This guy is staff. Been there like 8 years. Still there making **** wages and living with 8 other guys. His whole life and identity is his petty position in the program. Completely institutionalized. The place is just a work camp tbh.

They have one cook there that was in prison 25 years for murder and has been at the program 15 years since. Completely institutionalized. He broke one guys arm with a hammer while working there and they covered it up and forced the guy to drop the charges lol.

25 years and then any form of employment that keeps you fed and with a bed is pretty goddamn commendable

Not saying he wasn’t a prick. I don’t know about that but that’s a pretty good comeback imo


It’d be hard not to end up homeless or back in prison

It's not that much different from being in prison tbh

Yeah he's "free." Technically. Does absolutely nothing with his freedom and can't stop assaulting people which is why he wasn't free in the first place.

I still respect that kind of grit.

I’m not saying it’s an enviable life just you know figuring something out after 25 years

If he’s been at it 15 years that’s a good run even if he broke a few bones that weren’t his own

I think I'd rather be dead or go back to addiction than eek out the rest of my life in the program

That kind of 'conditioning' can be just about impossible to grow away from. Prison life is brutal. It's not as though someone can't start to be a compassionate person after prison life though. I have a friend who I used to rip and run with who got caught up in a grand theft auto ring and did 15 years. He's a brick ****house that would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it though. One of the best people I've ever met.

And unless you've actually been to prison, I don't think you should start making comparisons.

Tbh, the reasons behind you wanting to quit that rehab give me the impression that you have some reservations about being ready to be sober. You haven't had enough pain yet and are making excuses. There's probably quite a few people that went through there with no complaints and are still sober/clean today. You know why? Because they were grateful.

Not trying be argumentative, just being honest.

Tbf I also haven't been dead

As for the success rate... Not so great. But I was there 2 years. I think that's long enough.

I'm not completely committed to being sober though no. I wanted to get off the pills I was taking on a daily basis. So far so good

No offense but the recovery community is full of people who think they found the one true way to recover. I mentioned to one of my roommates that after a few years in the 12 step programs my dad stopped going to meetings and he said that's called being a dry drunk. This from a guy who was on his 8th rehab. I was like I think I'll take being a dry drunk over whatever the **** it is you're doing, pal.

Man I’ve worked with people who spent 10 years and more on the inside. Two were on murder charges. Went from work release to just keeping the job off paper or on parole. They were really cool at work. I didn’t want to get mixed up with them outside of work though. If my car was running I’d still make up a reason why I couldn’t give them a ride if asked. Maybe weak sauce on my part. Maybe smart. I was worried they’d be like just stop here for a minute or something...

I get it, absolutely. The dry drunks, all of it. One size does not fit all. I went through the whole gamut of stages and perceptions of what was going on around me with the AA/NA people being brain washed and all of that. I live by the "take what works for you and leave the rest" mantra though, and the only thing that keeps me from heading back down that dark path is the absolute destruction of myself. I got shit to do.

12 step folks got their own way about them but a lot of them would be dead without it and they know it.