My Opiate use started when I was 13 years old, when I was 14 I started shooting heroin. For almost four years I fought with my heroin addiction. I screwed over everyone who ever meant anything to me, pawned anything that was worth anything, and spent some time homeless. I was trapped in a world I couldn’t seem to get out of. Thankfully my mother never gave up on me, about 3 months ago she found a place called Alternative to Meds Center (ATMC). We went down and checked it out to see if I wanted to go. It has a great vibe, the residence were smiling and laughing. I finally gave in and became inpatient. I was put on Suboxone and got off of it in a week with minor withdrawals, nothing like a heroin withdrawal. Within the first month I began to feel alive again. I started enjoying life, something I never thought could happen without drugs. The staff are awesome, they actually understand and they care. Between the residence and the staff it’s one big family. I have made friendships that will last with good people I can count on. Alternative to Meds saved my life, I would never be where I am today without them. I would recommend ATMC to anyone with any kind of addiction, I have been to several other rehabs and I know that there is no other place like ATMC. I am now in their internship program, which is giving me job skills and aftercare that is really fun and surrounds me with others who are progressing in their recovery.

Allix M.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder nine years ago.

In the beginning it was very difficult to come to terms with the idea of taking medications every day. “Would I be on this medication forever?” I did not like the side effects of the drugs! They made me extremely tired all the time, I didn’t feel like myself! This idea of feeling drugged all the time bothered me a lot. I felt as though the medication took away my personality, and I could not relate to anyone.

My unhealthy solution to this problem– I would discontinue the drugs on my own without consulting a doctor. Off the meds I felt more social and energetic and at times even euphoric, it was mania and I loved it! Ask anyone who suffers from bipolar disorder and they will no doubt tell you that there is a dark side to mania. Broken relationships, drug/alcohol use, major depression, and breaking the law are just some of them. I learned a hard lesson over time that my mania was causing a lot of people a lot of pain. The other problem is that when you stop the medication over and over it becomes less effective. I began to hear voices which were not a part of my illness in the beginning. The doctors decided to medicate me in an attempt to get rid of the voices. The result was sometimes successful, sometimes not. I still felt drowsy, tired, and devoid of personality.

Over the course of the last nine years I have been in way too many psych wards, I always seem to leave feeling just as lost and hopeless as when I checked in. Eventually I started to have visual hallucinations. I would see shadows of people, some I knew and some I did not. At times I would have conversations with the people who were in my world. My hygiene suffered, chain smoking, I was a complete mess most of the time. At this point Schizoeffective Disorder might have been a more appropriate diagnosis for me. With that much stimuli going on inside and outside of me it is almost impossible to connect with another human being. I was left by myself with my strange ideas and beliefs about life.

Broken and hopeless, I walked through the doors of ATMC looking for help. My progress at first was slow, but I did what I could handle. I participated in neurotoxin removal therapy to remove toxins. I was put on supplements right away which were really working for me. Something truly amazing happened! Gradually all my hallucinations went away! One night I was laying in my bed and I realized that my mind was quiet and that it had been that way for a while. It happened without me even realizing it. I began to get more involved in the program because my mind was clear and I began to understand the way it worked. I began exercising at the gym on a daily basis. I found myself enjoying my time swimming laps in the pool where as in the beginning I never got in the van for the optional gym trips. I began extending my time in the detoxification clinic, it became exciting to feel the toxins being released. On top of everything I have gained at ATMC I managed to lose thirty pounds over my three month stay. The food is healthy and tastes good! I have never felt better thanks to ATMC and their truly caring staff.

Sincerely,

Jason P.

My teen-age daughter was forcibly incarcerated in a mental facility and placed on psych drugs. I witnessed those drugs very much change her for the worse.

I have spent over 20 years professionally helping disabled individuals become employable and secure employment. I have worked with the products of our mental health system, and returned them to work. The direction the mental hospital had my daughter going was to turn her into a schizophrenic vegetable whose highest aspiration would be to possibly become a dishwasher (and whose wildest dream would be to be able to keep such a position, given negative public attitude toward the mentally ill).

With the help of the Alternative To Meds Center, my daughter is being freed from the harmful effects of the drugs she was forcibly put on, and being returned to her normal, bright self. Her aspiration, and always previously a very realistic one, is to become a nurse so as to help others. This goal will now again be obtainable, thanks to ATMC and no thanks to the drugs forced on her by the mental facility.

As an individual who has worked with the victims of our mental health systems, I would note that we are in desperate need of programs such as Alternative To Meds, and any others like it which may have the gumption to come along. This program is much more effective than the government funded programs. It is giving me back the daughter I raised, that she might be a productive citizen and not the zoned-out zombie and future state ward the government facility was turning her into. We very badly need just such effective means as offered by the Alternative To Meds Center to handle this very big problem.

I came to the Alternative to Meds Center taking Haldol and Lamictal for a number of months. They were given to me for psychotic symptoms. Through testing done at the Alternative to Meds Center, I found that I was Aluminum toxic, and that it was likely to have been causing my symptoms. They customized a detox program to get the aluminum and other toxins out of my system.

On medications I felt spacey and light headed. Over the span of 6 weeks, I was tapered down on my medications. Now I feel more alive, happy, and alert!

My favorite part of the program was the groups with Chezspri (the clinical director) because there was always lots of laughter. We always did something different. Sometimes it would be fun games, other times journaling or meditating.

If someone is considering whether or not they should come off of medications or drugs, I would encourage them do so under the direction of Alternative to Meds Center.
Emily M.

I came to ATMC not knowing what was in store for me. This was my second treatment and being only 17 years old, I was pretty scared and unsure how it was going to go. I stayed here at ATMC for 2 months. Coming off heroin was not fun at all. ATMC reminded me that you are not alone in your detox. Everyone here was such a big help in my recovery. I don’t know what I would do if I hadn’t come here. I was a user for over 2 years. I never thought I would be where I am today. From the support groups, friendly staff members, and the healthy organic food, I started to believe that maybe just maybe this could work. Honestly, you get what you give and I gave it my all. And now I’m proud to say I’m clean and sober for the first time in a very long time. When I arrived here I was sick, weak, and mad. Still everyone wa so kind to me and really helped me through the rough stuff. After doing the Chelation Therapy day after day I started to feel like my old normal self. I no longer craved for the feeling the heroin gave me. I was able to be happy and go without thinking about getting high. I don’t think I could have done that without the Chelation Therapy. I’m not saying it was my favorite part of ATMC but it was definitely one of the most beneficial things I’ve ever done. I have to say after over dosing and going into cardiac arrest twice, coming to ATMC saved my life. I feel like a brand new person, I’ve never been so happy. I feel like maybe I had forgotten how to be happy, ATMC helped me find the inner me, the real me, the girl that my real friends and family members missed so much. I am now able to look at things in a better way, everything isn’t so gloomy anymore, I’m able to appreciate the little things in life now. Everyone moves at their own pace and ATMC helped me through the things I had a hard time getting through. The educational part of the program was also very beneficial; I took great interest in learning how different things affect different parts of you and your brain. All in all I’m so grateful for everything I learned and I would definitely recommend this program to anyone that has an addiction problem.

Christy

I came to the Alternative to Meds Center taking Haldol and Lamictal for a number of months. They were given to me for psychotic symptoms. Through testing done at the Alternative to Meds Center, I found that I was Aluminum toxic, and that it was likely to have been causing my symptoms. They customized a detox program to get the aluminum and other toxins out of my system. On medications I felt spacey, and light headed. Over the span of 6 weeks, I was taped down on my medications. Now I feel more alive, happy, and alert. My favorite part of the program were the groups with Chezspri (the clinical director) because there was always lots of laughter. We always did something different. Sometime it would be fun games, other times journaling or meditating. If someone is considering whether or not they should come off the same drugs, I would encourage them do so under the direction of Alternative to Meds Center.

Emily

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 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 people’s 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 chelation and educational classes benefitted me and brought me affirmative 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 heavy metal removal 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 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 treatment 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.

This 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.