I was on several different medications, including Paxil, Effexor, Cytalopram, Zoloft, and Lorazepam over a period of eight years, until finally they didn’t work for me anymore. I took them for anxiety and to begin with, Paxil worked for several years. Lorazepam did help some, but wasn’t sufficient and I was hooked. I tried getting off the medications at home for several months, but getting off the Lorazepam was too hard to do by myself. We found out about the Alternative to Meds Center from Anthony Stephens, the True Hope founder. So my husband and I came to ATMC where they found out I had heavy metal toxicity and low Serotonin. After being there for five weeks, I am feeling much better and I am off all of my medication. The staff were very nice to me and were a great help in going through my detoxing, withdrawals, and anxieties. My favorite part of the program was hiking and the group meetings and therapy. I would encourage anyone to detox and get off their drugs.

Viola H

After almost 10 years of heavy methamphetamine use and several years of xanax and antipsychotic prescriptions, I hit rock bottom. Something had to be done if I wanted to live any longer. My family and I researched detox programs around the country for months before I decided to become a resident at the Alternative to Meds Center program in Sedona, AZ. I arrived at ATMC on June 12, 2010, with a skeptical mind set of being able to become medication free 100%. Medications and street drugs had been such a huge part of my life I didn’t know how to live without them. That was where my mind was at the beginning of the ATMC detox program. I am now 100% medication and drug free and have been for a few months, with no desire to use again. The ATMC program not only saved my life, it allowed me to appreciate life again for the first time in years. So many aspects of the ATMC program played a part in my successful recovery. From the caring, knowledgeable staff making sure I got the right supplements each day, to the organic meals and hours in the sauna a spent sweating out many toxins, I am very grateful I had the courage to walk through the ATMC doors in the beginning. During my 8 weeks as an ATMC resident I became educated on how toxic of a world we live in and learned a healthier, more natural way to live, resulting in a happier more fulfilling lifestyle to look forward to in my many years to come. Thanks to everyone involved with the Alternative to Meds Center, may your program continue to be a success in improving peoples lives, one by one.

Brent

Dallas, TX

ATMC has been a great success for me. When I started the program I was on three different medications; Zyprexa, Valium, and Klonopin. I had been on those medications for the past three years. They had been a psychological drain and made me feel many different depressing moods. The staff helped me get off the medications by slowly reducing the amount while supporting my brain chemistry with supplementation and amino acid therapy. The chelative sauna and educational classes benefitted me and brought me affirmatve healing. ATMC provided a healthy environment with many positive activities. Many thanks to the staff at Alternative to Meds Center for all they offer and all the help.

Nate Frey

When I first arrived at the Alternative to Meds Center I had already gone through the withdrawal phase and been off Oxycontin for 8 days, but I felt drained and my body was very low on strength and energy. On the first day I was here I went for a hike to the gazebo on top of the rock formation behind the facility. It is probably a two to three mile walk there and I was exhausted before we were even half way there. I had to keep taking breaks but kept pushing myself and somehow made it all the way there and back. A day or two later I had started the sauna program, and at first, my energy level made it a little challenging and tiring, but after the first few days of the program I was starting to see and feel the daily improvement in my energy, stamina, overall health, and most of all, my drug cravings and memories of drug use were fading away, creating a clearer mind for me to focus on and accomplish the things that I really wanted.

I have to admit that when I first started the program I was a bit skeptical because I wasn’t noticing anything and began to think it was just torture to make you not want to do drugs again. But I was unclear on one thing, re-stims could also be memories. So the whole time I thought nothing was happening in the sauna the first few days I was actually having many re-stims, thinking about times of past drug use. But when I finally realized what a re-stim could be, about nine days into the program I noticed that I hadn’t even thought about any drugs in a few days and when I tried thinking of the memories I did have, I couldn’t even remember, nor remember the feeling of getting high…they were all gone and no longer had an effect on my mind. It was amazing to see so many results at once and I was happy and grateful to be doing the program. I have been gaining increasing amounts of energy and dramatic strength in my body back. In the beginning of the program, having to run on the elliptical machine before sauna was very hard. I was running slowly because of my lack of energy and when I was done my legs felt like jello. But after a few days, as each day progressed, I could feel the difference in my energy and stamina, and by the end, I was running twice as fast and felt like I had more energy after than before I started. This is one of the most important things to me because with my strength and energy back I can do anything and nothing can hold me back. From doing the program I feel like a new person and my old self again and with a clear mind and body I now have a second chance at life to get the things I really want out of it with the energy to do so.

The sauna program seems like the only and most effective way to get the drugs and toxins out of your body. I wish everyone could do it so that more people could experience life for what it is rather than being behind the mask of drugs.

When I first got to the Alternative to Meds Center I was really excited to be here. When I got here I had been clean off Oxycontin for a week, and I felt better but still very drained. I could not wait to start the sauna program and I wanted to feel better. After doing sauna for a couple of days I started to notice a difference in the amount of energy I had and I was able to more activities, including running faster on the elliptical machine everyday. I was starting to be able to run faster, not get tired, and actually have more energy after running than I did when I first started. Same goes for the sauna, the first week when I got out, I was sleepy and drained but as time went on, I had more energy when coming out of the sauna and would be able to shower, go for a hike, go to class, etc. without feeling tired! I loved the amount of energy I had and how much sleep I was getting as well as how healthy I felt and how healthy I was eating. I had noticed a dramatic difference in everything about myself after doing sauna for one week, especially once I realized what re-stims actually were, that they could be memories of past drug use. The whole first week of sauna I was getting re-stims everyday, all day, and I couldn’t stop thinking about doing drugs.

By the 9th day I hadn’t thought about drugs for a few days. It was actually working, to my surprise, even if I tried to remember anything, I couldn’t. It’s like the memories had dulled out tremendously, and they had lost value to me. This was such an amazing feeling, I felt free of all those negative thoughts, I felt a lot lighter, like a heavy weight was lifted off of me and I was finally free! I felt clearer and stronger minded than ever! Now that my mind is clear and I can actually think for myself and now that I have all my energy and strength back, I feel like a new person. I feel like a kid again, and those were the best times of my life before doing drugs. I’m really grateful for this second chance I have been given to live the happy, prosperous life me and my boyfriend have been dreaming of. I feel more open minded and I don’t have any more negative thoughts flowing through my head. The sauna really rejuvenated my body, mind, and spirit. I’ve been so happy and laughing every day, all day. Not only do I feel 100% better, but I had a good time doing it! I can’t remember anything about drugs and I don’t want to remember, and I’ve replaced those thoughts with those of my future positive goals and my new perspective on living a healthier life. I wish this program could be available to every addict because I’ve seen people go in and out of a 5 day detox or 12 step program and just keep relapsing and its sad because they don’t know all those toxins are still in their bodies.

I feel like the sauna program is the most effective way to get rid of those toxins and cravings, and I’m so grateful for having come to the Alternative to Meds Center.

Now when me and my boyfriend go home, we will have the will, mind power, and strength to say “NO” to drugs and feel good about it as well. We will finally be able to start our lives together, clean and clear minded so we can make the right decisions for our selves. We want to have kids and teach them this happy, healthy way of life so that they will never have to go through the trauma of drug addiction like we both had to. I’ve definitely learned a lot while being here and I’m definitely going to take all of the knowledge I have learned home with me and try to teach others how to live a happy, positive life and let them know they don’t need anymore “happy pills” to feel good about life; it can happen naturally.

All I can say is how grateful I am to have gotten this second chance at life and for all the support my boyfriend and I received from our families and the staff here at ATMC!

My name is Roni L.  I have suffered from bulimia and alcoholism since the age of 13.  I used alcohol as a way to escape from my memories of past abuse.  At the beginning, bulimia was a way for me to lose weight for sports.  Soon, I noticed that I was drinking two fifths of booze to get through the day.  Then, I was binging and purging four or five times a day to handle my self-hatred.

I started to go to AA mtgs. over the summer—it was great to handle the alcohol abuse but the bulimia became more severe.  Finally, I arrived at ATMC (Alternative to Meds Center).  Here, I found a reason for my behaviors and an effective method to care for myself and gain some self-esteem. Also, I was able to safely taper off of 7 psychiatric medications!

During my time at ATMC, I have been working with a nutritionist who had overcome bulimia.  She has helped by talking to me as well as doing extensive testing to see where I was nutritionally deficient.  She found that I was lacking many nutrients that could cause bulimic tendencies to continue.  I have been taking supplements to boost my neurochemistry and to improve my nutritional state.  It was much easier to stop my body from having the need to purge yet it took about 3 weeks for my emotional being to stop the negative thoughts.

The ATMC staff helps me on a daily basis.  T.J., a Chef and Estates Manager, taught me how to choose and prepare healthy alternatives in the kitchen.  Cassie, the Sauna and Supplement Supervisor, has been there for me to talk to.  She helped me deal with the pain associated with the pain and emotions of being an abuse survivor.  Isaac, the Program Director, helped me face my fears resulting in more self-confidence.  Emily and Mark have taken me to AA meetings and been there when I needed to talk.  Jason, the Course Supervisor, has taught me about the vitamins and supplements I take and how they work to rebalance my brain chemistry without the risk of side effects.  Also, I now know that proper nutrition and exercise can positively affect my overall condition and view on life!   Because the staff members have overcome similar issues they can relate to me and are always available for one on one help.

I am so happy that I came to Alternative to Meds Center—I no longer want to be “6 feet under” or to plain just disappear!  I want to live– happy and healthy!  I learned the life skills here to do just that and I am going home with the absolute confidence that I can be healthy and succeed in life!—Roni L.

I came to ATMC after being at another treatment center.  When I arrived I felt worthless and unfixable.  I have been a cutter since the age of six; I was also suffering from bulimia.  I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD, as well as bipolar two disorder.  I had been taking various medications since the age of six.  While here I discovered that I could fix the way I had always felt by adding supplements and not medications.  I learned that I was lacking endorphins, serotonin, as well as GABA.  After about two weeks I began to notice a change in my thinking as well as my feelings. I told my dad that I seemed to be in a funk I did not know what was wrong with me; I was not depressed or anxious, manic or self-loathing.  At this point my father told me “Well you feel normal.” What a concept for the first time in my life I felt normal.  I only wish others could know how this feels not worrying about any side effects and truly being comfortable with whom they are.  It was scary to start this process but now that I am done I am so glad that my other treatment center sent me here.  I have all the confidence that I can live a normal life and that I can continue to live and love myself.  I truly hope others can gain this knowledge and find ATMC in order to make their lives better.

Roni L
Age 31

The sauna has been hard but worth it, and while I am going to have chronic pain forever, the limited amount of pain medication that I am on allows me to dull the pain and not dull the rest of me, my emotions, my memory, my personality, etc. I am more like my old self than I have been for a long time. I have become much more alert and alive, my brain has awakened and my thoughts have much more clarity, almost as though the fog has lifted. I am returning to my former, feisty self. I feel healthier, waking in the mornings brighter and in a more positive frame of mind and much more organized with a definitive attitude as to what needs to be achieved on a day to day basis.

While I have never required much sleep, I seem to be getting more rest out of the sleep I get and it seems like a more pleasant and peaceful sleep. My appetite has improved for a healthier and for a larger variety of foods that I am enjoying, to my own surprise and its wonderful enjoying food again.

My short and long term memory has improved, before the sauna program I was becoming notoriously bad at remembering the simplest things like names, phone numbers, part numbers, drawing numbers, etc (small trivial things that I use to retain without effort, my friends and co-workers call me the “library” because of my short and long term memory skills). While an erosion in memory may be acceptable to most people that are now “middle age” or have had problems with drug use, it is not acceptable for me. I have built a memory through association that allows me to recall old drawings and documents, remembering the drawing or document number, what information is in the drawing or document and usually what page the information is on that I may be looking for. I can remember hardware part numbers, diameters and lengths of items I have only used once, much like a filing cabinet of information.

Considering the advantages we have today that allow us to use the internet to search for the most trivial amount of information, I have always relied my memory to gain an edge over my competitors when being considered for a new job or when a group of engineers is being narrowed down close to the end of a project or when the companies I work for need lay off workers due to financial constraints, so a broad and expanding memory is very important to me.

I feel calmer and more relaxed. Over the past year or two I have tended to be somewhat of an angry, withdrawn, emotional “time bomb”, and while I always speak my mind and stand up for what I believe in, I find that un-angered, yet raw emotional reactions make it easier to spread my message to others, and when my mind is well adjusted those reactions flow like water. I feel like my personality is brighter and livelier and my sense of humor has improved, I laugh without reservation. My interaction with others feels less constrained and more comfortable.

It took me a year and a half to taper off of benzodiazepines on my own. I had two more drugs to go but my resolve to keep going was fading fast. I became aware of Alternative to Meds Center and felt that it was a thread of hope. It seemed impossible that I could get off Buspirone and Zoloft in just four weeks, but it was worth a try. I was drug free in two weeks. Amazing. It would have taken me 14 months on my own. They gave me my life back sooner than I could have ever dreamed. I will always be grateful to ATMC.

Robin Anderson

Mary will be finally going home from Alternative to Meds Center (ATMC) this Thursday, Sept 17.   She has been there 2 months.  She initially went there to help her get off the antidepressant Zoloft.  She had been taking Zoloft for 16 years and her health had gotten worse over the years.  She has been trying to get off Zoloft for 5 years but has never been able to do it on her own.  ATM was able to get her off Zoloft in about 3 weeks.  They were able to determine that she had lead toxicity and also that her digestive system was unhealthy due to years of taking aspirin and antibiotics as a child.  IV amino acid drips helped her to get off Zoloft and heal her digestive system, and IV chelation therapy helped her to get the lead out of her system.  We think that the lead came from the lead water pipes in our Grandparents house we used to live in Vermont.  So there were a few issues going on.

Mary says that she feels so much better now, like a new woman.  So many health issues that she previous had, have just gone away.  It is really amazing the progress she has made in the short time she has been at ATM.  The doctor there told her that aspirin and antibiotics are “gut busters”.  I am just sorry that it took so very long for her to find the answer that she was looking for.  It appears that zoloft was prescribed in error, when in fact, her problems should have been solved in a different way.

Mary’s case manager told me that she has shown the most improvement of anyone who has gone through their program.  Mary told me that even the director of the program gets emotional when he talks about her success story.   She arrived in a wheel chair with a mask on, sensitive to so many scents and chemicals and so very weak.  It was hard for her to walk up to her bedroom on the 3rd floor.   She never slept well and was depressed.  Now, she is so much more healthy, with vibrant looking skin, healthy hair and eyes, able to go on walks and keep up with the others which she wasn’t able to do in the beginning.   She used to be allergic to shoes, from all the chemicals, and now, she wears shoes!  She used to be housebound, now she is not.  She has rediscovered her love of art and is painting on a daily basis now.  She goes up and down the stairs with no problem now.  She said that life is worth living now.  I just think it is so amazing.  One regret Mary has is that she wishes that Mom could see how she is now.  I think mom knows!

Ann