Addicted?: Now is the Time to Change

Now is the Time to ChangeWith the New Year upon us, it is a great time to reflect on changing and improving our lives. For many people, improving negative behaviors, overcoming internal struggles and being more positive can be somewhat attainable goals. But what if you struggle with all of the above along with some sort of addiction? For many people struggling with addiction, the biggest and toughest step toward recovery is the very first one: deciding to make a change. Change is never easy – and committing to sobriety involves making necessary changes that can be a difficult to do alone. One organization in our community that wants to help those struggling with recovery is Transformations Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center, which is located in beautiful Delray Beach.

Tom Bello, Transformations’ Community Relations Director, knows firsthand what a person with addiction is going through and how difficult it is to do alone. Bello is an ordained minister and has been in recovery for a decade. “My role at Transformations Treatment Center is to go out in the community and talk about the miracle of recovery. I speak at churches, and with both the legal and clinical communities. I say ‘the miracle of recovery’ because The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says, ‘The age of miracles is still among us, our own recovery proves this.’”

Message of hope
It does not matter how far down a person has gone. The message of recovery is a message of hope, which means there is a solution to the problem. Tom shares, “At Transformations, we show people exactly and precisely how to recover – one day at a time. We show those who are struggling that there is a way out of all the heartbreak and misery they are going through.” As a recovering addict himself, Bello understands how an alcoholic suffers because he lived with alcohol dependency for many years. This destructive path proved to be devastating to him and those he cared deeply about.

Bello tells his own painful story, saying, “11 years ago, my marriage of 27 years ended as a result of my struggle with alcohol. I lost everything I cared about. But one day I needed courage in order to find healing and freedom. That day, I looked in the mirror and saw what I was becoming and knew I needed help.”

The prodigal son
Bello continues, “I was just like the prodigal son. He had squandered all his possessions and his good name. He was feeding the pigs, when suddenly he remembered that he could return to his father’s house. In my case, this meant that I sought help with the 12-step community.” When that moment of clarity occurs, combined with the right action, the process of recovery can begin. Most often, that right action means getting some help.
If left untreated, drug addiction and dependence on alcohol never get better, over time they only get worse. If you are struggling with an addiction, minimize your losses by seeking help today.

Mind, body and spirit treatment
Transformations treats the three-fold nature of the disease of alcoholism/addiction, which affects the mind, body and spirit. Christian therapists help their clients in connecting or reconnecting with Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, the solution that Transformations offers is a spiritual solution for a spiritual malady supported by Christian therapists, Christ-centered group therapy, a Christian curriculum and the 12 steps.

Christian recovery 12-step program
Each person in the Christian program receives a Recovery Bible and is shown the biblical basis for each of the 12 steps. Transformations offers a full Christian program, not merely a sparse Christian track. This is supported by Celebrate Recovery and attendance at various local churches in the area. Since Transformations treats addiction as a spiritual issue, it is their goal to see you attend church as part of your recovery.
Wherever a person is in their recovery journey, Transformations will provide the necessary help to allow the alcoholic or drug addict to become sober and clean. They are in the business of helping anyone and everyone get off drugs and grow into a new life filled with freedom and purpose.

Individualized attention is a top priority that each client receives, and each client is treated with the highest level or care and respect. Each person is provided their own private bedroom and bathroom in a beautiful non-institutional setting.

Each client spends extensive one-on-one time with their therapist and can select what groups they want to take part in. In this way, they are fully participating in the choices being made about their options in recovery. And, if cost is an issue for you, do not let that stand in your way of healing. At Transformations, the admissions counselors will work with your insurance provider to obtain the best possible treatment options for you.

New programs featuring “In the Wildflowers”
Several new programs are now being offered within the Christian program at Transformations. “Into My Arms’” and “In the Wildflowers” are programs that Julie Woodley, MA, developed. She is a renowned speaker, author, film maker and trauma counselor. Bello shares, “We are getting some phenomenal feedback from those who have participated in her programs. The “In the Wildflowers” curriculum series is designed specifically for people who have experienced the pain of childhood sexual abuse. Many who have suffered from sexual abuse also have alcohol or drug dependencies. “Into My Arms” is a program is for women and men who have suffered the pain of abortion and centers on their forgiveness journey after an abortion. Transformations is the only treatment facility in America that treats abortion as a trauma.

Outpatient services now being offered
The groundbreaking outpatient services being offered by Transformations are also proving to be very effective. “Rehab After 5” is a program for those professionals unable to leave home or work for a traditional 30 day in-house program and have not been in treatment before. “Rehab after 5” meets three times a week in Transformations’ clinical facility. The therapist-to-client ratio at Transformations is one of the best in the industry. This program is designed to give each person the necessary tools to avoid inpatient treatment.

“RECOVERY 101″ is an outpatient service offered to college students or other young people that are new to the recovery scene. The goal is to give each individual the knowledge, tools and therapy that will allow them to experience recovery without inpatient treatment. Bello says, “We have found that most insurance providers are willing to cover these types of outpatient services, which are available for both genders. The men’s and women’s groups meet in the day and evening. The beauty of these programs is that they allow a person to deal with their addiction without leaving their homes for an extended period of time.”

Transformations offers many phenomenal opportunities for people to address their drug addiction and alcohol dependency issues. However, there is no one-size-fits-all in recovery. This is where Transformations is set apart from other treatment centers. They offer a variety of programs that can be tailored to the needs of any individual. They develop a strategy that will afford each individual the best chance at turning their lives around.
The goal at Transformations is to bring the client to a place where they can be happy, joyous and free; for many, perhaps, for the very first time in their lives.

Have you ever struggled with an addiction? Tell us your recovery story by emailing [email protected]

Carl Foster is the host of The Good Sports Magazine Show airing every Monday from 6-7pm on GraceNetRadio.com as well as marketing executive with the Good News and Blackstone Media Group. To contact him, please email him at [email protected].

 

 

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