Good luck talking to Beth about it; you will be told you are in addiction and have the whole thing turned back on you. What I can tell you is that I had my mail stolen from me for about 6 months. My room mates were taking it and forwarding it to someone else. When it happened to show up in my room after moving from one choices house to the other, all bundled up in a rubber band, it had all been opened. The mail was from a family member who they wanted me to throw away. That is a federal crime.

Furthermore, CCC is bound by HIPAA, the HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT to provide you a copy of a detailed notice in writing of there privacy practices. Additionally, it is a Federal Crime to disclose medical information such as Hepatitis, much less is really poor taste. They need to be reported to Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I am very familiar with these laws, as I am bound by them. For further information, go to their Web site: [www.hhs.gov]

Good luck, I know what you are going through, I was there for a long time. If you have the means to get out of there, I highly recommend it. However, that being said, I also recommend that anyone leaving Choices or any other counseling center that doesn't have any serious length of sobriety under their belt, or is still suffering, to find another place to go. After 7 years of choices, I spent a few months seeing a psychiatrist, and then moved on to another therapist that I saw for a few more years. Recovery isn't supposed to be easy, but it isn't supposed to be worse than addiction either.

There is life after CHoices :)

JC

If anyone is interested, I would be happy to share my experience in filing the complaint with the state of Florida and with the American Counseling Association. As was told to me, these agencies are eager to hear legitimate complaints because those who flaunt ethics in their profession really cast a bad light on the whole field. I heard that from several different people: from psychologists to a sociology professor at UCF, a layperson at the church, others on this site, to the ethics board at the ACA itself... There are many good professionals out there. I know because I talked to them!

PM me and I can share my experience. The hardest part was that, if you were like me, you were still "under the influence" and mistrust every thought you have because, basically, you are a worthless POS unless you have been given absolution by MRT. You will regain your personal integrity and self-trust once you leave! You also need to stick close to some kind of recovery (basic AA) or caring therapist (think "unconditional positive regard") or friend...

hey everybody,

im so happy to finlly see this website....yall created quite the stir when i was there....i got left coices abt two months ago for relapsing....right form the start i feel like they had it out for me there...im a bottom of the barrell drug user and one of like 3 ppl with me drug of choice....they tried to label me an food addict cuz im skinny ad tried to force me to eat on the "food plan" and they had other people in the community polcing what i ate..ive always een skinny and eat fine...and so when i refused to comply with that it all went down hill...i did do some dumb things there too but i dont think i deserved the tratment i got. I had to work at the Garden pallette this stupid landscaping company 5 days a week 10 hr days FOR FREE...no choice..it was lie slave camp...and i was not given oppurtunity to go to the school across the street or find a job that ervyione else seemed to get...Basically my parents were paying 5 grand a month for me to work so the landscapping company that wa sstarted by a community member for free...I dontblame them for my relapse byut i also kinda do...i was so misrable i never felt like that before in my life...when i came home from work i had to clean everything everynight cuz i was the new comer...Then i get kicked out of 2 houses and have to beg to sleep on someone's couch and went form place to pace with all my shit never knowing til the last second most times where i would b going....I wanted to stay after my relpase but they pt me in the middle of the room with eveyone calling me a piece of shit and that i made other people relapse too...which is false...everyone makes there own choice...Thats only the start of it but i juts dont feel like bitchin the whole post..I thought i was never gonna leave there so when i did leave Beth persuaded my parents not to send me to another tratment center even though i told my parents i wanted help..after 2 days my parents finally sent me to naother trwatment center and now i moved ot a halfway hous ein del ray and have been sober ever since then...i just needed ot get that off my chest i guess hanks for letting me post

Hello mepste31,

We all understand your frustration and pain in being involved with Choices. While it does seem that you have some maturing to do (that will come in time if you are earnest) I wouldn't recommend going back there. As you said and many on this forum have said, relapsing at Choices is dealt with by being punished and humiliated. Choices is an awful therapeutic environment. I think a lot shame and guilt prevalent at Choices is deeply rooted in the Traynor's Catholic upbringing and beliefs. I do think Choices encourages sadistic and cruel punishments - they often practice humiliation on clients. The counselors seem to thrive on it. I could often feel how much pleasure/satisfaction the counselors and many of people in the groups got when someone was confronted and belittled. It was really sad.

One thing I've noticed is that Choices will have power if you/we continue to give it power. A lot of the energy so many of us addicts spend in our minds is wasted on reliving the resentments and hatred we harbor for Choices and the many other things we are troubled by.

Mepste31 (and anyone else out there) - forget about Choices - find a safe good place to work your program - do something positive and enjoyable when you feel like using. Make friends - sober friends. Make calls, go to meetings - listen to old-timers who have stayed sober and who are succeeding with their happiness and life. Get a hobby, work on learning something you want to do with your life. (you seem very young) Take responsibility for your actions and happiness. It all starts with you and the little things you do right now. Envision what your life could be like without drugs - and then realize that it will be even that much better when you are clean and sober and have worked through the 12 steps.

Be patient, be patient.

Welcome mepste, I am so glad to hear you are staying clean and sober. WTG!!!! There is a life of recovery and being "happy joyous and free" outside of Choices and I'm so glad you found it. I agree with the above poster that they do thrive on humiliation and an addict's shame and guilt in the first place. In addition to the Catholicism mentioned, there's the northern New York mentality that Maureen used to talk about -- it's a dark and depressing place and the people wallow in misery and joylessness. Not really what the AA promises are about. Maureen's legacy is a wake of destruction and even her own daughters have no families of their own. Truthfully, I feel sorry for them and my resentments were lifted early on. That's what the steps and program are about. They do work!!!

I have a friend who worked with addicts for years say that the kind of "therapy" they do at Choices creates something like PTSD in the clients. Luckily, most good counselors and therapists recognize that and can help with that. But, first and foremost, stay sober and be happy you are out!! And give big gratitude to your parents too.

Maureen and Beth, and the rest of the staff at Choices SAVED MY LIFE!! I do relate, and have experienced some of what was said however, everyone has a part. Bottom Line, I will have 10 years sober in May, I am happily married with 3 beautiful kids! My father said it was the best 50 grand he ever spent, because he got grandchildren out of the deal! I spent a year at choices. They did not approve of the impulsive way that I planned to leave, however they were very supportive, and I still speak to those therapists who saved my life! I loved Maureen, God Rest her beautiful Soul!

hah. lucky you. I've called a few of the therapists several times, and they refuse to answer or return my calls. Seeing as you were there so long ago, i suppose that nowadays their methods don't include actually giving a **** about old clients who are still sober and wanted to get in touch.
My dad did manage to get a hold of beth though, because he's been helping parents with kids down there to be able to get help from insurance companies to pay for their treatment... and he basically tore her a new one for everyone in the community, including therapists completely dropping me and not answering my calls. and that made me happy.

On another nore, been having nightmares about choices a lot again recently. :/

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DunceCap
Hello!
This is my first post on the forum, but I have been reading it for a while. Some of my friends and "fallen commrades" turned me onto this place, where I feel I can speak freely.
I have been here at CCC for 17 months (still a 'client') and am incredibly angry, scared, and fed up with my situation.
I do have to claim responsibility for my immaturity and laziness; I am not blameless. And I also have to acknowledge that I have gotten some help here. I would not have been able to stay off of drugs, alcohol, and my eating disorder this long if I weren't physically suction cupped to the ground in Winter Park. I also have made some friends here, but those relationships have become very conditional as of late and are beginning to dwindle, which sucks but c'est la vie, right?
Like I saw someone else mention here, I am the kind of drug addict that is the flea on the animal at the bottom of the food chain. Just the other day, Beth mentioned to a group of people one of my more severe health consequences that few people know of (Hep C Symplex...a usually dormnant form of the virus). Just blurted it out. That can't be legal, can it? I mean...confidentiality, anyone? 12th tradition? Hmmm...weird concepts to teach and blatantly not follow.
In the same 30 minutes, she (Beth) read a letter that I had written to someone and got returned in the mail. Again. to the whole group. First of all...this letter got returned to the house I live in, NOT "The Ranch", thus not addressed to her in any way, shape or form. She also imitated me as she read, totally mocking me. I'll tell you something: I have never felt so stupid, paranoid, crazy, 'dangerous', 'predatory', juvenile, lonely, isolated, scapegoated or singled-out in my life. And for the low, low cost of $5K a month, you, too can be degraged to this point in sobriety!
I guess what I am wondering is if these things are legal (the letter and announcing my diagnoses). I have a slew of other experiences similar to this one, but these are the most recent and concerning. I need help! I am drowning!
Keep it real
Dunce

Little while since this post was left, but this is an insane, egrarious violation of federal statutes. The statute is "HIPPA" which anyone even peripherally involved in delivering healthcare will be very familiar with. It is fairly easy to file a complaint, and this is the sort of thing that regulators drool over. Obviously discussing the violation with an administrator who will soon lose their a** over it is probably a tactical error (besides if they are comfortable breaking the law I cannot imagine they will really care that you are complaining about it.) These regulations are in place to protect people, but they always seemed unnecessary to me...Apparently not that unnecessary.

hhhhhh, on top of all of that, I heard through the grapevine that the person who left the post was "caught" and called into a session with Beth and the counselors who told her she was wrong and had to get the post removed and write and official apology to choices, now if that isn't unethical what is? There was also a recent incident there where a bunch of the kids were dealing/using drugs and having sex, Beth kept the ones who didn't leave and its a real shocker that they're acting out again huh? Why else would you keep someone that high risk if it wasn't for money? So frustrating.

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Country Girl
Maureen and Beth, and the rest of the staff at Choices SAVED MY LIFE!! I do relate, and have experienced some of what was said however, everyone has a part. Bottom Line, I will have 10 years sober in May, I am happily married with 3 beautiful kids! My father said it was the best 50 grand he ever spent, because he got grandchildren out of the deal! I spent a year at choices. They did not approve of the impulsive way that I planned to leave, however they were very supportive, and I still speak to those therapists who saved my life! I loved Maureen, God Rest her beautiful Soul!

During my time there, there were two groups of people, the insiders and the outsiders. The insiders were never called on much, got to take part in the abuse of others, and many even enjoyed frequent nights at Maureen's condo. I was not part of this group.

The outsiders were the other group and were subject to the abuse that is filling the pages of this forum and others, as well as a few official complaints to the Department of Health. I was part of that group, and I can say that I didn't see a beautiful soul. What I saw was a woman full of arrogance, hatred, and meanness who thrived of the attention from those she favored and the suffering of those she didn't like. And while Choices is in no way responsible for anyone using or relapsing, there were a lot of people who suffered abuse from Maureen who didn't have a part of being abuse, and surely didn't deserve it.

As with everyone, I am very glad that you are sober. Sobriety is a beautiful thing that can only be appreciated by those who have suffered, and getting sober is not easy. I cherish my sobriety every day, and I'm glad to see that you do to.