I did A LOT of homework on the web before I decided to send my wife to St. Jude's retreat house in upstate NY. I did read the other complaint on here about this place but did not blame the facility for the patient's choice to relapse. Some people just aren't ready.
The truth is, this place is a joke. It is a co-ed facility no different than MTV's "The Real World" (90% males from ages 18-60). The main house is MAYBE half the size of what it looks like in the picture. Guys sleep 6 to a room on bunk beds and girls sleep 4 to a room on bunk beds. When my wife started there were 18 people crammed into that tiny little house. Most of them going through disgusting withdraws in the bed above you as you try to sleep... Coughing and vomiting all night. You would think for $10,000 per person they would make it a little more comfortable.
Our biggest problem with this place (besides how uncomfortable she felt with ALL of the instructors [married] hitting on her constantly) is that they FALSELY ADVERTISE thier success rates on the web. During her 6 week stay, 9 people 'graduated' and left the house whom she kept and still keeps in close contact with. Out of those 9 graduates, 6 of them starting using drugs again as soon as they left!
I was not the one in the program so I can not and WILL NOT blame St. Judes for these people's relapsing... But they should really stop fudging the numbers to bring in more new business. Enron tried that and look where it got them.
As for my wife, she flew back home last week but still has the same cravings/depression as when she first went, although she IS NOT using. I think the thought of her having to go back to that moneypit is what is keeping her sober. I guess thats the only good thing that resulted from St. Judes in upstate NY.
To anyone reading this please spend your money elsewhere. Their no-pressure classroom setting is not the right environment (statistically proven in my earlier paragraph) for a struggling addict.
Best of luck to you and your families.
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