St. Christopher's Addiction Wellness Center is a CARF-accredited men's addiction treatment center located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We have operated continuously since 1998 and offer a full continuum of care for men struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, including medical detox, residential treatment, intensive outpatient programming, a family program, and long-term aftercare and monitoring.

Our primary admissions and residential treatment facility is located at 150 Cora Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70815.

We have operated continuously for more than 25 years, making us one of the longest-standing addiction treatment programs in Louisiana.

Yes. St. Christopher holds a Gold Seal of CARF Accreditation. CARF International is an independent nonprofit accrediting body that evaluates health and human service organizations against rigorous, consumer-focused standards. Our accreditation reflects independent verification of our clinical practices, safety protocols, patient outcomes, and organizational ethics.

St. Christopher's residential and long-term treatment programs serve men age 18 and older. Our Intensive Outpatient Program serves men age 18 and older as well.

The admissions process begins with a confidential phone call to our team at 225-240-4461. Our admissions staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to gather basic information, verify insurance, answer questions about our programs, and help determine whether St. Christopher's is the right clinical fit.

It helps to have your insurance card available, including the member ID number, group number, and the insurance company's provider services phone number. If you are calling on behalf of a loved one, their date of birth and basic personal information will also be needed. That said, if you do not have all of that ready, call anyway. Our team can work through the details with you.

In many cases, same-day or next-day admission is possible. The speed of admission depends on bed availability and the insurance verification process. Our admissions team works urgently to get clients into care as quickly as clinically and logistically possible.

No. Treatment at St. Christopher's is voluntary. However, if you are trying to help a loved one who is resistant to treatment, our admissions team can provide guidance on intervention resources and the most effective ways to approach that conversation. We have seen many men arrive resistant and leave transformed. The willingness often develops once they are in the right environment.

We recommend bringing a week's worth of comfortable clothing, personal hygiene items, any prescription medications in their original bottles with documentation, a photo ID, and your insurance card. Avoid bringing valuables, excessive cash, or items not permitted in a residential treatment setting. Our admissions team can provide a complete packing list when you call.

We offer a full continuum of care including medical detox, residential treatment, an intensive outpatient program, a family program, and long-term aftercare and monitoring. Clients can move through their entire recovery journey within a single organization, maintaining continuity of care and community at every phase.

We treat a full range of substance use disorders including alcohol addiction, opioid, heroin, and fentanyl dependence, prescription drug misuse, cocaine and stimulant addiction, benzodiazepine dependence, kratom and 7-OH addiction, and polysubstance use. We also treat co-occurring mental health conditions alongside substance use disorders.

Treatment length varies significantly by program and by individual client needs. Medical detox typically lasts three to ten days. Residential treatment typically runs between 90 days and eight months. Our Long-Term Recovery program follows a similar range. We do not apply a fixed timeline to any phase of treatment. Length of stay is always determined by what each client's recovery actually requires.

Each day in our residential program is structured around individual therapy, group psychotherapy, 12-Step work, wellness programming, life skills development, and community activities. Morning check-ins, community meetings, and recovery assignments are part of the daily routine. The schedule is intentionally designed to reintroduce structure, purpose, and accountability to men whose lives have been significantly disrupted by addiction.

Yes. The majority of men who enter our programs are managing at least one co-occurring mental health condition alongside their substance use disorder, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, mood disorders, and others. We practice integrated dual diagnosis treatment, meaning co-occurring conditions are identified through our intake assessment and treated in parallel with the substance use disorder from the beginning of care. Our clinical team includes psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners with the credentials to manage complex dual diagnosis presentations.

Medical detox is the process of safely clearing substances from the body under clinical supervision while managing withdrawal symptoms. It is appropriate for any man who has developed a physical dependence on substances and is likely to experience withdrawal when he stops using. This includes alcohol, opioids, fentanyl, benzodiazepines, stimulants, kratom, 7-OH, and polysubstance combinations. If you are unsure whether you need medical detox, call our admissions team. The assessment is free and confidential.

For certain substances, yes. Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can produce life-threatening complications including seizures and severe neurological events without medical oversight. Opioid withdrawal produces intense physical suffering that makes relapse almost certain without clinical support. Attempting to detox at home significantly increases risk and dramatically reduces the likelihood of following through into treatment.

Most detox programs last between three and ten days, though the timeline is always determined by the individual client's clinical picture, the substance or substances involved, and the severity of dependence. Some clients require a longer stabilization period before transitioning to residential treatment.

Medical detox at STC is supervised by Dr. Jose Artecona, M.D., a board-certified addictionologist and diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine with more than 20 years of experience in addiction medicine. Clients receive 24-hour nursing care and continuous clinical monitoring throughout the detox process.

Yes. Clients who complete detox at St. Christopher's transition directly into our residential treatment program without leaving campus. They remain with the same clinical team in the same organization, maintaining the continuity of care that supports recovery at every transition point. We do not offer stand alone detox.

Yes. St. Christopher's accepts most major insurance plans for addiction treatment services including medical detox, residential treatment, intensive outpatient programming, long-term recovery, and co-occurring disorder treatment. Our admissions team verifies benefits directly with your insurance provider before admission.

Most major insurance plans are required under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act to provide coverage for substance use disorder treatment at levels comparable to other medical conditions. Coverage varies significantly by plan, which is why we verify benefits individually for every client before admission. In most cases, coverage is better than people expect.

You can verify your coverage by completing our online insurance verification form or by calling our admissions team directly at 225-240-4461. We contact your insurance provider, confirm your benefits, and walk you through exactly what your plan covers in plain language before you make any decisions.

Treatment costs vary depending on the level of care, length of stay, and individual insurance coverage. Our philosophy is financial transparency, and our admissions team will provide a clear picture of costs and coverage before you commit to anything.

Our admissions team will walk you through all available options if there is a gap between your coverage and the cost of care. Treatment financing options are also available through MyTreatmentLender.com for qualified clients.

Yes. Family involvement is a clinical priority at St. Christopher's. Our Family Program begins from the moment a client enters treatment and grants permission for family communication. It includes an initial intake call with our Family Program Director, monthly three-day workshops, weekly virtual support and psychoeducation groups, and monthly family alumni groups.

Yes. The research on this is consistent. Clients whose families participate meaningfully in the treatment process are less likely to relapse, more likely to complete treatment, and more likely to sustain long-term sobriety than those whose families are not engaged. We have seen this play out at St. Christopher's for 25 years.

No. Our weekly support and psychoeducation groups are held virtually, and individual consultations are available by Zoom or phone. Families across Louisiana and beyond can participate fully without traveling to Baton Rouge.

Family contact is structured and clinically guided, particularly in early treatment when the focus needs to remain on stabilization and foundational clinical work. For clients in our Long-Term Recovery Program, in-person visitation is available on Sundays from 10 AM to 4 PM with counselor approval. Virtual communication options are available for families who cannot travel.

Yes. Our monthly Family Alumni Group and ongoing virtual support groups remain available to families long after a client's formal treatment ends. Recovery is a long-term process for families as much as it is for the men in our care.

Yes. Employment, education, and community engagement are actively encouraged as part of the reintegration process. Most residents work or attend school during their time in the Long-Term Recovery program.

Our aftercare program is individualized for each client and may include continued therapy, psychiatric follow-up, medication management, clinical monitoring and check-ins, drug and alcohol screenings, alumni program participation, sober living, family programming, and life skills support. Aftercare planning begins well before discharge and is developed collaboratively with each client's clinical team.

Our clinical team responds quickly to assess the situation and re-engage the client with the appropriate level of support, whether that means a return to a higher level of care, additional outpatient sessions, or more frequent monitoring check-ins.

Do not bring valuables, large amounts of cash, items with sexually explicit content, or any substances. Electronic devices including phones are typically restricted during early treatment. Our admissions team will provide a complete list of permitted and prohibited items when you call.

Electronic device use is restricted during early phases of residential treatment to support focus on the recovery process. Policies around device access evolve as clients progress through the program. Specific questions about phone and electronic device policies should be directed to our admissions team.

Contact our admissions team for current policies around smoking on campus, as these vary by location and program phase.

St. Christopher's is grounded in the 12-Step model, which includes a spiritual component. However, we are not affiliated with any particular religious denomination and do not require religious belief. The spiritual dimension of our programming is broadly defined and inclusive of diverse belief systems and personal understandings of spirituality.

Prior treatment experience and relapse history is common among the men who come to St. Christopher's. It does not disqualify anyone from admission and it does not predict future outcomes.