A Forever Recovery

I contacted them for my husband. It had been a long battle and I tried everything to help my husband to get rid of the addiction. But, nothing helped. I was the only one earning in the family. We had problems with money and there was no peace at home. We had fights and all because of his undisputed addiction to the drugs. My colleague suggested me to contact A forever recovery center.

He said that he knew someone who went there and came out being sober. It was my last chance and I was very much excited to try this option for good. I spoke to them on the phone and they asked me to come for the counselling. I had to drive for 3 hours to reach their center. They did not inform about bringing my husband’s belongings and we thought that they were only calling for examining him.

We reached at the center and it felt that they all had the same verbatim rehearsed. Everyone was talking in the same fashion. It did not click at that time as I was already worried about my husband. The staff were nice and said the same thing. They all were interested in getting him onboard. They mentioned about the great place that center was and the way they had helped many people who came for a second chance.

I was impressed by their explanation. However, it was a little bit fishy of them to talk in the same tone. However, as I said before, I was not able to demand at that point of time. All I needed was a solution.

They admitted him the same day. The process was lenient and they did not demand for much verifications or documents. It was my first experience and I did not know how to react. They made me sign few documents and never sent me a copy of that, even after my subsequent requests. They kept ignoring it. They also suggested that most of the cost for the stay would be covered by my insurance company and never tried to verify the same before making the promise. The only payment that they expected from me was of $3000 for Copay.

They keep mentioning that the insurance would only cover the expenses if my husband stayed for at least 45 days. It felt slick as I was responsible to pay anyway, no matter how long he stayed. It was about the time he would have taken to get rid of the addiction and not the insurance amount. But, I ignored my guts and listened to my head.

I financed the Copay and they did not provide me any receipt for that. I asked them several times but they kept ignoring me. They said that they will make the receipt available at my next visit, but that never happened. How can it be such a coincidence that the accountant was on leave, every time I visited my husband? There were several incidents which made me feel suspicious about this center.

They changed employees every other day. I found new faces every time I went there. The person responsible for my husband’s case was changed twice during the stay. Either it was them or the employees who did not like the center’s management.

After I left my husband and drove back, I came to know that my husband was shifted to a different facility for detox and they did not bother to inform me about it. I was clueless. When I knew about it, I asked for the address to visit him. They seemed annoyed but I was able to get the address somehow. That building was a real mess. It was in the downtown Battlecreek and looked pathetic. The paints were peeing and the building seemed weak. The people working there, were part time employees and did not have much experience. After speaking to them, I realized that they were former addicts.

On top of that, they did not have the facility of sauna and exercise room that they assured me. All I found out, was lie. The center was managed badly and the place that my husband was kept for detox was even worse. The management was not ready to listen to any of my concerns. It was a complete turn of the attitude that they showed. I found myself stuck with the procedure.

They kept him there for 2 weeks. He complaint about the food and other facilities that were provided to him. Nothing was in place. After two weeks, he was shifted to the common population which was not more than a prison. They were not provided the basic recreation facilities and were left without proper care.

Because of constant change in the staff, the case was not taken care properly. Discussing the same problem from scratch with every counsellor was frustrating. My husband told me that they did not keep track of the medical records and every time the staff was changed, patients had to go through the trouble of explaining the same problem over and over.

In the meantime, I tried to consult my insurance company for the approval and procedure to apply for the claim. I was shocked to know that they did not cover the center. It was not surprising. The way they were handling things, made it clear that they were not serious about the work they were involved into. When I reached out to them, I gave them the name of my insurance company. They assured that the coverage was full for stay. They never brought up the red flag. They even insisted for not contacting the company as it would be of no use. They offered to initiate the claim through them.

However, I did contact them. I asked for an explanation and they came up with excuses. But none of them sounded genuine. I asked them to release him as I did not have that much amount to pay and they kept delaying the process.

I called them a lot of time and they ignored my calls. I was not able to visit them, driving three hours every day and it was becoming painful. I had to take leaves from my office and understanding that I was the only one earning, I couldn’t have risked my job. But, they did not give a damn about my problems and made me suffer.

I emailed them to send me the signed agreement and other details of payment that I made and they did not respond. My husband did not show any sign of recovery. He was frustrated as well. He knew that I spent a lot for this treatment and realizing, it was not working, made my husband worried.

When the last time, I went to see him, he sounded sad and the facility was doing nothing to make him feel better. The sessions were missed and the staffs showed rarely on time. A forever recovery is a trap. You can get in without any trouble, but you will have to go through a long procedure to get your loved one out of that prison.

It took me more than 10 days to get him out of that filthy place. Management was acting like a predator and did not leave any space for honesty. I was kept in dark from the first day of our meeting. They lied about every possible thing.

I even tried to check on internet. However, they have managed their profile with such an expertise that I couldn’t find a problem. They have done a great job with their online reputation but the actual face isn’t that shiny.

I got a chance to speak to a former employee who was taking care of my husband’s case and he explained the reason for such a high attrition rate at the center. The center is run for profit and no importance is given to the noble cause they are connected to. Hence, many staff leave. He even explained the unprofessional behaviour of the management that makes it difficult for good employees to stay there. I did not know about all this, but had sensed it long back when I saw staffs leaving.

There was no confusion left. I checked with the colleague who introduced me to the center. He checked with the person who was cured at the center. That family informed that the person couldn’t stay sober for long and was again admitted to the center again. It was distressing.

They released my husband after I paid them the entire amount. They did not talk about the insurance coverage. I had to borrow the amount from my friends and family. They made the entire experience pathetic with them. I was upset and my husband’s condition became worse. I got scared of the rehab centers but this time I would be cautious before trusting one. This was a nightmare and I would suggest not to trust these people who are nothing more than parasites.