Inpatient tomorrow
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 30
Well I have let a lot of people down
I checked in to the facility yesterday and was very disappointed with many things regarding the facility, staff members, etc.
This is a facility funded and maintained by the State of Louisiana under Bobby Jindal’s term as governor. It is on a beautiful tract of land, however you can tell that the buildings are old and have not been updated or renovated at all. The environment is old and very depressing which is not very welcoming to a person coming in to recover from mental health and substance issues. It used to be an old mental institution years ago, and frankly it reminded me of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
There were 2 staff personnel that seemed very professional. The remainder were not well informed to answer questions or “pushy”. Many of the staff members seemed to be more on the same level as the patients. There was a lack of discipline by the majority of staff responsible for the oversight of patients.
When I was brought to my dorm room and led to my bed there were ants crawling on it and I had to swipe them off before the sheets were put on. The staff member did not even flinch an eye about this. Now I had fears of sleeping there.
I spent the rest of the afternoon listening to other patients tell me about the rules of the facility and giving me a tour of the areas. I also was given conflicting information about what to bring and not. Some of my items were considered not to be allowed. I noticed afterwards that others had the same items and were allowed to use their items. No big deal but clearly no consistency in the rules and information given to incoming patients. The sessions that I experienced on the first day were all lead by patients. There was no session lead by a professional. Most of the sessions were scheduled for approximately one hour but it was rushed thru in order for the smokers to get another chance to get a smoke break, and leaving the non-smokers idle. The wake up call is for 5:45 am and breakfast is not until 7 am so during that time most drank coffee, watch TV and do some chores which may take 10-15 minutes at the most. I thought the real substantial session of the morning would be the group session, and again there was no social worker present. The patients were free to discuss issues at will. There is simply too much idle time or time without professional guidance. There also was too much joking and laughing during discussions of addiction issues, so how does one recover in sessions which are not taken seriously? Only myself and one other person out of 12 patients were admitted voluntary so others were there simply to avoid serving time in jail.
On another note I will mention the food. It was horrible. Actually I could not eat it. Low institutional grade at best. You are also not allowed to bring snacks or any other food items. I was told about this when I called to attempt to find out what to bring and not to bring. I was told at that time it was due to a bug problem. I should have known then what I was getting into.
I know that this is an "off the beam" trait (self-justification vs. being humble?), but I feel that my time is better spent reading my new found resources, taking notes, going to AA meetings, and participating in the SMART Recovery forums.
My sister is very upset with me, and I really can't blame her. She lent me money to get a taxi there and back, so I really feel bad about letting her down. She thinks my only salvation after my last relapses is to be at the facility and not at home.
I was in an inpatient facility last summer, and we rarely had time without a social worker or counselor. When we did we had homework assignments to do, and we were held accountable for that work. I know there is a difference between paying to attend a program and receiving charity from a state funded program, but I did not want to spend two to three weeks idle and uninterested in the program.
Am I being stubborn and unrealistic to think that I can do this on my own with SMART Recovery, AA, and Sober Recovery without being in the inpatient program?
I'm keeping an open mind so please tell me what your thoughts and experiences are.
Thanks for listening.
This is a facility funded and maintained by the State of Louisiana under Bobby Jindal’s term as governor. It is on a beautiful tract of land, however you can tell that the buildings are old and have not been updated or renovated at all. The environment is old and very depressing which is not very welcoming to a person coming in to recover from mental health and substance issues. It used to be an old mental institution years ago, and frankly it reminded me of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
There were 2 staff personnel that seemed very professional. The remainder were not well informed to answer questions or “pushy”. Many of the staff members seemed to be more on the same level as the patients. There was a lack of discipline by the majority of staff responsible for the oversight of patients.
When I was brought to my dorm room and led to my bed there were ants crawling on it and I had to swipe them off before the sheets were put on. The staff member did not even flinch an eye about this. Now I had fears of sleeping there.
I spent the rest of the afternoon listening to other patients tell me about the rules of the facility and giving me a tour of the areas. I also was given conflicting information about what to bring and not. Some of my items were considered not to be allowed. I noticed afterwards that others had the same items and were allowed to use their items. No big deal but clearly no consistency in the rules and information given to incoming patients. The sessions that I experienced on the first day were all lead by patients. There was no session lead by a professional. Most of the sessions were scheduled for approximately one hour but it was rushed thru in order for the smokers to get another chance to get a smoke break, and leaving the non-smokers idle. The wake up call is for 5:45 am and breakfast is not until 7 am so during that time most drank coffee, watch TV and do some chores which may take 10-15 minutes at the most. I thought the real substantial session of the morning would be the group session, and again there was no social worker present. The patients were free to discuss issues at will. There is simply too much idle time or time without professional guidance. There also was too much joking and laughing during discussions of addiction issues, so how does one recover in sessions which are not taken seriously? Only myself and one other person out of 12 patients were admitted voluntary so others were there simply to avoid serving time in jail.
On another note I will mention the food. It was horrible. Actually I could not eat it. Low institutional grade at best. You are also not allowed to bring snacks or any other food items. I was told about this when I called to attempt to find out what to bring and not to bring. I was told at that time it was due to a bug problem. I should have known then what I was getting into.
I know that this is an "off the beam" trait (self-justification vs. being humble?), but I feel that my time is better spent reading my new found resources, taking notes, going to AA meetings, and participating in the SMART Recovery forums.
My sister is very upset with me, and I really can't blame her. She lent me money to get a taxi there and back, so I really feel bad about letting her down. She thinks my only salvation after my last relapses is to be at the facility and not at home.
I was in an inpatient facility last summer, and we rarely had time without a social worker or counselor. When we did we had homework assignments to do, and we were held accountable for that work. I know there is a difference between paying to attend a program and receiving charity from a state funded program, but I did not want to spend two to three weeks idle and uninterested in the program.
Am I being stubborn and unrealistic to think that I can do this on my own with SMART Recovery, AA, and Sober Recovery without being in the inpatient program?
I'm keeping an open mind so please tell me what your thoughts and experiences are.
Thanks for listening.
Last edited by strongtoolong; 12-22-2015 at 03:57 PM. Reason: Add text
Behold the power of NO
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: WA
Posts: 7,764
I was in an inpatient facility last summer, and we rarely had time without a social worker or counselor. When we did we had homework assignments to do, and we were held accountable for that work.
Am I being stubborn and unrealistic to think that I can do this on my own with SMART Recovery, AA, and Sober Recovery
You can definitely do it. We are here to support you but ultimately it's up to you whether you will commit to lifetime abstinence.
A good start might be to check in daily on the 24 hours club where we commit not to drink or drug for that day. It is a fun supportive thread and a good way to hold ourselves accountable.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ml#post5702284
I would also suggest that you join the class of December so you can get support from your peers who quit at the same time and are going through roughly similar experiences
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...pt-2-a-19.html
You can do it
You're not shackled to not drinking, you're free from drinking
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: MN
Posts: 1,406
I'm sorry the experience was so bad. But you can do this on your own. Today was my 100th day of sobriety. I'm relying on SR and a number of other lifestyle changes but no other formal programs. It's hard work but many others have done it.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 30
Originally Posted by Carlotta 
A good start might be to check in daily on the 24 hours club where we commit not to drink or drug for that day. It is a fun supportive thread and a good way to hold ourselves accountable.
I would also suggest that you join the class of December so you can get support from your peers who quit at the same time and are going through roughly similar experiences
I would also suggest that you join the class of December so you can get support from your peers who quit at the same time and are going through roughly similar experiences
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