Drug and Alcohol Rehab
Over the years I have written quite a bit about drug and alcohol rehab. I believe that many people like myself believe that recovery must start with “Rehab”. The first time I ever heard about a drug or alcohol rehab was in 1980. I had been arrested for armed robbery and was held without bail.
I had been arrested before but had always been bailed out quickly, so this was my first extended stay in jail. This was not a holding cell to sleep it off over night. After a week or so while waiting for my court date I began to meet the jailhouse lawyers. They all offered free advice. They suggested for me get admitted to “drug and alcohol rehab”! I was a Veteran and recently discharged from the Army so the jailhouse lawyers turned into jailhouse social workers and informed me that the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Northport, Long Island had a drug and alcohol rehab center.
They gave me all the details what to say and what not to say in order to get in. Honestly, I would have entered the program had it kept me out of jail. However, in NY there is a mandatory sentence for use of a handgun in a crime. So rehab was out of the question! But more importantly the seed was planted. After six years of painful attempts at controlling my use, I finally entered rehab! There is no shortcut to treating drug and alcohol problems, but checking into rehab is a great start.
We are all made up of our experiences. Our strategies in life are developed by our history of successes and failures. Often what appears to be a failure over time turns into a success. We have developed The Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, Beachway Therapy Center program based upon our history of failure turned success. We believe that Drug and Alcohol Rehab must assist the individual and family to develop strategies for successful living. That is a personal responsibility.
Is Drug and Alcohol Rehab the mandatory start for the recovered life?
Not necessarily, however it plays a huge role if you take it seriously. Our experiences, including our own personal recovery stories, history of addiction, our work 
histories in the field of addiction and human service have enabled us to develop a hands on approach that bridges the gap between “Drug and Alcohol Treatment” and “Recovery”.
That bridge can be crossed in several ways. Often a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center is the first step, however we find that many folks simply do not have the money to pay this huge expense. For some a recovery center, which is an alternative to a traditional rehabilitation center is the choice. The Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, Beachway Therapy Center's model of treatment is much more affordable. Twelve step programs, a commitment to religion, therapy, other psycho-ed courses in addiction or rational recovery types of programs are also gateways to the recovered life.
What works best? The answer is simple, “You” do. It works when you put in the effort, when your desire to change and live the life you have dreamed and have the potential to achieve, that is the “X-factor”. However, very much like crossing any bridge the vehicle you choose can make a difference. Having a “Bridger” or “Facilitator” an individual(s) that has crossed that bridge can make all of the difference in the world. If you want what we have then do what we do is the approach.
What did we do? We investigated, we gathered the facts, and then we developed a strategy that works for us and many other people like ourselves. We implemented basic fundamentals, kept an open mind and viewed failure as a stepping stone to progress. Recovery is personal we do not all recover in exactly the same way. But our chances are greater with guidance!
