Please pay attention, your money and your loved ones life is at risk.
I will assume if you are reading this, you like me are despertly seeking help for someone you love: About 3 months ago I bagan searching for a facility that could really help my 19 yr. old daughter, whom has a "pill" problem. Like most "seekers" I was having to work in the preamerters of what I could afford and where my ins. co.would pay. After searching locally, I responded to an internet ad, and hence began the nightmare of "A Forever Recovery" I was sold 1st by a nice fellow by the name of David, I really believed and still do that he meant what he was saying. "Now follow me on this" I after 3 or 4 conversations with David, told him that I could not afford, at the time to admit my daughter, and I was not sure it was the right timing. We talked another time about a week later and David quieted all my concerns. Concerns being I am afraid to send my daughter out of state, I am afraid they would not keep her long enough, I am afraid because although we had good medical ins. the drug treatment part did not seem to satify, other treatment centers for just a 30 day stay, much less the 90, or up to 6 months they were talking about, because according to David, they did not really concern themselves with the amount of money they got, but there main concern was my daughters, recovery. WoW! I thought that's nice! A place where they care!..my wife having worked in the healthcare field, including treatment centers seen this as the 1st red flag........Oh well read on....
I told david I would GET her in as soon as I could. About a month later I called David's cell phone and got a voice/mail. The call was returned later by a fellow named "murry" who informed me that "david" no longer worked there but that he would be happy to help me. Once again checking my ins. and telling me that for the low cost of a deductable of 5K, payed upon admit, my daughter would get all the attention she needed, and that if they had to keep her for up to 6 months it did not matter, that the well seasoned staff, "in recovery" would determine when my daughter was ready to handel "staying sober". He also reiterated that because of there unprecidited recovery rate they practiclly gurranteeded it. In other words, if my daughter needed to come back it was FREE OF CHARGE! WOW! 2nd red flag: "to good to be true?"
We were sold. My wife and I, tearery eyed, with finally finding a place that seemed to care began booking flights from Austin Tx to Detroit MI. My wife was going with my daughter to help her get in. Murry said that would be fine! I booked the flight, and called Murry and informed him that they would be arriving at apox. 7:45pm at DTW. Murry said thats great! we will have someone at baggage with a sign with my daughters name on it, and they would drive them to the center and give my wife a tour. They boarded the plane from Austin Tx. early morn. destined for "A Forever Recover."
Arriving in DTW, there was a man there with a sign saying "Welcome Debbie",this is a fictious name, for I don't want to use my daughters. He was surprised to see my wife, he was nice enough, but unprofessional and hence came the 3rd red flag.
He said he thought Debbie was coming alone, my wife informed him that my husband definantly told "Murry" that she was coming.and "MURRY SAID GREAT!" The began making calls, and it became clear to my wife that Murry was upset, and said he did not know she was coming. The "happy tour" of the center would be shortened because of it being so late. Nevertheless, they took off in a co. van. The driver had no real creditals, and began to talk away, on the 1-1/2 hour commute. My wife inquired about "David" whom was our 1st contact with the center. Remember David? We'll he blunted out oh David he Killed himself. Shot himself with a gun. Don't know why. Just did. 4th red flag. I am not judging David, he was personable, young and I liked him, I do not know why he killed himself. I just know, with this lone guy picking up, what he thought to be my 19 year old daughter, alone at nite, out of state, a kid with a drug problem, at an airport,was wrong, it was the main reason for this 3rd red flag. My wife and I thought it to be, to say the least odd, risky, and unprofessional. Including his conversation. Futhermore he was not in recovery. My wife was just hoping my daughter did not hear the part about David. It upset her.
Upon arriving my wife and daughter were escorted inside and began the admit process, my wife had an urge to get up take our daughter our money and leave. She could feel the anomosity from the staff at a late evening tour, she was concerned with the staff. 5th red flag. I will keep this short. Why did my wife leave our daughter? Her and I can only say this. Most with an addicted child mite understand. When you have watched your child die on an ER table, when you have spent countless nites crying and worrying, when you have searched for your child in area's that you never would drive thur at nite, when you get up in the morning and they are not there, and your ritual has become calling the local hospitals and jails to find them, when you watch your daughter go from straight A's to F's when you see her dying before your very eyes, when you are living this real, dayly, an nitely nightmare, you simply "Want to Believe" so conseqently you do. and unfortunantly this can become a marketing tool for the "Soul-Less"
My daughter was in "detox" for 7 days, she was never seen by a counseler. 6th red flag. When my wife began to call the center, no-one would return a call. Our daughter was already crying and wanting to come home. My wife called every available number we had, even oh MR>Great! Murry, and no-one would call her back. By the time the day was ending, with at least 4 calls in, she was shaking, with fear. 7th red flag
I arrived home and seen my wife and I called Murry. He picked up. I swear, it was like a different person. He basically told us to go to hell. My wife picked up the phone and tryed to have an intellegent conversation, and he all but demeand her. Arrogance and defensiveness was his manner. We asked him to check on several things for us and he finally aggreed too, including find out why our daughter hadn't contacted us, and he said he would and hung up. We waited for 2 hours, it was apox 9pm by now and he did not. I called and got an operator, she said he went home...I began looking on the internet and found many complants, from parents whom had a similar expirences, getting very concerned, I called back, protending to be an attorney, and We finnally got a call back from a Holly. 8th red flag We began looking at booking a late flight to Mi. in the mean time..
"Holly" called me and began to try to explain thing away. We began insisting that we hear from our daughter. Holly explained that she was gone to a spirtual type retreat we later learned was in a man's apartment. We voiced our concerns and Holly was as good as David and Mr. Great! Murry. She began to tell us what we wanted to hear. Although when Holly metioned that she had only 1-1/2 years sober and was the employee with the most tenure, it was alarming. 9th red flag. I must note here that although I believe Murry and others know exactly the game they are playing with addicts lifes, Holly don't, she is being manipulated, in her young, fagil sobiety.
Here again I believe Holly believed her banter, and as a result, we did to, we still stayed in our denial, in hopes of our daughter getting help. after this conversation we asked that our daughter, call us once dayly, to queal our fears. She did. I am going to shorten this. Dayly my daughter cryed to come home, saying it was like highschool, boys sleeping with girls, compitition, no real help from staff, we tryed to hang in there, my wife and I both talking with her about working thur things, and not letting her know, about our concerns about the center, and employees, afraid she would use it to sabatoge her "recovery." Nevertheless as time went on and we found out after almost 20 days , she only seen her "counsler" once, who was not in recovery, we began to break thur our denial and discuss bringing our daughter home....yet there is more, much more.
About this time, I get a call from my daughter and she is crying and tells me of an insident that took place. She had allowed a fellow patient use her ph. calling card. The girl wrote down her calling card number and used all the minuets. My daughter went to confront her and a fight insued. Nevertheless "Holly" called me and informed me that my daughter was being "suspended" for 15 days. I said Holly It is late in the evening, we are in Texas, can it wait till tommorrow? She said no, she would be dropped off at a "safe mission" that nite, in Kalamazoo. I said Holly as far as I am concerned you are writing her death warrant, she is only 19 and only 10 days out of detox, she is in another state, she will be in a less supervised area. Holly is good; she convinced me and my wife to hang in there, that the mission is safe, and she would get the 15 days reduced to 7, and our daughter could come back. Then she said, oh by the way, if your daughter uses, you will have to give us another 5K to detox her. 10th red flag
Again we tryed to hang in there, being convinced by Holly this would work out and the mission was safe. We'll let me keep this short, the 1st day our daughter begged to come, home, Holly begged us to leave her there. We tryed, but after my daughter disappeared for 2 days, having a gun pulled on her, after her cloths being stole. I called the Kalamazoo police department, for help to find my daughter, and for advice. The Office I won't say his name was very nice. He said come get your daughter, he has seen this from the center before and the mission is not safe. It is drug infested....Come find and get her.
WE BOUGHT A ONE WAY TICKET TO MI. TO GET OUR DAUGHTER, IF SHE MUST DIE, WE WILL LET HER DIE WITH US. NO WE ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT GOING TO ENABLE HER TO DIE. BUT NEITHER WILL WE LET SOME GREEDY ASS, TREATMENT CENTER KILL HER.
MY DAUGHTER FINNALLY CALLED FROM A HOTEL, MY WIFE AND I CRIED, AND SHE IS ON HER WAY TO GET HER. AT THIS POINT UNTILL SHE IS SAFE WITH HER MOM, I WILL BE APREHENSIVE. MY WIFES PLANE WILL LAND IN DETROIT AT 4:32PM 4/28/10 MY DAUGHTER IS TO CONTACT HER. I AM WAITING.....
MORAL OF THIS STORY "IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS"
