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Our staff also
lives at the facility and are available when the day is over to support our residents
and add stability. Our residents come from all over the country to participate
in our program.
We believe
it is very important in the first year of recovery to remove the addict or alcoholic
from their old environment. In particular from friends they used with or from
unsupportive environments where there may be drug and alcohol abuse or physical
abuse as many addicted women find themselves in abusive relationships.
At Stepping
Ahead they get a fresh start and safe supportive atmosphere where they can share
their common problems and form lasting and healthy friendships with other women
in recovery. Our facility has friendly home like feel to it rather than seeming
institutional. We have curfews and random drug and alcohol testing to ensure a
safe chemical free atmosphere. Our residents have the ability to gain employment
and gradually learn responsibility while being required to attend 5 AA/NA meetings
a week as well as weekly independent group therapy.
We provide
transportation to meetings and all the residents expenses such as electric, phone,
cable TV at one affordable fixed price. Our residents typically stay 6 months
to 1 year as it takes time to form relationships, change behaviors, learn responsibility
and deal with feelings that come up while staying sober. We also have referral
links to individual therapy, psychiatric and other medical needs.
We
understand that in today's society there is a real need for women to have an affordable
alternative to treatment and for treatment centers to have a safe place to send
their patients after spending a few weeks with them. Insurance is paying for less
time and one cannot be expected to change years of addiction in just a few weeks.
Women
need time to heal, time to form supportive relationships, time to learn and develop
new coping skills and time to be able to experience life sober and realize that
it can be enjoyable. At Stepping Ahead we have alumni meetings where past residents
return and tell their stories of what is was like for them. These are particularly
inspiring and seem to help the women deal with the minor obstacles they may be
having.
While
at Stepping Ahead the residents are required to obtain
a sponsor and begin the process of working the 12 steps
of AA/NA. We are here to help any woman who is suffering
due to alcohol or drug addiction and to provide all
the opportunity for them to get their lives back in
order and move forward in their lives. However, all
residents must be motivated and willing to abide by
the program rules which can be found on this web site
in order to be admitted and to live at Stepping Ahead.
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