Dr. Eric Chaghouri leads the medical program at The Retreat at Orange County, where every client’s care begins and ends with a physician who has spent his career at the intersection of psychiatry and addiction. Double board-certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, he brings a depth of medical leadership most treatment programs simply don’t have on site — and under his direction, clients receive something most can’t offer: psychiatric care built into the program itself, with at least weekly psychiatric visits, not a referral to an outside provider after discharge.
"We approach co-occurring conditions aggressively — depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder need to be addressed, not parked until after detox. In most treatment settings, the practitioners are experts in substance use alone. Here, every client receives psychiatric care, with at least weekly psychiatric visits — which goes above and beyond the standard of care."
Dr. Chaghouri’s path to addiction medicine ran through some of the most demanding clinical environments in the country. After earning his medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, he completed his psychiatry residency at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center — one of the busiest public hospitals in the nation — where he was selected as Chief Resident of Psychiatric Emergency Services. There is no better preparation for managing the medical and psychiatric complexity of detox than running a major county psychiatric emergency department.
He went on to complete fellowship training in forensic psychiatry at the USC Institute of Psychiatry and Law, and has served as a consultant to the Los Angeles County Superior Courts, the District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Health Services. He holds additional training certification in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and has been a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the California Society of Addiction Medicine since 2013, alongside memberships in the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
Before medicine, Dr. Chaghouri graduated summa cum laude in Biology from UCLA — where he was also a member of the 2006 national championship men’s volleyball team and was named UCLA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2007.
In a six-bed program, medical directorship isn’t a title on a wall — it’s hands-on oversight of every client’s care.
"In a large program, clients can get lost. Here, the entire staff knows your name. The team is intimate, cohesive, and in constant communication — which means the medical oversight isn't just closer, it's more tailored."
Dr. Chaghouri designs and oversees every detox protocol, beginning with validated assessment tools — COWS for opioid withdrawal, CIWA-Ar for alcohol — and tailoring from there to each client’s substance history, co-occurring conditions, medications, and real-time presentation. His philosophy on medication-assisted treatment reflects the same individualization:
"Medication-assisted treatment is a tremendous tool — it helps with cravings, reduces the risk of relapse, and is associated with solid outcomes. MAT is not just Suboxone. There are other options, like acamprosate and naltrexone, and the right choice depends on the person in front of us."
Dr. Chaghouri is the founder of The Recovery Doctor, a national organization providing psychiatric care, addiction medicine services, and medical directorship to behavioral health programs across the United States. His career spans direct patient care, medical leadership at respected treatment programs throughout Southern California, forensic consultation, and program development — all grounded in evidence-based, outcomes-driven care.
Every client at The Retreat at Orange County is treated under Dr. Chaghouri’s medical direction, with psychiatric care woven into detox and residential treatment from day one.
Double Board-Certified: Psychiatry (ABPN, 2015) & Addiction Medicine (ABPM, 2026)
MD, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Psychiatry Residency, LAC+USC Medical Center — Chief Resident, Psychiatric Emergency Services
Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, USC Institute of Psychiatry and Law
California Medical License A123663
DBT Training Certification
Member: ASAM, CSAM, APA, AAPL
B.S. Biology, UCLA, summa cum laude
