Alina Lodge

Alina lodge gave me the tools to understand my disease and how to cope with issues I’ve been suppressing. The staff truly cares. It’s a beautiful facility. I would have gone much sooner if I knew how great the food is !!! Seriously!!

Phenomenal organization that truly cares about its patients recovery and were so helpful in my daughter's treatment, she is better off now from where she was when she first went in. It was not a perfect experience - there were several miscommunications that detracted from the recovery but their management owned all mistakes and missteps - Bill and Jen were especially forthcoming in this, something I appreciated. Most of the other staff were exemplary in their roles in supporting patients in their journey - want to especially recognize Amber as someone who exemplified the lodge's ideals of compassion and professionalism, she made a difference in my daughter's life.

I underwent two 28-day stays at Alina Lodge. I relapsed after both stays. However, I eventually found sobriety and have been sober for over two years. At the end of the first year, I decided to go back to school to be a clinical counselor, which largely informs my current perspective.

To start, I will share the positive aspects of Alina Lodge: the grounds are beautiful, the staff is kind, and the food is great.

Alina Lodge is a hardcore 12-step centric rehab facility. While certain clinical staff members may possess training in evidence based modalities, there are no behaviorally focused or formal psychotherapeutic groups. There was one DBT lecture throughout my two stays. Instead, the majority of the groups center around 12-Step literature.The staff members possess a wealth of knowledge on 12 step programming. That is not the same of having significant knowledge on addiction/substance use disorder.

It is problematic that they do not provide information regarding alternative approaches to recovery, such as SMART recovery. Providing this information is rudimentary to informed consent. It’s fine that Alina Lodge utilizes a 12 step approach. That said, it is not okay that they present AA/NA as the only viable options. Supporters of AA often cite a Cochrane Study published in 2020, without critically evaluating its limitations or acknowledging that additional research is still needed. Suffice to say, AA has an extremely low success rate, and it is not because you or your loved one is selfish or constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. It’s because AA is a spiritual solution to a psychological problem.

You or your family member will not receive regular psychotherapy. Guests meet with their counselor 1x/week. Many of these individuals are certified drug and alcohol counselors, which does not require formal education or permit them to practice psychotherapy. This is unusual to typical residential programs where patients see a licensed clinician at least 1x/week for 45-60 minutes. Because of this, the psychological aspects of addiction or co-occurring issues are rarely diagnosed or explored. It also is not fair that certain guests were assigned to licensed clinicians. For instance, some of my peers regularly received therapy throughout their stay. Alina Lodge needs to make this more consistent, and they need to be more transparent regarding limitations in treating and assessing co-occurring mental health disorders.

They do not have a psychiatrist on staff full-time. There is one psychiatrist who comes 1x/week in the evening to see 60+ guests. In retrospect, it’s concerning that each guest does not receive a full psychiatric assessment. I believe that it is available for an additional fee. However, they do not make this service widely known. Their after-care recommendations are one-size fits all and are a continuation of 12 step treatment. Never was the importance of continued psychotherapy stressed: meetings, meetings, meetings! They also do not inform guests or family members that communal/outside AA is riddled with systemic and safety issues.

I do not think that the omissions and treatment structure is malicious. They truly believe in the 12 step approach, and the treatment offered is consistent with those beliefs. Many of the other, smaller issues at Alina largely resemble those seen in communal AA, where I am an active member. That said, they are constantly readmitting guests, and that honestly makes me sad: there are numerous ways to obtain/maintain recovery, and perhaps the one Alina offers is not what best meets their needs.

Overall, I cannot universally recommend Alina Lodge. There is no way an individual leaves a 28-day stay with an idea of the root causes of their addictive behavior. That said, they will leave with significant knowledge of AA. There are many facilities that incorporate 12 step ideology and AA into treatment. However, they also provide evidence based care.

Perhaps Alina Lodge has made changes– unfortunately, I’m not aware of them.

Alina Lodge single handedly saved my life! I had gone to 15 other facilities over the course of ten years and was not getting the help I needed from my drug and alcohol problem. I was dying and hopeless and Alina Lodge not only gave me hope it gave me the support and tools I needed to recover. Truly recover. The counseling team is second to none. The campus is beautiful and refreshing. This was an opportunity for me to get off of drugs and alcohol and to learn how to live again. The food was outstanding and the accommodations were clean and comfortable. Again, it was the treatment experience I needed to stay clean and sober. My parents are grateful… my children are grateful and I have a new and beautiful life. The CEO Bill Robins is a genuinely caring and loving person, the clinical team is on point and the rest of the staff all seem to be mission driven to save lives from the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction.