Happenings

St. Patrick’s Day and No Green Beer?  Really?  by Jeff

One of the biggest concerns that we hear from clients is since alcohol is everywhere, how are they supposed to avoid it when they get home.

“Where do you expect me to eat?  Just at Cracker Barrel or Waffle House?”

As tasty as these two places might be, that is not very practical and probably not very healthy.

So what’s the answer?  As with most questions dealing with choices, the best solution or plan for each person lies within each person.  Through counseling, introspection and the camaraderie that forms between only six clients, each individual will develop the plan that works best for him or her.

Well, tonight I threw myself straight into the proverbial fire.  Normally, any of tonight’s circumstances would give me pause on their own.  Well, combined they made a perfect storm.  Here is what was going on:

• St. Patrick’s Day
• Spring Break
• Saturday Night with good friends from out of town
• JoJo from Widespread Panic playing at one of my old “playgrounds”
• Locals celebrating the arrival of “season”

I’d be lying to myself and you if I said that I wasn’t nervous or apprehensive about going out tonight.  For me, a little apprehension is healthy.  Complacency and false confidence are my enemies.  The times I am most comfortable or cocky are usually the times when the opportunity to relapse is either most appealing or so sneaky that I never see them coming.

So the outcome of tonight was that all of these “reasons” to use became the mitigating factors of why I didn’t.  I still had fun.  The music was still great.  The ladies were still dancing. The bathroom was a little dirtier than I remember.  My bar tab consisted of a Red Bull, not shots and vodka drinks.  I didn’t have to pay for a cab ride home.  I will wake up refreshed in my own bed remembering the whole night.  It was a great evening and now I will actually have memories.

Hang in there!  Being sober doesn’t have to suck!

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Score 98!!!!!  Congratulations to Megan, Jeff and Team Bayshore!  by Judy (the mom)

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012

At Bayshore Retreat we just had our annual inspection from the Florida Department of Children & Family Services. Our score was 98… bragging rights, for sure. You may compare this to a score on an exam that takes two days to complete. One, where every little detail is examined.  Imagine taking an Operation’s Manual of more than 500 pages and going through it page by page, then checking every employee  and client file for details and services, plus other licenses, building, etc. … all of this is examined and the best possible score is 100 – we scored 98.

To you the person who’s looking for a quality rehab, it means that we’re following the rules to ensure that our clients receive the treatment prescribed by the law. Of course, we know that, but it’s always nice to see that others recognize it. Especially when it’s the governing body which controls the licensing of such a business. To the person who’s investing his/her time and money into rehabilitation, it’s important to know that you’re doing so with a rehab facility that meets those standards to the highest degree possible.

Our results speak for the care we give, not just the score, but the clients – that’s the important part.

Check out our Testimonials page for client comments.

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Bang Bang Therapy by Jeff

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Today’s weather reminds me why I live, work and play in Northwest Florida.  Temperatures in the high 60s and cloudless skies practically scream that the outdoors be enjoyed.

Days like this usually mean a trip to the gun range.

Frequently, I am asked, “Why in the world do you take clients to the gun range?  Isn’t that dangerous?”  My reply is usually, “Yes, and that is exactly why we go.”

Well, the logic behind these excursions is pretty sound once the initial shock wears off.

As addicts, we get used to behavior that has three recognizable traits;  it’s destructive, it’s deadly and it exacts a high cost.  Firing semiautomatic weapons at paper targets in a regulated and safe environment, believe it or not, addresses each of these traits.

                1.    Addiction is destructive.  Everyone’s life touched directly or even indirectly by addiction is irrevocably changed.  No one will deny this. High-powered rifle and pistol rounds tear up paper targets quite well also.

               2.    That there are only three inevitable results of addiction – jail, rehab or death – is a widely accepted fact.  As we are a rehab and don’t want our clients in jail or dead, we go to the gun range.  You must be sober when handling firearms.

                3.    The price of addiction is incalculable when everything is factored.  However, even if just the actual cost of the alcohol and/or drugs is tallied, the number quite often surprises the addict more than the loved ones.  Clients usually appear shocked also when they realize how much a trip to the gun range costs.  They are gently reminded that their addiction cost them and their loved ones a whole lot more.

Finally, an added bonus of these trip is the aggression release.  I never ask who or what the clients visualize as their targets.  I only know that every ride back to Bayshore is characterized by lots of laughter, big smiles and, hopefully, some beginnings of inner peace.