A Parent’s Perspective

It is fair to say that Saturday, November 5, 2016 was one of the toughest days of our lives. We knew our youngest son, Matt, was in deep trouble. He had become rail thin, detached and seemed very lost. At the young age of 18 it did not help that he was away at college and our interactions were limited.

 

We were scared, lost and feared losing our son. You see, we knew he was in trouble for some time. But as a mom and dad, you keep thinking this is just a phase and he will get better. We tried to “love him through it”. We just didn’t know that “it” was addiction and that was so much bigger than us.

Finding help with addiction is challenging as this space is unregulated and treatment facilities and philosophies vary greatly. We were blessed with being led to Alina Lodge. This was our first endeavor into addiction treatment. I still remember the instant relief as we were greeted with a huge smile by the intake administrator, Laurie, who treated our son with respect and compassion. The facilities were clean, organized and welcoming. You could tell this place was a tightly run ship. As we watched a nurse take our son down the hall, a bit wobbly, slumped forward and so tired we were wrecked.

 

“We were blessed with being led to Alina Lodge.”

 

We had no idea what was going to happen next or when we would see him again. Addiction has no GPS with a voice that says “turn right, turn left you have arrived at your destination”. It is during this dark period that both Matt as a student and our family had to surrender and trust in God and “the process”. After all, Matt’s choices got him into this and he would need to learn, one day at a time, to make different choices for a different outcome. Looking back, it is only through the “gift of time” that tools were developed to help Matt solidify better decision making.

I cannot imagine what it is like to walk in the shoes of an Alina Staff member. Their ability to come to work everyday committed to the healing of their students in an emotionally dynamic, unpredictable and often times with an “unknown” final outcome, is commendable. Not only are they doing “God’s” work in helping the students, they have to be incredibly patient with the families. You see we, the families are broken too.

Today, Matt is sober 3 years. He has returned to college and dare I say “flourishing”. We as a family know the importance of letting go and letting God and have learned the true meaning of surrender and trust. We are filled with gratitude to the staff at Alina for healing our son and restoring our trust. There has been a relational shift allowing our family dynamic to move from a place of anxiety to mutual appreciation and cooperation. By letting our guard down our family has healed and we now see Matt for the successful young man he is becoming.

 

Kim C.,
Alumnus Parent
Alina Lodge

 

Alina Lodge has been helping men and women pursue addiction recovery and sobriety for the past 63 years. Let us not only help you learn tools to be abstinent but tools to be sober. Call Alina Lodge right now to start on your journey to sobriety – (800)575-6343. There is a place where “Hope can become Fact.”

Little Hill Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Alcoholics operates Alina Lodge, Haley House for Women, and North Warren Counseling Center for the purpose of helping people attain and maintain a life of sobriety.

Alina Lodge
61 Ward Road, Blairstown, NJ 07825
(908)362-6114
AlinaLodge.org

Alina Lodge is a premiere long term residential alcohol and drug addiction rehab facility specializing in the treatment of adults with a history of chronic relapse issues. More than just a 12 step program, our treatment program works where others have failed.

We treat all types of chemical dependency such as alcoholism and drug addictions including cocaine, heroin, opioids, marijuana, methamphetamine, as well as prescription drug addiction. If you or a loved one struggles to stay sober, contact us today.