You might not think the word “alumni” has much connection to treatment programs for substance use disorders. After all, “alumni” is a word generally used to refer to folks who have graduated from a school.
Most every school—whether it is a high school a college or a university—wants to stay in touch with the people who graduated from the institution. The school might invite you to reunions, homecoming games and gatherings, and to other events intended to deepen your connection to the place. And, of course, many schools will also invite you to make a donation to support the current generation of students. Providing an excellent student experience and following it up with an excellent alumni experience helps the school continue to succeed.
You might be surprised to learn that French Creek Recovery Center has an alumni program. We are not a school, of course, but we do have “graduates”—people who have come to French Creek to get sober and who have completed residential treatment. And we want to have a lasting relationship with our alumni just like a school does.
The biggest difference between our alumni program and a school’s alumni program? Our program is all about supporting your ongoing success rather than the other way around.
The Importance of a Continuum of Care
In a perfect world, you would come to French Creek Recovery Center to reclaim your sobriety and that would be that. After going through medically supervised detoxification—a process that allows you to get sober while avoiding ongoing temptations and the horrible symptoms of withdrawal—and completing the rehabilitation program, you would return to your daily life and never have to worry about drugs or alcohol again.
But of course, this is not a perfect world.
Our detox program will get you sober. And via group and individual therapy sessions, our rehabilitation program will provide you with resources and strategies—as well as treatment for any co-occurring mental health disorders that might be intertwined with your substance use disorder. But because a substance use disorder is a brain disease that can be treated but not cured, ongoing support is necessary.
We call ongoing support our “continuum of care,” and it is central to our alumni program.
Details of the Alumni Program
Everyone who completes residential treatment at French Creek Recovery Center is invited to join our alumni group. In addition to keeping you connected to others who have recently regained their sobriety, the program provides continuing education opportunities centered around relapse prevention, strengthening recovery goals, and identifying and dealing with triggers that might threaten your hard-won sobriety.
French Creek alumni are invited to annual events, weekly aftercare meetings, and online alumni groups. The CaredFor app is also a key aspect of the program. The app is a secure online platform that allows alumni to stay in touch with one another while also staying in touch with staff of French Creek Recovery Center. A personalized dashboard in the app allows users to track their sobriety time; users can also access articles, resource materials, and support from recovery experts.
The Alumni Program Allows You to Get Support and Give Support
One of the most wonderful things about the French Creek Recovery Center alumni program is that it provides an opportunity for those in recovery to support one another as their recovery journeys unfurl. Fellow French Creek alumni are people who truly understand what you have gone through to get—and to stay—sober, and that shared experience means you can provide mutual support grounded in a unique kind of comradeship.
Sometimes, you might be the person who could use a little extra support. Other times, you might be the person who can provide support to someone who is struggling.
To Become an Alum, You Have to go Through the Program
When it comes to schools, alumni status is only conferred on those who put in the work to graduate. The same is true at French Creek Recovery Center. There is some hard work to do before one becomes an alum. But that work—the work that leads you back to sobriety and helps prepare you to stay sober—is absolutely worth it.
If you are struggling with drugs or alcohol, we can help. Here in our Meadville, PA, facility, we will see you through detox and rehab—and then provide ongoing support so that you can start your recovery journey with confidence. We would argue that there are few feelings quite as wonderful as the feeling of having completed residential treatment and started your new sober life. Whenever you are ready, we are here to set you on the path toward becoming a proud French Creek alum.