If you want a basic cookie cutter program that does PHP/IOP and has decent housing then this is an alright choice. The one big plus, is that pretty much everybody (in the male program) ends up with a single room very quickly. it’s 3 bedroom apartments, and the newest people share a big master bedroom until a room opens up in the other two which are singles. Most sober livings, you’re gonna have two people to a room meant for one the entire time.
The housing and the fact that they don’t do all that phone location tracking nonsense, have a reasonable curfew, don’t restrict your movements or have a blackout period (unless things have changed in the past year), are the redeeming qualities to the program. Sadly, that’s just not enough to counteract everything else.
If you sign up for the program, they will downplay how long you have to be in PHP/IOP. It’s INSANELY long. You are expected to happily sit around doing (mostly worthless) groups and therapies from 9-5 Monday-Friday for the first TWO MONTHS. That means you can’t get a job, can’t move forward in your life, can barely work a real 12 step program, or basically do anything besides be bored out of your mind in order for them to run your insurance up to the absolute maximum.
They will tell you it’s only 30 days on the phone but it’s 30 BUSINESS DAYS, which ends up being 2 months or more. Then it’s another SIXTY business days of 5 days a week IOP (9-12, or 6-9) which still severely limits your options for employment. For a company catered towards addicts, they should know it’s already nigh impossible to get hired anywhere due to backgrounds, transportation, etc. putting this massive time restriction on you just makes for an environment full of newly sober, extremely bored “dry drunks” with little accountability once they get home, and that breeds relapse.
When I was a client as empowered I came into it desperate for change, willing to do anything to get it. But the “structure” forced on me by this program quickly extinguished any and all fire and fight I had. I was holding on by the skin of my teeth for months, but it simply was never going to work there. Maybe others are capable of thriving in such an environment, but for a real alcoholic/addict such as myself, it was exactly the opposite of what I needed. It quickly lulled me into complacency and comfort, and while some of the staff (therapists, house managers) meant well, they really had no clue how to effectively provide accountability and support for a true alcoholic.
If you are struggling more with mental health than addiction, then I would say go for it. But if you’re like me, please, do yourself a favor and find a different program before you waste months of your life gradually becoming bitter, broken, and bewildered.
My therapist Nick was a great dude, super nice and knowledgeable, but he simply couldn’t help me because he’s not an addict himself. Nothing but love for him.
They will go way overboard micromanaging your medication, ESPECIALLY if you’re on suboxone. You can’t claim to be a program that supports MAT while shaming those that are on it and make them feel like they’re doing something wrong just because they want a stable nervous system.
When I finally relapsed, they strung me along while I was in detox, knowing that I needed to come back because my job was right there and I didn’t have a car, they even made me write an essay begging to come back.
The day before I was set to leave detox and come back they switch it up on me and say I have to start PHP/IOP all over from the start which would mean having to quit my job. Obviously, I declined.
Danielle, who no longer works there, while acting as my “recovery coach” would insert her judgemental opinions about my relationship, make incorrect claims about MAT, while not even working the steps.
Finally, my girlfriend applied for a tech position SIX MONTHS later. Danielle approached her at a AA meeting interrogating her about her relationship status, and way overstepped with her “advice”. Super unprofessional, inappropriate, and weird.
