Avoid Arms Acres

[nycpain]

For anyone who may be considering treatment at Arms Acres...

My wife went to Arms Acres recently for prescription painkiller detox and rehab, and the experience was VERY disappointing.

The majority of the patients were lifetime street addicts, and there due to court ordered treatment. The facility was disgustingly dirty, and the advertised facilities (swimming, actupuncture) weren't available during her two-week stay. The food was worse than any hospital or airline, and she actually lost weight during her stay (great for a weight-loss center, not for a recovering addict).

We transferred to Hazelden in Manhattan for outpatient treatment instead, and so far, are having much better success. Other patients (and even the staff at Arms Acres) highly recommended Mountainview and Silver Hill in Connecticut as much better inpatient alternatives.

If you are a professional, educated person, and want to be in an environment with similar people who desire to get help and get better, consider anywhere other than Arms Acres.

[Evanna]

Glad your wife has found somewhere that she feels more comfortable with.
Best wishes
Evanna.

[Sigh]

My son has detoxed at a facility where the food was second hand from a correctional facility. The building was in many ways breaking down and archaic. Some of the windows were boarded up. The nurses were overworked, most likely underpaid and perhaps the closest I have come to seeing Angels On Earth. I think it would be very unusual for anyone to gain weight during actual detox. Personally, I am forever grateful they were willing to help my son.

I am sorry you and your wife had such a negative experience and I’m glad you found something that works better for you both.


sigh

[Dan]

Yeah, detox/rehabs sure come in all flavors.
I was lucky enough to get in when I did.
I even met a bunch of educated lifetime street addicts.
It's unfortunate what happened for your wife.
I hope she is still doing well.

[eddie z.]

-ez

[drewdog22]

It is a REHAB... not Club Med. When I first arrived there that is what I did. "I don't belong here"" I am better then that one or ... blah ,blah,blah."


Life was unmanageable and that what the greatest realization of that truth. I am an alcoholic. Whether I drank champagne or ripple. Your wife is an addict. (period). Keep thinking that she's different and that her disease is different. That's what she wants you to think. It won't happen until there is complete surrender and acceptance.



Three years sober here.... Good fortune and God Bless!

Originally Posted by nycpain

For anyone who may be considering treatment at Arms Acres...

My wife went to Arms Acres recently for prescription painkiller detox and rehab, and the experience was VERY disappointing.

The majority of the patients were lifetime street addicts, and there due to court ordered treatment. The facility was disgustingly dirty, and the advertised facilities (swimming, actupuncture) weren't available during her two-week stay. The food was worse than any hospital or airline, and she actually lost weight during her stay (great for a weight-loss center, not for a recovering addict).

We transferred to Hazelden in Manhattan for outpatient treatment instead, and so far, are having much better success. Other patients (and even the staff at Arms Acres) highly recommended Mountainview and Silver Hill in Connecticut as much better inpatient alternatives.

If you are a professional, educated person, and want to be in an environment with similar people who desire to get help and get better, consider anywhere other than Arms Acres.

[angelgirl]

Hi, thanks for the info. It will do me no good, since I do not plan, (I do not plan) on attending another hospital for detox again...

It is good info. to pass on. I appreciate your opinion Drewdog, but for some the info is good info. and he is trying to be helpful. Now having said that, I had alot of trouble relating the first time, or maybe even the first 2 times I detoxed for opiates, and other meds. at a pretty darn "posh" detox ccenter in a hospital. It took me a while to realize that I was the same as everyone else in that hospital, and there was every, I mean from a millionaire, to the homeless people where I was.. It was a strange mix.. But after those first couple experiences, I realized I was no different, we may have had different lives, but the story, really, was the same.. Addiction. I was no better than the street person, and no worse than the millionaire.. Ya know, the thing I found most humbling was the millionaire being very, very kind and helpful to the person that was in dying from liver poisoning, not a high class life that person had, but it didn't matter, I remain friends with him today...
So anyway, off my soap box,, it was nice of you to share your experience, and BEFORE judgment happens, you have to remember that it is TERRIBLY scarey for most people when they go in for the first time... Often people do NOT understand that we are all the same, it is something that is learned.
Remeber how self serving we are as addicts and alcoholics, we are not grateful, alot of us not for a long time, it takes some REAL suffering for ALOT of people to realize, we are all the same.. So please, be kind here..


So thanks nycpain.. I have been to a couple detos places, one was very, very nice, where even though people are sick, alot of tem gain weight, because we were given SO much food, and ALMOST anything we wanted, (no not steak and lobster, you understand what I mean, they had a wonderful menu though) and we were given many, many meds to help ease withdrawal, but I was also at a hospital detox center that I could NOT eat the food, I was very sick, but the food was real bad to,, and they gave almost nothing to help ease the withdrawal symptoms.. So it does vary out there..
Be sure before you go to a detox center, it's always good, if your afraid of how they do things, or whatever, it's always best to ask questions, if your fortunate enough to have a choice in which center you go to, or who has an open bed.

nyc-- I hope your wife is doing well.. Hazelden is a very respected, excellent detox center to go to.. They must be all over, because there is one in Minnesota also, but like I said they are all over...

Love, Becky

[eddie z.]

WELCOME to SR, drewdog!! And CONGRATULATIONS on three years!! Thank you so much for sharing, too, although I doubt nycpain will see your post. It seems he made his remarks and split. My reaction, though, was similar to yours. I had a bad case of "better than" myself before my last treatment. By the time I got there, though, I was so "low" I realized that I was just another addict. I hope that's something they teach even at Hazleden.

Love and hugs,
Eddie

[angelgirl]

At the hospital I attended a few times, they told us during treatment, just be grateful they were still there for us, as so many detox centers have closed up, due to lack of funds. They said the flow of people varies so much, and ins. companies (like mine) are not paying so often for hospital detoxes..

[Gooch]

must be a hoorible experience to come to grips that you can't buy your way out of this disease.



probably the last to be lost to freedom is the stigma of being an addict.

[shestruggles]

A good reminder that there is no diffetrence btwn 'street addicts' or 'rich addicts' or whatever: DETOX IN JAIL.

Cops will arresst anyone who is caught with pills, even a nice, middle class lady driving her nice car to work. If you use, and carry pills/dope whatever - there's a good chance you'll spend at least a night in jail. Now there's a place where the food & accomodations suck...we're all just PEOPLE!

[eddie z.]

Originally Posted by angelgirl

be grateful they were still there for us, as so many detox centers have closed up...

Good point!! Thanks, Becky!!


Love and hugs,
Eddie

[angelgirl]

EEEWWWW, I am feeling a bit beat up here, along with nycpain..
He has his right to feel that his wife was out of place in that facility. Think about it-- if some of us (and I am not afraid to admit that I thought I was different than a few of the others, and to be totally honest, I was even afraid of some of the other residents, now theres honesty) ok, anyway, if some of us were afraid of, or thought we were "different" or "above" some of the other residents, and finally came to the conclusion that we are all the same at the end of the day,, can you IMAGINE what it might be like for a family member that isn't a drug addict, or alcoholic?? It would be ddarn hard for them to understand that we are the same as everyone else.....
I hope you understand the whole of my point here..
I just think that ripping on someone for what they think is wrong.
I believe that we do need to understand that we are all the same, but I truly doubt that there is not one person here at SR that did not think they were a bit different than another addict... and then came to understand we are the same, that is why we all understand eachother so well.
The man was trying to help.. He may change his mind, or his wife may have to help him understand, when she comes to terms with her addiction..

Thanks, Becky

[eddie z.]

((((Becky)))),
I love you, girl! You are so caring and compassionate! I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. I just...I don't know...That first post just rubbed me the wrong way, you know? Probably because I DID see how I used to be that way myself. That's what I was trying to say anyway. If I offended, then I sincerely apologize.


Love and hugs,
Eddie

[chris k]

I detoxed in a shack in south dallas with rats crawling over my body. just celebrated 13 years. went to 2 treatment centers in the 80's with good food and clean sheets and was drunk within 60 days both times.