A Forever Recovery

The first time I saw something about A Forever Recovery would have been at least 7 years ago. I was trying to find a rehab for my son and AFR had seemed like a good place for him. Before calling them, I did a bit of research on AFR and after hearing some of the things about AFR, I changed my mind. There were far too many reviews and posts that I’d read that said AFR was basically a recruitment center for a cult, and I had interest in sending my son to a place like that. My son spent the next 6 years in and out of rehab and every time I’d look for a new rehab, I’d see the advertisements for AFR and after 6 years of seeing my son relapse over and over again, I decided that it might actually be easier to get him out of a cult once he was clean, so I called AFR and felt really stupid when I found out that AFR isn’t even affiliated with that cult anymore. Which made sending my son there a much easier decision. AFR has an impressive set-up and the more I heard about AFR, the more excited I was at the idea of my son going there. AFR has different programs for their clients to choose from. They don’t have a one size fits all mentality when it comes to treatment and I thought that, more than anything else would help my son. Honestly, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that it never occurred to me that my son might be doing the wrong program. Whenever I found out that he’d relapsed, I blamed it on him not working hard enough, not caring enough to stay sober, not putting enough effort into doing the program, it never occurred to me that doing a different program would have a different result. Which sounds stupid but, I didn’t know of another program besides the 12-step program. The 12-step program has been around forever, and it was the only one I knew anything about. My son never said anything about it so, I kept sending him to 12-step programs. My son was able to choose a program that he felt comfortable doing and his entire attitude towards his recovery when he found that out. He chose the SMART program and when he started that program, he put much more effort into doing it than he’d ever put into a program before. He finally found something that made sense to him and that changed everything. The clients at AFR are also moved forward on their programs based on individual progress. As I’ve said, they don’t have a one size fits all mentality at AFR, so the clients choose their program but, they also stay at AFR for however long it takes them to get it right. When my son first started at AFR, he did so like he’d started every rehab program before, Which was a bit annoyed that he had to go back to rehab to appease me, planning to just ride out the program without putting much effort into. After going through detox, seeing the different program that they have and spending time figuring out what he wanted to do, his whole attitude changed about being there. It stopped being something he had to do and became something that he wanted to do. He stayed at AFR for 18 weeks because he wanted to stay for that long. He knew that being at AFR was helping him and he felt that the program he was doing was something that would really help him stay sober, so he put everything into doing the program right. Going to AFR gave my son a better chance at staying sober. I’m very happy that I finally called AFR and gave them a chance because I know that going there has saved my son’s life. He got home last week and he’s so much different. He’s working on his aftercare, doing everything he’s supposed to be doing and keeping in contact with his counselors. I know that he’ll do better this time because I’ve never seen him so determined to stay sober. 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.

I don’t know where my daughter would be right now if she hadn’t been to A Forever Recovery for treatment. When my husband first called AFR and spoke with one of the intake counselors our daughter wasn’t willing to get help and at the time we weren’t sure if she’d ever be willing to get help. The intake counselor was great though. He was willing to talk to my husband or I whenever we called, which was usually at least once a week for 6 months and he was instrumental in helping us get our daughter to agree to go to treatment. He helped us to understand why our daughter hadn’t been willing to even talk to us about getting help, he taught us the best way for us to talk to our daughter about her addiction and how to handle the conversation so that when we did talk to her, she wouldn’t get defensive or refuse to talk to us about it. Without his help and instructions, our daughter would still be using drugs. It took us 6 months to get our daughter to agree to get help and this intake counselor, knowing that it could be a long time before she went to AFR, he still took the time to talk to us at least weekly, checking on us and our daughter, giving us advice and helping us cope with everything that comes along with a kid with an addiction. He also helped us get everything set up so that as soon as our daughter agreed to go to AFR, she wouldn’t have time to back out or change her mind before she was on a plane, heading to AFR. Sending our daughter to AFR was the best decision we’ve made as it was really just the perfect place for her. After getting to AFR, it didn’t take long for the changes in our daughter to become visible. For starters, I hadn’t had a single conversation with my daughter in over 5 years that didn’t end with her asking for money and getting into a fight when I refused to give her any. So, the first time my daughter called home after finishing her detox, I was able to talk to my daughter without worrying that she was calling just to try to get some money. It was such a nice change to be able to really talk to her. 3 weeks after our daughter got to AFR, my husband and I went to visit her and the physical changes in our daughter were amazing. She’d lost a lot of weight due to her drug use and she had started to gain that weight back. Her skin was clearing up but, the biggest change was how happy she looked. Happiness seemed to just radiate from her. As a parent, you are constantly worrying about your kids and having one of them start to use drugs is really horrible. Watching as your kid becomes completely dependent on a drug like heroin, when there’s nothing that they will let you do to help them, it’s horrible. You’re sitting on the sidelines, knowing that your kid is choosing to hurt themselves, and you know, that until they make the decision to get help, there’s not much of anything that you can do. Having that kid finally get the help they need and watching them come back and start acting like the person you love in amazing. Because my daughter went to A Forever Recovery, because of the help my husband and I received before our daughter had even agreed to go there, she’s now off everything, completely sober and has been for 5 months. My daughter has been vigilant in her aftercare since coming home. She speaks with her aftercare specialist pretty regularly and it’s helped her a lot. She understands that just because she went to treatment and is sober now, that doesn’t mean that her dad and I instantly started trusting her again. Since getting home she’s done a lot to show us that she’s trustworthy again. She started a new job 2 months ago and because she knew that her dad and I were worried that having her own money again would lead to her using again, she worked it out with her dad so that he’s in charge of her money for now. She didn’t have to do that, it’s her job, her money and she’s an adult. The fact that she did do it though, the consideration she showed her dad and I shows just how far she’s come since going to AFR.

When I went to A Forever Recovery, I was this weird mix of wanting to get sober and start a new life, and not actually believing that I could do it. AFR is the first rehab I went to where I wanted to get sober and learn how to live my life without drugs. I know the fact that I did want to get sober helped me a lot because it made me more receptive to the program and made doing the work on my program more important to me. At AFR, I learned how to navigate my life and the choice I make so I don’t fall back into old habits and because I’m still using the tools I learned at AFR, I’m still sober today. I finished my program at AFR 6 months ago and while I am still sober, I’m also stable. I learned so much about myself going through this program. I learned why I’d been making the choices I’d been making the choices I’d been making, I learned how to spot when things were getting harder in my life and how to take a step back and deal with it without going back to using drugs. It can be hard to stay sober after rehab. For me, it was because whenever I had a bad day, I knew that if I used something, I wouldn’t care anymore, and it can be hard to deal with something instead of taking that easy out. So, I learned how to deal with things before they got to that point. While I was going through my program, I decided that I didn’t want to go home to my parent’s house. With what I learned at AFR I could have gone home and stayed sober but, because I had family in Colorado, I decided that while I could go home it would be better for me to start anew somewhere else. 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 going to be easier the bigger my support system was and that, in this, asking for help wasn’t me failing but, getting the support I needed. So, I asked my aunt and uncle for their help in relocating to Colorado and they’ve been amazing. My parents were happy with my decision to move away from them because they knew that it meant I had a better chance to stay sober. Since graduating from AFR and moving to Colorado, I’ve been doing really well. I have a job now. My uncle helped me get it and I started work 5 days after arriving in Colorado. Since starting there I haven’t missed a day of work and I haven’t been late or done anything to mess it up for myself. 6 months of not messing something up is a record for me, by a lot. I’m paying my own bills and doing everything else that comes with being an adult. Like I said before, I’m stable now. Before going to AFR I wouldn’t have ever imagined my life like this. Before my program I was sure that I was a drug addict, that I’d always be a drug addict and that I’d never beat my addiction. I was ready for a fresh start and I wanted a fresh start, I just didn’t think I’d ever really have it. Being around the people at AFR helped me to see that even though my life had been completely messed up by my drug addiction, I could change that and get my life back. The counselors were a lot of help while I was there. Sometimes, it was having someone to talk to or help working through some issue I was having. Sometimes, it was them calling me on my rubbish and not getting away with something, making sure I was doing everything the right way and with the right attitude. They made sure that nothing, not even me, could or would hinder my recovery. I’m really grateful for the time I spent at AFR. Because of my time there, I’m healthy, sober and stable. I would recommend AFR to anyone who needs help with addiction.

Going to A Forever Recovery was the most beneficial experience of my life. I started using opiates when I was 19. It started with pain pills, moved to heroin, I added Xanax to it and by that point I’d take just about anything I could get my hands on. When I was 23 my convinced me to get help, they’d found a rehab and I agreed to go. At that rehab I put on Suboxone to help me through the detox and was weaned off the Suboxone. At that time Suboxone felt like a miracle drug to me. I felt normal and I didn’t have the urge to use. So, when I finished that rehab and relapsed, I went to a doctor and asked to be put on Suboxone. Which I stayed on for 4 years and in those 4 years my life drastically improved. By taking Suboxone things were almost normal in my life again. I was working and had a steady job; I could go out with friends without the worry that I’d end up using. I couldn’t stay on Suboxone forever though and after 4 years of it I decided that it was time for me to get off. Which was extremely hard for me. I thought because I was coming off Suboxone and it was also a really small dose of Suboxone that it would be easier for me to get through the withdrawals. It definitely wasn’t and I ended up taking Percocet, trying to ease the withdrawal symptoms. My reasoning for taking Percocet is the fact that Percocet has a much shorter half-life than Suboxone does. I ended up right back where I started, addicted to pain pills. I started researching rehab centers and when I found A Forever Recovery, I asked my parents to help me get into the program. Going to AFR wasn’t easy but, I was determined to get my life back and I felt that AFR was the best chance I had for that. The staff at AFR helped me a lot. It was hard, especially in the beginning. Most drug addicts are very good at manipulating people and situations to get their way and I was no different. The staff at AFR didn’t allow any of that. Plus, there are staff at AFR that have gone through the program themselves, so they really knew when I was trying to manipulate them because they’d have done the same thing. I needed that, needed people who didn’t allow me to get away with anything. My parents knew I was on Suboxone, they knew that it wasn’t good for me to be on it for that long but, I’d convinced them that rehab wouldn’t work and that it was either me staying on Suboxone or going back to heroin. So, they paid for my Suboxone and doctor appointments. Hell, when I was trying to get off Suboxone by myself, the Percocet that I took came from my parents. They knew that it was wrong but, it goes to show you just how manipulative a drug addict can be. The approach that AFR takes with rehabilitation made a big difference for me. The different programs they have meant that I wasn’t taking the same cookie cutter approach to treatment as everyone else. The counselors at AFR help me find the right program for me, the one that would help me the most and that was the SMART program. Which has been amazingly helpful. I’ve changed so much since going to AFR. I went there in November of 2018 and stayed there for just over 10 weeks. I got home in January and I’ve stayed sober. It wasn’t exactly fun to stay at AFR through Thanksgiving and Christmas, the staff worked hard to make sure the holidays were as nice as they could be, and I spent the holidays with good friends instead of family but, it’s not the same as Christmas with your parents. It was worth it though. My parents have always allowed me home for the holidays whether I was using or not but, this will be the first time I’ll be completely sober with my parents for Christmas since I was 19. I can’t thank the staff enough for what they’ve helped me achieve. I have over 12 months sober and it’s because of the hard work that the staff at AFR made sure that I did. Going to AFR wasn’t easy, really it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m so glad I did it though, it was worth it.