A Forever Recovery

I saw something about A Forever Recovery for the first time maybe 7 years ago. I was trying to find a place for my son to go and AFR had seemed like a good place for him. Before I called them, I did a bit of research and read enough reviews and posts about AFR being a recruitment center for a cult to change my mind about sending him there. My son spent the next 6 years in and out of rehab and every time I would start looking for a new rehab to send him, I’d see A Forever Recovery and after 6 years of my son making absolutely no improvement, I decided that it might actually be easier to get him out of a cult once he was clean, and if that cult could get him to stay sober that it would be worth it. Obviously, I was at the end of my rope because that isn’t a normal thought for a mother to have. I felt sort of stupid when I called A Forever Recovery and found out that it isn’t affiliated with that cult anymore. So, the decision to send him to AFR ended up being pretty easy. AFR has a very impressive set-up and the more I was told about their program and what my son would be doing there, the more excited I was to send him there. AFR doesn’t have a one size fits all mentality when it comes to treatment, they have different programs that their clients choose from. Which I was really happy to hear. I never realized that my son wasn’t the only program, that the program he’d been doing might’ve been wrong for him. Whenever I found out that my son had relapsed, I blamed him. I thought he wasn’t trying hard enough or that he didn’t care enough to stay sober. I’d been sending him to 12-step programs because it was the only program that I knew anything about. The 12-step program has been around for so long that I didn’t even consider looking into different programs and before my son went to AFR the only kind of program he’d done was the 12-step program. My son was able to choose a program that he felt comfortable doing and his entire attitude towards his recovery changed after he decided to do the SMART program. He put much more effort into doing that program because he’d finally found something that made sense to him. As I’ve said, AFR doesn’t have a one size fits all mentality so the clients pick their programs but, they also stay for however long it takes them to get that program right. When my son first started AFR, he did so with the same attitude that he’d started every rehab in the past with. Which was a bit annoyed that he was back in rehab just to appease me, planning to ride out the program without putting much effort into it. After going through detox, then seeing the different programs they have and spending time figuring out what program he wanted to do, his whole attitude changed. Being in rehab stopped being something he was doing just to make his mom feel better, became him caring about staying sober again and he started putting the effort he needed into getting the program done right. Going to A Forever Recovery gave my son a better chance at staying sober than every other rehab he’s ever gone to. I am very happy that I finally called AFR and gave them a chance because going there has saved my son’s life. He got home last week, and I’ve never seen him so determined to stay sober. He’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing, working on his aftercare program and staying in touch with one of his counselors from AFR. Our entire family’s life has improved because of my son’s stay at AFR and I’m so grateful for everything they did for him and everything they’ve continued to do since he’s been home.

When I went to A Forever Recovery, I was ready to start a new life. I was completely ready to stop doing drugs and everything else that was harmful to myself and others. When I went there, I was this weird mix of being hopeful but also jaded. I wanted to get off drugs but, I wasn’t sure it was something I could really do. Just the fact that I really did want to get clean helped me though. When I went to AFR it was the first time that I’d gone to a rehab that I wanted to work. I was more receptive to doing the program and working on myself. While I was at AFR I learned how to navigate my life and my choices so I wouldn’t fall back into old habits and the things I learned while at AFR is the reason that I’ve been able to stay sober. I finished my program at AFR 6 months ago and while I’m still sober, I also feel stable. Which for me is just as important. I learned a lot about myself while I was at AFR. I learned why I’d been doing the things I had, why I’d been making the choices I’d been making. I learned how to stop when things were getting harder in my life, how to take a step back, reevaluate things and then deal with them the right way, before I got to a point where I wanted to use. It can be hard to stay sober after rehab. For me, it was because I always had, in the back on my mind, the thought that every bad day I have, everything I didn’t like could be swept away if I used. I knew that if I started using the problem itself wouldn’t go away but, it wouldn’t matter to me anymore, and that’s a hard thing to get past. It takes much more work to deal with the problem than it does to pretend like it doesn’t exist. So, while I was at AFR, I learned how to deal with things before they got to the point where I wanted that escape. While I was going through my program, I decided that I didn’t want to go home to my parent’s house. With everything I learned at AFR I could have gone home and stayed sober but, I had family in Colorado, and I decided that starting over somewhere new would be easier and less stressful for me. I’ve always had a hard time asking for help, I always felt like if I asked for help, I was failing at whatever it was. So, I’d try to do everything on my own and I’d fail anyways. When I was going through my program, I realized that staying sober was something I wasn’t going to be able to do without help and that the bigger support system I had, the easier it would be for me. That asking for help wasn’t failing but, making sure I could succeed. So, while I was at AFR, I asked my aunt and uncle for their help and they’ve been amazing. My parents were behind my decision to move away from them because they knew that me starting over somewhere fresh was going to be easier for me than trying to do it with them. My uncle helped me get a job and I started working there 5 days after I got to Colorado. I’ve been doing good there too. I go to work every day and I’m never late. 6 months of going to work on time, without missing a day, it’s the best record I’ve had with. I’m paying my own bills, and generally just acting like an adult for first time in my life. Before going to AFR I wouldn’t have thought it was possible. As much as I wanted to get sober, I didn’t believe it was possible for me. Being around the people at AFR helped me to see that even though my life had been completely derailed by my addicted, I could get it back on track. The counselors really helped me while I was there. Sometimes, it was them being there to talk to me or help me work through some issue I was having. Sometimes, it was calling me on my bull and not letting me get away with something. The didn’t let anything, whether it was me or something else, hinder my recovery, which I’m so grateful for.

When I sent my daughter to A Forever Recovery, I was hoping that it was as good as the reviews made it seem. I prayed that this rehab would help my daughter and change her life in a positive way. My daughter started using heroin 10 years ago. When she first started using, things got bad so much faster than I could have ever thought. It takes almost no time for someone to become addicted to opiates and I found that out firsthand when my daughter started using. For these last 10 years, I have sent my daughter to so many rehabs that going to treatment had become somewhat of a joke to her. After the first didn’t help her, she started believing that nothing could, and she started taking each subsequent rehab less seriously, while her dad and I become more devasted with each one that didn’t help. It’s not exactly right to say that rehab became a joke to her. She believed that whichever rehab she was at wouldn’t help her, so she wasn’t trying at all and the only reason she continued to go to rehab was because she was humoring her dad and me. It’s not surprising that they didn’t work, and she relapsed. When I first found AFR and started talking to someone there, I was impressed with them. I wasn’t sure how effective AFR would be as a rehab because it was so different from every other rehab my daughter’s gone to but, that’s also why I wanted her to go there. AFR is the first place I’ve found that look at and treat addiction and recovery they way they do. It was refreshing talking to someone who honestly wanted to help my daughter and felt that they could help her. Once I made the decision to send her to AFR, they helped me get everything set up and ready, so that once I had her agreement to go, there wouldn’t be any delay with paperwork or insurance. Anyone who’s ever sent someone to rehab knows that you really have to move fast once you have their agreement because they can and will change their mind very quickly about going. AFR is only a few hours away from where we live so I drove her there and I was impressed when we got there with the level of care and compassion, they showed my daughter. My daughter’s recovery started different at AFR because the staff made sure that it would. While they were checking my daughter in, before she even started detoxing, they explained their program and what she’d be doing while at AFR. They talked to her, and somewhere during that talk my daughter started having a guarded hope that AFR could be different. They got her to agree to put effort into her program and work to get and stay sober. They made her see that it would be different at AFR and they got her to start her program off with a completely different attitude. The staff were patient with her during her program. They understood that she’d been guarded for so long that it would take a bit for her to feel comfortable opening up and talking about her problems. They worked with her until she did feel comfortable enough to open up. They helped her become a better person and she learned how to not use drugs as a crutch for when something didn’t go her way. She learned all this because of the staff at AFR, the program she was doing there and the fact that the philosophy behind the program she was doing was something that she could understand and get behind. In the past 10 years, I have spent a lot of time looking at, talking to and sending my daughter to different rehabs. A Forever Recovery has the best collection of staff that I’ve come across. The way AFR is run and the people working there made such a difference in my daughter’s recovery. Since my daughter’s come home, I’ve seen the confidence that she has in herself now. It made me realize how much she’d really changed in the 10 years that she used heroin and how much progress she made at AFR. She hasn’t slowed down at all since coming home, she’s using what she learned at AFR to make a better life and a better future for herself.

My parents talked me into going to A Forever Recovery for help 8 months ago. I thought it would be awful and that it would just be another rehab in a long line of rehabs that didn’t work. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ve gone to my parents many times over the years when I needed help and it’s always amazed me that no matter how much I’ve put them through or how many rehabs I’ve gone to that didn’t work, they have always supported me and tried to get me the help I needed. I’ve been trying to get sober since I started using and so I’ve gone to rehab many, many times. Sometimes those rehabs helped a bit and sometimes they didn’t help at all. In the beginning I was pretty optimistic about my recovery. When I relapsed it was upsetting but I didn’t have a problem trying again at another rehab. As time went on, each time I went to rehab only to relapse, it became impossible to stay optimistic about my recovery and eventually I stopped wanting to even try. By the time my parents found AFR I no interest whatsoever in going to rehab. It was a bit that I didn’t think anything would work at that point but it was also that I didn’t want them wasting money on me. I was at a point in my life where I just wanted to give up. I wasn’t suicidal but with the way my life had been going, I wasn’t that far off from being suicidal and so when my parents told me about AFR and asked me to go, I told them no. I figured I’d hurt my parents enough. Every relapse of mine hurt them just as much, if not more, that it hurt me and I didn’t want them wasting the time or money on something I considered a lost cause. They kept on me though, kept pestering me and eventually they bulldozed me into going. When I did finally agree it was because I wanted them to understand that I was past saving. Though, in the end, it didn’t matter why I’d agreed to go. I got to AFR 8 months ago and I loved it there. It was a lot easier to be at AFR than I’d expected. The staff in detox were amazing and they made it easier to get through my detox. Most people who work in drug rehabs do so because they are good people at want to help others. The problem I’ve always run into is that most don’t have much personal experience with drugs and so there’s a divide. At least it always felt that way to me. They have staff at AFR who have been addicted to drugs though and they do have that personal experience so that divide just doesn’t exist. Having someone I could talk to who’d been through it themselves and knew just how hard of a time I was having, that helped me the most in getting me through detox and also in realizing that AFR might actually be able to help me. They offer the SMART program at AFR and it’s the first time I’ve done that program. They do offer other programs there but, I’ve done enough 12-step programs in my life to know that they don’t work for me. The fact that I got to choose my program and was able to one that interested me as much as the SMART program did was really nice. I also stayed at AFR for 2 months which was a big help. I’ve done 60 day programs before so it wasn’t just the length of time I spent there. It wasn’t just doing the SMART program or the staff who were so great. It was all those things together that made going to AFR the best and most rewarding experience I’ve had when working to get sober. It still amazes me how much going to AFR did for me. I went 8 months ago, stayed for 2 months and have been home for 6 months now. I’ve had 6 months at home without touching any kind of substance. Working on my sobriety is easy for me when I’m in rehab. There’s nothing to distract or tempt me there. Doing that same work at home is a whole different thing and it can be really tough when a craving hits. One of the most important thing I learned at AFR was how to deal with those cravings without giving in. The best thing that’s ever happened to me was my parents bulldozing me into going to A Forever Recovery because it saved my life.

When my dad had his heart attack 5 years ago I’d been using heroin for 9 years. He was fine but after his surgery I went to visit him and he begged me to get help. My dad told me that he didn’t want to see me die before him and that he didn’t want to die without knowing that I was sober and would do okay. That’s the point in my life when I started caring about myself again and wanted to get sober. I also realized then that I didn’t have forever if I wanted to fix things with my dad and have a relationship with him again. I went to A Forever Recovery and did a program there. Afterwards I did okay for 6 months. It wasn’t always easy but I did okay until the 6 month mark which is when I relapsed. I hid it from my dad for a few months but he eventually realized that I’d been getting high again and confronted me about it. We talked and I agreed to go back to rehab. He wanted me to try a different center than AFR and I went along with it. I relapsed after that rehab and 2 more before my dad and I decided that AFR had been the most helpful and that going back there was probably the best option. There were two years between my first program at AFR and the second one. When I got there to do my second program I was nervous that it’d be weird to be back or that the staff would be disappointed in me for relapsing. That didn’t happen. They are staff working at AFR who have dealt with addiction themselves and the ones who haven’t have been around addicts and rehab for long enough that they understand how hard it can be to get and stay sober. I was happy to be back at AFR. There’s a lot about the staff working that make being at AFR easy. I got along with the staff and the other clients and it wasn’t hard to stay there for however long I needed to. The counselors at AFR will make you work hard, they will push you when you working on your program but when it’s not time to work they do a lot to make sure you have a good time there. There were a lot of activities and outings they planned and they were always a lot of fun for us clients. It was nice to have people who understood me that well when I was going through my program. I could talk to my counselor easily without getting embarrassed about something. Plus, I knew when my counselor talked about something or gave me some piece of advice it was from experience and not something he was repeating from a book or something. I got a lot out of my programs there. When I finished my second program I understood myself and my addiction so much better. I knew who and what I needed to stay away from and who and what I could handle being around. When I completed my second program at AFR I was more determined than ever to stay sober and the program I did gave me the tools I needed to do it. The counselor I worked with also helped me a lot with my dad. He talked with my dad a lot while I was going through my program. He kept my dad updated on my progress and how I was doing with everything. He talked to my dad about my addiction and explained things to him better than I ever could. He helped my dad and I to communicate better and we started repairing our relationship while I there. I completed my program 18 months ago and I’m doing amazing. I’m still sober and I love it. I love being this way and I love how great my life is now that I’m not getting high. My dad and I are closer than ever and he’s become the person I talk to when I’m having a rough day. He’s helped me so many times to stay sober and I wouldn’t have had that level of support and understanding without the help we got from my counselor at AFR.

I was talking to my aftercare specialist from A Forever Recovery the other day and she asked if I’d write a few reviews for them because of the success I’ve had since going there. I don’t talk to her very much anymore and that’s because I’ve been clean for 2 years now. I don’t know that I can properly express exactly how amazing that is for me. It’s 2 years of being in control of my life. 2 years without hurting or spectacularly disappointing the people I love. Before going to AFR I used heroin for 10 years and in that 10 years I averaged 2 rehabs a year. By the time I was 30 I’d been to rehab over 20 times and it didn’t matter what kind of rehab I went to. Whether it was state run or a private facility. Didn’t matter if I was there one month or 6. Didn’t matter if I was doing a 12-step program or something else. Once I was home I never, not once made it past the 6 month mark. When I went to AFR I did want to get clean. I honestly didn’t think I would get clean, but I did want to. I had struggled with my addiction for so long and ruined every personal relationship in my life as well as completely draining the people around me. Even still, the last few rehabs I went to, including AFR, it was more about me going to get away from any trouble I could get into and less about me getting sober. That sounds stupid but after so many years and rehabs we were all a bit apathetic about my sobriety. At least when I was in rehab though no one was worried about me dying of an overdose. None of us expected AFR to be as special as it actually was. The reason for that is pretty simple and it’s the staff there. The staff who worked with me during my program were adamant that I’d do every step of my program the best I could. I’d been to so many places that by the time I was at AFR I was pretty lazy when it came to working on my program. I didn’t think it’d help or I’d done it before and so I didn’t try very hard. The staff and counselors at AFR didn’t let me get away with any of that and whether I wanted to or not I worked hard on my program, getting the most out of it that I could. Which is a big reason I’m sober today. The dedication and commitment that every staff member at AFR has towards the clients and their sobriety isn’t something I’d ever experienced before. All the staff were completely invested in our success with staying sober. Even with all the hard work I did at AFR when I got home I was scared. I had done everything right there, I knew what I needed to do and I was doing it when I was home but I was still so nervous about messing up. I needed a lot of help and guidance when I was at home which is where the aftercare specialist coms in. I called her almost every day at first, sometimes multiple times a day. She helped me deal with every problem, hiccup or negative emotion I needed help with. So much of my sobriety is due to the staff and counselors at AFR who helped me through my program. Just as much of my sobriety is due to my aftercare specialist and the extreme patience and understanding she had with me. All of my sobriety is because of the staff at AFR and the support of them that I still have. I know exactly what my life would be like if I hadn’t gone to AFR. If I wasn’t dead I’d have been close to dying. So saying going to AFR saved my life isn’t an exaggeration by any means. Not only am I alive because I went to AFR, I actually have a life because I went there. I real honest to goodness good life.

My brother was addicted to cocaine for almost 10 years but, in the past 2 ½ years that addiction had become really bad. So much so that 2 years ago he ended up in jail. What changed was he went from being an addict who binged on cocaine over a weekend or when he was on holiday to an addict who used all day, every day. Because he binged on cocaine his work didn’t suffer. Every cent he had wasn’t going towards his addiction so he was able to have an almost normal life. He had his own place, paid all his bills and didn’t having any problem keeping his jobs. That changed 6 months before he was arrested. Because he was using so often he lost his job, every cent went towards his addiction and stopped having even that semblance of a normal life. When he got arrested I was happy. When he called me afterwards I knew I could finally work with my parents and get him the help he’d been needing for so long. So, our parents bailed him out with the agreement that he’d go straight from jail to rehab. Which he actually agreed to. Getting arrested was such a shock to him that he couldn’t lie to himself or others about his addiction anymore. After that first rehab I think he was expecting his life to go back to normal. He actually convinced himself that by going to rehab he could go back to using the way he had for the first 8 years of his addiction. He didn’t tell anyone that of course but, after he left that first rehab he relapsed right away. After that he realized that he couldn’t go back to using that way and he started getting serious about getting clean. The problem was we couldn’t find a rehab that worked for him. He go into a rehab, do well while there but, whenever he left he’d be back to using within a week, two at most. He went to 5 rehabs without getting any better. Then, our parents found A Forever Recovery and it turned out to be a great find. When they showed me the website and explained a bit about AFR to me, I was excited and hopeful about the chances of him getting better there. So, this last he relapsed we started talking to him about going to AFR, telling him what made the facility different than the others he’d gone to. Going to AFR would let him choose the kind of program he’d do. He’d be able to look at all the programs they have at AFR and decide for himself which program would be the best one for him. Also, that at AFR they have people working there who would understand him and his addiction. Not, from going to school and then working at a rehab. They have staff at AFR who have their own experience and histories with drug addiction. I figured that more than anything else would help him the most. Which is did. Since he had staff there who understood him so well he was more willing to talk about his problems and the things he did while he was high. These staff member would have been through similar things and so he didn’t feel like he was being judged. He’s been wanting to get and stay clean since he was arrested. The desire was there to clean up his life but, he didn’t have the ability to do that. At AFR he learned how to stay sober. He got the tools he needed to fix his life. He’s sober now, he got home from AFR 3 months ago. This is the longest he’s stayed sober since he first started using cocaine almost 10 years ago. Also, for the first time in almost 10 years he’s doing good and it’s not an act. Going to AFR changed his life. He’s sober now and our entire family is able to breathe easier. He’s more in control of his life and he’s continuing to improve it.

I chose to go to A Forever Recovery because they offer the SMART Recovery program there. They do have other programs available but, the SMART program was the one I was interested in and the reason I went to AFR. I’ve gone through a few rehabs since I started using drugs over 10 years ago and the SMART program was one I hadn’t done before. My parents and I were hoping that the SMART program would help me more than the other programs I have gone through. Going through the SMART program was actually great. Hard but, great. This program completely changed the way I looked at addiction and recovery. They don’t have the view that once you’re an addict you’ll always be an addict, whether you’re currently using drugs or not. Drug habits are looked at as addictive behavior and your behavior is something that you can work on and change. One of the first steps of the program is to take a true look at your life. You look at your life with no blinders on and you see how using drugs has changed your life. You look at how you were as a person before using, how you were with other people, your relationships with your parents or friends. Also you have to look at what you accomplished prior to using drugs and what you’ve done since you started. Doing all that, it showed me where I was in life and how badly drug use had impacted me and everyone around me. Another part of the program is learning how to identify your triggers. There are things specific to each person that makes them crave drugs or alcohol. You can’t know all your triggers when you’re going through the program. Some of them, yes but not all. So you learn how to identify them and then how to decide which triggers are riskier than others. Which ones can be avoided and which can’t. Then you learn how to deal with the ones that can’t be avoided. One thing that you do during the SMART program is role-playing exercises. Which help you learn what to do and how to handle any situation you might find yourself in. I was grateful that the staff at AFR take that role-playing exercises so seriously. Doing those exercises can be uncomfortable and to diminish that discomfort a lot of people, myself included, would use humor as a way to dispel the discomfort. That wasn’t allowed at AFR. The staff made sure we took each exercise seriously and that’s helped me a tremendous amount since getting home. Because of that I have the tools I need to deal with whatever situation I might find myself. You also learn how to handle your cravings. It’s understood that just because you’ve been through rehab, that doesn’t mean that the craving or the urge to use magically goes away. If it did no one would ever relapse. In fact, getting home can be tricky because you’re not in a controlled environment with a group of people who also don’t want to use. So you figure out what works for you as a distraction when you have the urge to use. Sometimes those urges disappear quickly and you don’t need much of a distraction. Sometimes, it’s a brutal urge to use that lasts for a good while. I learned that for me going for a run or working on something artistic worked as a distraction. As time has gone by since getting home those cravings have gotten lighter and easier to ignore. I’d used pills for 10 years before going to AFR. So, I’ve been to a few programs. During each of those programs it’s never felt like I was fighting to get better. It always felt like I was fighting and working as hard as I was just to not get any worse. A Forever Recovery is the only rehab I’ve been to where it felt like I was fighting and working so hard to actually get better and I did.

My son became addicted to heroin when he was 19. He had started dating a girl who used heroin occasionally, though he didn’t know that when they first started dating. After about a month of them being together she got him to try it. I know it isn’t completely her fault that my son got addicted to heroin. My son is the moron who agreed to try it. I do wish he’d never met her though. Together her and my son started using more until they were both addicted to heroin and using it multiple times a day. When my son got to that point he became a different person. He went from being a pretty social guy to being sullen and petulant. He didn’t want to see any of his friends and this girl was the only person he wanted to be around. He and I got into a very big argument over his involvement with this girl. I had found out he was using heroin and that she’d gotten him started on it. I tried to get him to leave her and he refused. He moved out of my house and in with her. It was a year before I saw him again and then it was only because he was trying to get money from me. 8 months ago, he had a bad scare. His girlfriend overdosed and almost died. Which is when he called me and said he needed help. He finally realized that using heroin could kill him no matter how careful he was. I had found A Forever Recovery 4 months earlier and had been talking to an intake counselor regularly about sending him to AFR so it was quick work to get him into the program. There’s one thing I want to say about that. The intake counselor I spoke with for 4 months was amazing. He didn’t have any way of knowing if my son would ever go there to do the program. My son wasn’t even talking to me the first time I called AFR. Yet, he spoke with me almost weekly and continually gave me really good advice about dealing with my son and his addiction. Because my son wasn’t completely committed to getting sober, when he was in the middle of detox he decided he’d had enough help and wanted to leave. I spoke with him and he begged me to let him come home. I had just got him in treatment for the first time so, there was no way I was helping him leave. He could have still left if he was determined enough. The counselors at AFR talked to him though and managed to convince him to stay. He tried to leave 3 other times during his program and each time they got him to stay. The main reason the staff were able to convince my son to stay was the fact that the ones doing the convincing had all dealt with addiction themselves. They knew what he was dealing with so completely and intimately that he listened to them where he wouldn’t have listened to anybody else. Since completing his program at AFR my son has been doing much better. He’s a happier person now. He’s not seeing that girl anymore and has been talking to his old friends again. There are so many things that are going right in his life now and that’s because of the help he got at AFR. He’s living with me again and he’s working hard to keep himself sober. He and I both know that he’ll continue having to work hard to keep his sobriety but, I’m confident that with what he learned at AFR he’ll be able to do that work.

My daughter’s been to A Forever Recovery twice now. The first time she went was 14 months ago, she relapsed 8 months ago and we sent her back to AFR. Her dad and I found A Forever Recovery through a referral service. We didn’t know what to do when she came to us for help. I’d seen shows about interventions or a show about someone’s addiction but, they didn’t help me figure out what to do with my daughter. There’s so many different programs out there. So many places to get help that it was all very overwhelming for me. The referral service we called suggested A Forever Recovery for that reason. They have different programs there and when she got through detox there her counselor would help her get on the right program for her. From when we first got there they were amazing with her. We drove her in, which was hard on all of us. It was an 5 hour drive to get there and when we arrived it was really hard to be around her. She had just spent 5 hours with her parents, being watched constantly to make sure she didn’t use or run off. By the time we got to AFR she was beyond bratty. The intake counselor was amazing with her though. It was easy for us to see why the service referred us to AFR. They took care of her, made her feel comfortable and got her settled really quickly. When she came home after finishing her program things were good for 6 months. She was sober, working and looking into new schools where she could finish her degree. Something happened that made her want to use again and she did. Her dad and I sent her back to AFR when that happened because we knew there wasn’t any other place where she’d get the kind of help and care that she got at AFR. She’s back again and doing better this time. She’s talking to her aftercare counselor more and it’s helped her a lot just having someone that she trusts and respects to talk to. We’d send her back there if she relapsed again. That’s how much we trust AFR to help our daughter.

My addiction to prescription medication started pretty slowly. I spent over a year taking my Vicodin prescription exactly as it was prescribed before I started using too much and became dependent on it. For most of my life I’ve had headaches and for most of my life I’ve dealt with them as best as I could, never taking anything stronger than an Advil. Until 5 years ago when my sister gave me a Vicodin when I had a headache. It helped a lot. For the first time in what felt like forever my headache got better and I was able to function again. I went to my doctor after that and got my own prescription for Vicodin. Like I said for over a year I didn't abuse it. I took my prescription only when I needed it and never took more than I should have. Then about 4 years ago I had this week where I had a headache every day. I wasn’t prepared to deal with that much pain and so I dealt with it the only way I knew how which was by taking more and more of my Vicodin. I realized after I got to A Forever Recovery that I was probably making my headache worse and last longer by taking that much Vicodin. After that week though I became more and more dependent on my prescription and ending up getting a stronger one from my doctor. I hid it from my husband for a few years. I might have dependent on my prescription but I had a system that worked for me. I didn’t ever miss work. I still cleaned my house and cooked dinner every night. He did notice that something wasn’t quite right eventually and when my sister’s husband sent her to rehab my husband realized he’d seen the same signs in me as he had in her. He asked about it which worked out for me as I’d been trying to find the courage to talk to him. We decided that I needed to go to rehab as well but he didn’t want me going to the same place as my sister, something I completely agreed with because it wouldn’t have been good for me. We started looking for places I could go and when we found A Forever Recovery we decided that I’d go there. It’s in Michigan while we live in Arkansas so it’s not exactly around the corner from us but, it seemed like the best place for me so that’s where I went. It really was perfect for me too. The staff were great. They’re really nice and understanding there and yet they were ruthless about making sure I understood and could apply each part of the program I was doing before allowing me to move on to the next step. Through my program they also helped me by helping me find better ways to deal with my headaches so that I didn’t immediately go back to using the first one I had at home. They kept my husband well informed about my progress through my program through the whole thing. Which is something I wanted. I wanted my husband to understand better what I was going through and they helped with that. They also helped him understand more about addiction and what I’d be dealing with when I got home so he was able to help me when I needed it and could spot the signs better if something was wrong. Since coming home I’ve been sober and our marriage has been better than ever. He helps me stay away from anything stronger than an Advil when I have a headache and I depend on him for that. I’m so grateful for the help I received at A Forever Recovery and for the support I’ve continued to receive since getting home. A Forever Recovery is such a great rehab and I’m glad I went there for help.

My parents sent me to A Forever Recovery. I didn't think I needed to go and it isn't like I thought I could handle my addiction myself or anything. I didn't have a drug habit. I had used meth occasionally for a few months. Sometimes I used over a weekend or I used once or twice during a week. I think on average I used once or twice a week. So, going to rehab without a habit? A bit embarrassing. Someone would ask what my drug of choice was and I didn't have one. Or someone would ask how bad my habit was and I didn't have a habit. I had to spend a day in detox when I hadn't used in almost 2 weeks. Everyone has to spend at least 24 hours in detox to make sure that you aren't going to have a latent kick. Once I got over my embarrassment though, going to AFR did help me. The program I did could be used for any addictive behavior and while I didn't have a drug habit or anything I had developed some pretty crappy habits. That's what I needed help with and that's the exact kind of help I got. AFR is a really decent place and they have some really decent people there. It helped that they understood my history and didn't try to get me to make it into something bigger than it was. They helped me figure out why I had started using even occasionally and helped me handle it so that I didn't want to use anymore. I was at AFR for a month, others were there longer but, I only needed a month so only stayed a month. That's just the way it works there. Now that I've been to AFR and completed my program I'm glad I went. It helped me get my life sorted before my occasional using became more.

A Forever Recovery is an amazing place to go if you need help with a drug or alcohol addiction. There are so many things about just the facility itself that wonderful. The building doesn’t feel like a rehab at all. It’s an old lodge or something like that and it just feels comfortable. It’s not sterile and doesn’t feel like a hospital or anything like that. The property is huge, tons of space outside the building. It’s also in a secluded location. You feel comfortable there, which has always been important to me, especially in the beginning when you first get there and are going through detox. The program is also setup well. First, going through detox, they work with you to make sure that the detox you’re doing is one that you’re comfortable with. There’s also going to be some discomfort going through detox but they make sure that it’s as little as possible. When you finish detox and are starting on your program, they have multiple programs available. There’s not a blanket way to handle addiction and they understand that there. They understand that one program isn’t going to work for everyone, that what works for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for someone else, thus the reason for multiple programs. There are so many people who have to go to multiple programs and not having to do the same program at AFR that you’ve already done 3 times is a big deal. There’s a lot more to AFR than just the programs and the additional things make it such a great place. They have a great gym to work out in. Good food that’s healthy. There’s yoga classes. All things which help a lot when it comes to sobriety. They understand at AFR that being healthy and happy make it much easier to stay sober and they help to make sure that you’ve created good habits for when you go home. They also have art and music therapy classes which are awesome and a lot of fun. It’s nice having those creative outlets, especially since they also help you. It’s a great way to work through some issues without actually having to talk about them, or just in addition to talking about them. There’s a lot of people that go to those classes and then start playing the guitar again, or drawing again. Or you’ll have someone start knitting again and then teach others how to knit as well. It’s pretty awesome. The staff at AFR also will create group activities for the clients and those are always fun. The best thing by far about AFR though is the staff there. They are all very dedicated to helping people. There are a lot of staff members who struggled with addiction themselves and helps a lot. It’s so much easier for someone to accept help from someone who truly knows what they’re going through. Plus, they’re really good examples of being happy and doing well after going through rehab. A Forever Recovery has great programs and really great people working there. Those two things together make it the perfect place to go if you or someone you loves needs help with a drug or alcohol addiction.

I’m very happy with the way A Forever Recovery handled my son. For years he was addicted to heroin and crack and no one has ever been able to do anything to help him. He never wanted to get help and so either refused to go to treatment or if he did go refused to do the work he should have done. The program at A Forever Recovery is an amazing one and I’d recommend the facility to anyone looking to get help for themselves or someone they love. When my son finally decided to get help and I started looking for a place to send him I knew AFR would be a good fit for him. They have an amazing staff there. Some of them have dealt with addiction themselves, which meant they understood my son and what he needed better than anyone else. They also have multiple programs there which aren’t based on time but on evidence. Which meant that my son didn’t move forward in his program until both he and the staff felt that he was ready. That was a big comfort to me, especially with the staff there who have first-hand knowledge of addiction. I knew they’d see the signs of whether or not he was ready to move forward more so than someone who didn’t have those personal experiences. By going to AFR my son, for the first time, got the exact right kind of help he needed, was able to take as much time as he needed to get it right and was able to work with people who understood him and were determined to help him. He’s so much happier and more stable now and I’m so happy that AFR was where he went.

Going through my program at A Forever Recovery saved my life. Everything about AFR was designed with their patients in mind. It’s a place where you can go get the help you need in an environment that you feel comfortable in. The facility is in an out-of-the-way location so there aren’t any distractions and you can completely focus on your recovery. Being in a place like this, a place where I felt comfortable, it went a long ways towards my recovery. AFR was different from every other rehab I’ve been to. When you first get there and are checking in the staff take really good care of you. They treat you with respect and there’s no judgement for the things you’ve done while high or the things you’ve done in order to get high. The staff that work in detox are great. Their compassionate and understanding and seem to know just what to do to help you get through your detox without making you feel smothered. They know that every addict is different and what might help one person get clean might not work for someone else. So, when you finish detox and are ready to start your program you meet with your counselor and work out which of the programs they have there that you’re going to do. I’ve been to quite a few 12-step programs and it was great not just not having to do a 12-step program again but finding a program that worked for me. While I went through my program at AFR I got the help I needed to make my life so much better. I wasn’t ever depressed in the clinical sense but going to rehab after rehab and relapsing over and over again, it gets depressing. That depression didn’t go away when I was in the previous rehabs. So, it was surprising when I realized how happy I was there. How much I enjoyed each day and looked forward to the next. During my program I learned more about what my triggers were and how best to avoid them. I learned a lot of different coping skills so I wouldn’t find myself in situations that weren’t in my control. The counselors at AFR are supportive while still making you figure everything out for yourself. Since completing my program I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m more active in general and more involved with the lives of people around. Going to A Forever Recovery was a great experience for me and I’d recommend that anyone who needs help with a drug or alcohol addiction go there. Going to AFR saved my life in so many ways. It isn’t just that I’m clean now, it’s that I’m truly living my life again and it’s amazing.

If you are looking for a rehab for yourself or someone you love, I highly recommend A Forever Recovery. I’ve only been to 1 other rehab besides AFR and yet I know that without the help I got at AFR, I wouldn’t be sober today. 9 years ago, my best friend offered me some heroin to try, I should have said no, it was incredibly stupid of me to say yes but, I was curious and wouldn’t have ever thought that I’d like it as much as I did. I loved it though and it made me not ever want to be sober. It didn’t take long until I was well and truly addicted to it. 4 years ago, my best friend of 20 years, the one who gave me heroin to try in the first place, died of an overdose. I was shocked. You wouldn’t think I’d have been but truly I almost couldn’t comprehend that she was dead because of an overdose. Before that, I knew that it was possible but I honestly didn’t think that something like that would ever happen. Her death made me realize that it didn’t matter how careful I was, dying from an overdose was a distinct possibility for me. After her funeral I asked my parents for help getting sober. They were grateful that I finally wanted to be sober and helped me find and get into rehab. Going into that first program, I thought that because I wanted to be sober, that as long as I really did my program I’d have no problem with staying clean when I left. That wasn’t the case at all. The rehab I went to was a good place, it just didn’t work for me and I wasn’t able to stay sober when I got home. I went back to that same rehab when I relapsed, mostly because it was the easiest thing to do. I already knew what to expect there, knew what the staff was like and hoped that by just doing the program again, I’d be able to stay sober. When I relapsed again, my parents started looking around for a different place for me to go. They found A Forever Recovery. AFR was perfect for me. As soon as I got there the staff were great about making sure I was comfortable and understood what was going on around me. With that and with how kind and caring the staff were, I was able to relax there and for the first time in a long time, I was hopeful again that I’d be able to really deal with my addiction. Being at AFR wasn’t easy, I worked really hard on my program and there were times when it was hard for me just to make it through the day in one piece. While being there and doing my program wasn’t easy, what was easy was working harder on my program, being there and getting through all the things I had a tough time with. With the different programs available, my counselor helped me choose a program I felt would do me the most good. I did a program that was right for me and so I got a lot more out of my program at AFR. Something else was that because there’s no time restrictions on your program at AFR, I was able to take my time doing my program, making sure each step of it was truly completed before moving on to the next. I spent 4 months at AFR and those 4 months changed my life. I graduated from AFR 6 months ago and have been sober the whole time. Since graduating, I’ve lived with my parents. Amazingly, I actually like living with them, it’s great having an actual relationship with them again and just for that I’ll forever be grateful to AFR. They’ve been really supportive of me and a great help with helping me keep my sobriety.

9 months ago, my husband went to A Forever Recovery. When I first met my husband, he told me that he was a recovering drug addict and that he’d been clean for 2 years. That was 7 years ago, and the only difference it made in our lives was the fact that my husband never drank. When his mom died 2 years ago, he was a wreck. After couple months I thought he was doing better. Turns out he had relapsed 2 months after her funeral. I had no idea. Looking back, all the signs were there that he was using again I just didn’t see them. I found out he had been using when he called me from jail telling me he had been arrested for possession. I was shocked but everything I had been noticing for the past year finally started making sense. I didn’t know what to do and ended up calling a friend of mine whose daughter had a drug problem. Figured she’d at least understand what I was going through. Instead, she told me that her daughter had been clean for a year and it was because of A Forever Recovery. She recommended I send my husband there and so I called them. The guy I talked to on the phone about sending my husband there was awesome. He worked with me to make sure I could get my husband in right away. Even after we got everything sorted out he took the time just to talk to me about the program and what my husband would be going through during it. He was able to reassure me that my husband would get the help he needed while he was there. Once my husband was there and working on his program I was still able to talk to a staff member every week to get an update on how he was doing and what he was working on. I talked to my husband all the time when he was on his program but having a counselor confirm what he was telling me was going on was something I really needed. When I found out my husband had been using for almost a year before I found out I stopped trusting him completely. It was a relief to have everything he was telling me confirmed by a staff member. Whenever I talked to my husband he had such great things to say about AFR and the staff working there. From what he’s told me it wasn’t anything like the rehabs he had been to when he was younger. The facility was clean and comfortable to be at. The counselors were knowledgeable and understanding of what he was going through and the best way to help him. Because of that, it was easy for him to talk to counselors. He was there for 6 weeks and has been doing great since he came home 7 months ago. I know I’m not anywhere close to an expert in seeing the signs of drug use and because of this he agreed to do drug tests so that I can know without a doubt that he isn’t using. He’s passed every test I’ve had him do. He also looks much better since going to AFR and in general is a much happier person and easier to be around.

I love A Forever Recovery. The CEO is a genius for creating such a wonderful rehabilitation center. There is nothing like the programs offered here. They are tailored for total sobriety and being clean of all addictions. It's unlike anything I've ever seen for recovering addicts. What a team of staff too! Their care level is through the roof and is a main contributing reason of why people have such success with A Forever Recovery. The facility is equipped and filled with all aspects that addicts need to never fall into drugs ever again. The education program, on top of the nutrition plan they use is phenomenal. The way they fix the effects of drugs to the body is astounding; it really does make a difference. I never knew that rehab programs could be so effective and produce such wonderful results. It absolutely showcases the ability this rehab center has in turning out clean and happy individuals to society once they finish the program. AFR does it best!

I really appreciate A Forever Recovery and everything that they did for my brother when he was trying to vanquish his addiction problem. This treatment center helped him in ways that other treatment centers were completely incapable of doing. This recovery organization truly specialized in offering the best of the best when it came to the recovery services that he needed to win his own battle against addiction and to win it for life too. My brother had been suffering with an alcohol problem for about fifteen years, and nothing seemed to be working for him when it came to trying to beat his addiction habit. Then we found A Forever Recovery. The A Forever Recovery staff were great, the treatment center was very helpful, and my brother overall had a great experience there. He loved the treatment program itself, he loved the length of stay that he got there, and he really appreciated the ongoing help through their aftercare program. I would strongly recommend A Forever Recovery to anyone who is seeking help for themselves or a loved one struggling with an addiction problem.

If you are seeking help for yourself or a loved one, and you want to take a more holistic, drug-free route to getting off of drugs and alcohol, then A Forever Recovery is the program for you. I went to this treatment center because it was the only program I could find in Michigan that offered holistic recovery processes and that was as highly rated and respected as A Forever Recovery was. I wanted to get off of drugs and alcohol, but I wanted to do it in a totally all natural way. I did not want to take other drugs or medicines to get me off of the substances that I was already on. That just didn't make any sense to me. So, I went to A Forever Recovery and I am very happy that I did too. This treatment center saved my life, and I have been totally clean and sober since going there. The program uses holistic recovery methods and a wide variety of other treatment solutions within its program. I would comfortably agree that this treatment center provides top notch care to all of their clients. I would strongly recommend them to struggling addicts everywhere.

I would like to recommend forever recovery to everyone who would like to get sober in the most effective and the most holistic way possible. They are equipped to help you detox with more natural remedies rather than pills. Of course they have nurses administering medications when it is needed. They have the detox center at the rehab, so you can do everything there, and it is also for the comfort for the patience. Once you are through the detox, you start on your 12 steps and you take part of group counseling and you also do one on one sessions. The strength of this facility is really the diversity of programs, cause you can choose not just the 12 steps but for example a faith based track. This would be ideal for those who are believers in Jesus. Or you could also do the cognitive track, for those who are non believers or who would like to benefit from understanding the triggers etc. So as you can see these are the inly options, I just listed a few. There are more, and everyone can find one that suits their believes. I have to add that the staff members are really into their job, and they really are there to help others. This is a different rehab compared to other rehab centers, because some of the staffs have been themselves through similar situations and they are really there to help others to get out of the trouble. They don't do it for the money, they do it because they honestly want to help and make you feel better, and to get back your sobriety.

I went to AFR. Dealing with drug addiction is a real nightmare. The worst thing about drug addiction is that you never realize you are addicted until it is too late. Drug addiction affects your health and also social life. All of the other people suffering from drug addiction are a risk of facing serious problems and I hope that they can get help. People always say it is never too late to recover from drug addiction. People will help you in your walk away from the drug life. People will help you recover in all aspects of your life if you reach out for help. We are always scared of suffering from withdrawal symptoms when we try to turn around their lives. It can be scary and these withdrawal symptoms are nasty and life-threatening sometimes. They really do offer professional help to you in your recovery. The treatment is based on the individual. The thought is that by everyone is different and more from recovery can be accomplished over time by treating you as an individual. You will leave with the skills to function in the real world. So all in all A Forever Recovery is a good program with caring staff that will help you end your cycle of addiction. I think that the least I would do is to call them and see if it works for you too. I am proud of the work I put into it for myself and hope that others will feel the same way...