~These are people not interested in treatment; they primarily come to me because they want to be on TV and they want to make money. And in spite of that distorted motivation they get better. I would say nearly every person we've treated has felt as though their life has been changed by the experience and many of them are still active in sobriety~ Dr Drew Pinsky
**Names have been changed**
During my last night of freedom, I spent time walking around Uptown and binging on decaf hazelnut lattes and Diet Mountain Dews. I was procrastinating on packing and doing laundry as I usually do before any trip or move. The next morning, I felt overwhelmed and tired since I couldn't sleep. When my parents arrived at 9:30, I recruited my mom to help me pack. My dad brought his old green Army bag since my luggage was in storage. I tried to remain calm, but was feeling anxious as I frantically tried putting a list together for my parents of phone numbers and to-do's as I wouldn't have access to my phone or laptop while in treatment. Gasp! Finally, it was time to leave, so I put on my favorite black newsboy cap, wrote a note saying goodbye to my roomies and hopped in my parents' car. My check-in at the center was scheduled at 11:00. A second wind blew away my sleepiness for a bit.
One of the counselors Kelly met us at River Ridge Treatment Center in Burnsville. Kelly greeted us and led my parents and me into a room to talk about the program and answer any questions. Last night, I was thinking about the girls who were already at the house and hoped that they would like me. I didn't know who would be there, so was unaware of their life experiences. I made a conscious decision to do a few things while in treatment; be positive as negativity could easily overcome me at times, be open and not defensive as I could be extremely independent, protective and stubborn and be patient and kind at all times as I am usually inpatient and sometimes moody. After we were all done chatting, I said goodbye to my parents and gave them hugs. My mom started crying and I waved one last time before getting into the car with Kelly to leave the center and head to my new home for the next 30 days. Kelly seemed like a strong and caring woman who was probably about my age. She drove an older black car that was a little messy and we made small talk as we drove about a mile to the house.
I wasn't expecting to see a mansion like in Celebrity Rehab with a heated pool and hot tub. I was going to normie rehab for us regular folks. Winter started early this year and it was cold, cloudy and snowy anyway. The house we pulled up to was a nice, normal middle class house that was in the middle of a normal suburban neighborhood. I nervously walked inside the house and it was quiet as the other girls were still in programming at the center. From the entryway, you could either go straight ahead or to my right, there were stairs that led to an upper level and ones that led to lower level. Straight ahead of me, there was a closet to the left and if you continued down the hallway, it led to either a group room or a bathroom. I was informed that these had been newer additions to the house. If you went upstairs, there was a kitchen, dining room and living room to the right or to the left down the hallway, there was the main office, bathroom and two bedrooms. From the entryway heading downstairs and to the right, there was a family room with a fireplace and an area that used to be a wet bar, but was converted to a visitation room for children with toys and crafts. To the left of the stairs, was a hallway, that led to a storage room, bathroom, laundry room and two bedrooms.
After a tour of the house, Kelly and I sat in the group room at a desk while she read me pages of rules and regulations of the house while I signed my life away on the dotted lines. The group room was large and was used as a second office and meeting room for the house. There were chairs sitting in a circle and the room was warmed by a portable fireplace. Outside was a large attached deck and one of the girls had made a snowman on it. There was a fenced in garden blanketed with snow and it sat in front of tall evergreens that lined the backyard. A little while later, I heard the girls come in through the front door as they returned from programming. I went to eagerly meet them and eat some lunch.
Beef stir fry awaited our hungry mouths. It smelled delicious. I thanked Lacey, the nice, tattooed chef with bright red hair, for lunch. The girls introduced themselves around the table and then we dug in to eat. I didn't want to ask too many questions, so I sat and chimed in once in a while when the subject was general. The goal was to assimilate and not piss anyone off the first day. Marielle looked very young. She had a beautiful French name and was short and slender with big, sad brown eyes and dressed like a teenage boy. Leah had long, blondish brown hair and pretty greenish blue eyes with no make up and wore a sweater and pants. I guessed she was my age. Liz had dark, short brown hair, make-up and wore a top and jeans. She seemed like she was in her early 20's. I learned that we would be having ham for Thanksgiving tomorrow because the chef had the day off and since we would be cooking, the girls thought a ham would be easier than a turkey. The girls also planned to make a few side dishes and for dessert, we would be making apple and pumpkin pies.
After lunch, I brought my luggage to my room in the basement at the end of the hallway. There were two twin size beds in each room. My room had a white tile floor with a big rug separating the two beds and a console table with a lamp and storage space underneath. There was a dresser in front of an extra door to the bathroom and a small closet next to it. The bedroom walls were painted sage green and then there was a wooden ledge that lined the room. Some pictures colored by children had been left up by previous occupants. Kelly proceeded to go through all my stuff which was standard procedure. She jokingly commented on all my beauty products and said I wouldn't have to do much laundry with all my clothes. I asked her if I was the worst packer and luckily, I wasn't. I didn't want to be Paris Hilton. Some of the products that had alcohol in it were taken away to be locked in the main office until I needed it like hairspray, perfume and nail polish remover. I never thought about taking swigs of those, but then again, I haven't lived in a house with 3 other women in a long time.
After I passed inspection, I started organizing my things and Liz walked in my room. "What are you here for?" She asked. It sounded like jail talk. "I'm here for alcohol and prescription drugs," I said while putting my things away. I asked her the same and she said that she was here for weed and alcohol. She was 21 years old and I couldn't imagine coming to treatment at her age. Wouldn't you want more time to have fun? Although, when you already have a couple DWIs like she did and have been using since you were 14, you've had enough "fun" in your life. I might have made some better decisions if I had stopped using at her age.
Later while I continued to unpack, Liz started yelling that she plugged the toilet. I went to the rescue as I've plugged many toilets in my time. "Move over, girlie," I said. There were 3 different kinds of plungers in the closet and I used all of them in hopes of fixing it. I tried flushing and to my dismay, the toilet started overflowing. Oooops! Luckily, the poop had already been sucked down and there was just some remaining toilet paper and probably pee. She screamed for counselor Kelly to come down and we spent the next half an hour or so toweling and mopping the bathroom. One of the worst things that you can install in an all girls home is a crappy toilet. I like the ones that sound like a freight train when flushing because I know that it won't get plugged. I'm not known for moderation when using toilet paper either.
After the fun fiasco, we had a regularly scheduled group meeting where we discussed house issues and other topics. I learned that if you're addicted to one drug, you could be addicted to all drugs. Your brain doesn't care if it's alcohol, pot, coke, meth, heroin, etc. I've tried pot a few times over the years and one of the counselors commented that people either love it or hate it. Thankfully, I hated that one, but could have easily become addicted to those other drugs, if I tried and liked them.
Later for dinner, we had Enchilada Bake and it was another yummy meal at the house. Chef Lacey cooked during the weekdays. She would make breakfast, lunch and then would leave us something to heat up for dinner. We were responsible for planning and cooking the meals on the weekends and Chef Lacey would pick up the ingredients for us ahead of time. For every meal, there was usually some kind of protein, salad and fruit. Staff believed that nutrition was a key part of recovery and we weren't allowed a lot of sugar as the brain processes sugar from food the same way it processes sugar from alcohol. They believed in eating a lot of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins and we ate very little processed foods. The chef created a weekly menu for us consisting of three meals a day with three snacks; eating every two-three hours to maintain a healthy metabolism and blood sugar levels.
That Thanksgiving Eve night, I helped make an apple pie with Liz. Marielle chatted with her mom on the phone as she made her mom's pumpkin pie. I was exhausted after taking our pie out of the oven, so I headed to bed at about 9:00. It was a little earlier than the 10:30 lights out time at the house, but it seemed like torture to stay up any later. It was a good first day. I had fun with the girls and besides the toilet overflowing, there was no drama like in Celebrity Rehab. The bed was comfy and I fell asleep right as my head hit the pillow.
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