It was so hard for us to accept that our son had problems that were somehow different than ‘the average’.
Judy F.
My son is a wonderful young man. It was so hard for us to accept that he had problems that were somehow different than ‘the average’. But he showed us, in no uncertain terms, and we had to find him help. We compared lots of treatment programs, from all over the country. St. Christopher’s stood out – nothing came close.
We’d heard about St. Christopher’s from folks whose (still sober) son had been there a few years back. While many of its program components are offered at different treatment centers, it’s the way St. Christopher’s puts it all together that is so effective. The guys have a community of peers and counselors whom they learn to trust and open up to. This bonded community is largely together through months of often difficult, emotional work. Guys don’t just get sober – they have a setting where they can learn to feel safe and connected enough to honestly face themselves and the situations their addictions have created. This solid community is there to provide support while the guys actually deal with these deep issues, and it’s there to provide support as they transition back into the real world. These young men really get to know each other, warts and all. This level of support through major personal change is just not possible in a program that terminates after 30 or 90 days.
And if this isn’t enough, St. Christopher’s staff has helped direct some of my friends to appropriate treatment programs when their family members were not appropriate for St. Christopher’s. This is a remarkable place, with a remarkable program and staff.
In the end, my son came to St. Christopher’s a week before Christmas, stayed 10 months, graduated (Yay!), and has been living in the sober living apartments since. He has a job to support himself, he has friends who have fun without substances, and he is maturing into a much happier, self confident, and independent young man. He has hopes of returning to college, moving into his own apartment, and he tells us regularly how much he loves us.