Rehab.
The word itself is usually (a) associated with Amy Winehouse’s song by the same title, or (b) a gloomy establishment akin to an old Victorian house, dilapidated and populated by the mad.
If the lyrics to the song are stuck in your head, we can’t do much to help you there. But let’s go ahead and erase that horror movie image of rehabilitation, can we?
For one, we prefer to think of what we offer as “treatment,” not “rehabilitation.” Addicts are sick people, not bad people; as such, treatment isn’t punishment. Think of it as a fresh start — the first steps on a journey toward days of peace and clarity.
The first step is often the hardest — making that first phone call. That phone seems to weigh a thousand pounds, and dialing the number to Cornerstone of Recovery may leave you with shaking hands and a quavering voice, because you’re afraid. How do we know this? Because many of us have been there. A large number of the treatment providers here at Cornerstone are in recovery themselves, and they’ve been exactly where you are: scared, lonely and miserable. When you go through our admissions process, you’ll experience a taste of the patience, kindness and encouragement that will follow you throughout your stay.
The next step, once you arrive, is assessment and orientation. You’ll get a medical screening to determine what your detoxification needs are, and we move quickly to ensure that process is as painless as possible. We’ll be forthright with you — it won’t be a day at the beach, but under the care of our trained medical staff, many of whom have years working in the addiction medicine field, you’ll be kept as comfortable as possible for the duration of your stay, the average of which is three days. You’ll be monitored 24 hours a day by registered, licensed nurses and clinical staff members, along with Cornerstone’s in-house psychologist and physician, who evaluates your detox needs and prescribes the necessary medication to make the process easier and safer within a controlled environment.
After your medical detox is complete, you’ll be introduced to one of our specialty treatment paths. The focus of each is tailored to the specific needs of the patients enrolled therein, but know this — you’ll be welcomed by peers who have gone before you, from a day to a week or more. They’ll offer encouragement in their words and their actions, and you’ll likely recognize in them an emotion you may not have felt in a long time — hope. Soon, you’ll fall into a routine of group therapy sessions, one-on-one counseling, meetings, meals and activities designed to stimulate parts of your mind and body that have been dormant during your active addiction. Our goal is a complete restoration of the spirit, as well as an introduction to a new way of life, but we realize that’s a daunting task. We’ll be there every step of the way, and we’ll walk and talk you through it with all the reassurance and tools we’ve accumulated in our 28 years as a treatment facility.
Will there be moments of difficulty and doubt? Absolutely. Will we help you through those, too? Again, absolutely. We’re not here to shove you into the deep end of “normal” life (what is that, anyway?!?); we’re here to help you rediscover the tools you may have once possessed, or help you find them if you never did, to build the kind of life you want — clean, serene and free of the addiction that has kept you shackled to the darkness for so long. Your stay will vary, but as you approach the end of it, we make every effort to prepare you to further your recovery — either as part of our Sober Living community and outpatient programs, or on your own, should you so choose.
Either way, we’ll be there for you. “Rehab” may seem like a frightening word, but we assure you — it’s the start of something wonderful. We recognize that there’s comfort in familiarity, even if the familiar is miserable, but we assure you that at Cornerstone of Recovery, the change you seek will give you a life you never thought possible.