from them and their families. So much so that they are the main cause of suicide among all mental illnesses.” Quality treatments are not easy to obtain and, as in other cases of addiction, some professionals are not trained in detection, diagnosis and treatment, says De Habsburgo, which is why Recal has decided to open a unit specialized in eating disorders.
