If twelve step programs aren't for you, this might be the answer. I recommend it without reservation. While its not the most luxurious of all rehabs, Reunion is very comfortable and tasteful. I'd rather spend the money on treatment! I found the staff uniformly caring. The clinical staff is superb. They treat you like an adult and design the treatment plan for you specifically. Generally you attend group therapy first thing, and then you have 2 individual psychotherapy sessions, each day. The point is to build you up, not to drag you down. You are encouraged to trust your judgement and to take responsibility for the choices you make, in a sympathetic and caring way. You can read what you want, talk to people on your phone (of course this is not encouraged in sessions), and you have lots of time to practice mindfulness. On my first visit here I began to note levels of anxiety I'd never noticed before; and that was partly due to the time I was able to spend alone. If you want to be marched from meeting to meeting in a rigid schedule, this is not the place for you. The treatment is based in part on Smart Recovery, which treats addictive behavior primarily as a bad habit, not as a moral failing. For example, relapses are not encouraged, but if you do relapse you encouraged to learn from the experience in a shame-free environment. But the staff goes far deeper than Smart Meetings (I'm an enthusiastic Smart volunteer) to find out why you were using. I liked the other residents a lot; they were uniformly bright and accomplished. I relapsed two years after treatment and returned. This time the staff concentrated on helping me find meaning in my life, in particular, by picking a new career. The staff organizes outings for shopping, and movies and the like. San Diego has the best weather in the country (my other option was winter in Minnesota); that made the stay particularly pleasant. The program is expensive but I'd have to say it was worth every penny. Before I went to Reunion, my therapist told me I would not enjoy the experience which I think reflects the orientation of many programs to regiment you, which even great therapists are inured to. I did some difficult psychological work, sure, but I really enjoyed my stays at Reunion.
