Where do I start...Checked into Burkwood on 09/25/2023 a shell of the person i once was for my 8th attempt at treatment a hopeless dope addict and the man who left 42 days later was almost unrecognizable as the same person. I am going to keep this short and to the point. This place saved my life! To anyone who has been to treatment before and failed to stay sober after I have an easy recipe for success i will lay out for you and if it worked for me it can work for anyone and here it is. Call burkwood make a plan, show up, Surrender(#1 biggest thing you have to do) and by that i mean just give in to the process and listen to what they are saying even when you want to question why just do what they are telling you they are not doing what their doing for any other reason then it flipping works, next is get involved and share with your peers and last but not least don't leave till they tell you your ready to and follow their recommendations its just that easy! The food at burkwood was amazing the staff was amazing and the accommodations overall were also amazing! Special thanks to Cheryl, Kelly M, Will, Kevin, Jake, Aaron and that's just a few of the people who made my recovery possible and as magical as it was!
Burkwood has an amazing program. It really has a family like atmosphere there. The staff truly cares about every individual and wants to help them succeed in their new life of sobriety and recovery! This place helped me do a complete life change, not only get sober, but learn to be a better mom, daughter and friend.
Please take reviews with a grain of salt (even mine) as some may quickly jump to conclusions based on a story they don’t have all the facts of in a Google review. Loved ones, please try to understand you may not get all the facts from the outside due to client rights and privacy concerns. To those who are considering Burkwood for treatment, feel free to read my short or long review and know there is hope.
The short review:
The staff are dedicated, go above and beyond, make the tough decisions behind the scenes that I personally didn’t understand as a newly sober addict - yet it did more than save my life, it started my journey to finding my joy and helping me thrive. I had my moments of wanting to leave, but the 9th step promises are coming true in my life, partly because I stuck it out at Burkwood.
The longer version - read for better insight into the reality of a treatment center:
A year ago I would have hesitated to give Burkwood a 5 star review. I was a client in March of 2022 and this place has remained special to me since then.
Was it all sunshine and roses? No, but it’s treatment- where I had to give up my control to those who are clinically trained and qualified to save me from destruction. For instance, I’m the girl who had nearly every client against her for a good 2 days over a misunderstanding, yet the staff worked with us clients to make sure we were all safe, sober, and learning how to handle these things when we walked out those doors.
I easily could have hated this place, I easily could have blamed the staff. I chose to focus on the good. Which some days in there felt like nothing. The RAs give their all to get clients through the bad days, and to celebrate the good.
One of the RAs sat and let me yell in tears about how much I hated being there, and simply listened. Listened with compassion and presented logical facts, which I desperately needed.
Kelly takes a lot of guff as clinical director, and deserves credit for her resilience. She is committed to making Burkwood a place that changes lives and helps people keep their lives.
Cheryl is the counselor who still cares, 18 months later, about how I’m doing. If I’m still sober, if I’m happy. She opened my eyes to ways I had been operating in life that would lead me right back to addiction/ use. Cheryl gets clients to dig deep, and she is extremely passionate about her work.
The nurse, Jodi, along with other staff, helped educate clients on the disease, ways to work on sobriety after graduating from Burkwood as well during time there.
Very educational, engaged learning while incorporating the 12 steps, allowing us to experience outside meetings and explore tools to succeed rather than keep us stuck needing treatment centers for life.
Google reviews, as important as they are, frankly suck for some industries because it’s easier to vent about the frustrations immediately after experiencing the bad. Many who left and are thriving thanks to Burkwood didn’t leave a review as to not share their name publicly.
Ask questions. Make sure the facility you’re considering is trained, qualified, and has dedicated staff. Call the facilities you’re looking into, have a list of questions, compare apples to apples. Try to get a feel if it’s a good fit as well as phone calls allow.
My first experience at a treatment center left me worried I’d be miserable for 30+ days. Then I got into Burkwood and learned there is a right fit for everyone if you need help to break the chains of addiction. I encourage you to find that right fit, Burkwood or not. If you’re miserable, how do you expect those around you to respond?
If you or someone you love is struggling or needs help, please know there is hope.
