Program Enhancements

The process of early recovery can be challenging. At Webster Place, we take time to do something a little different every day. Our residents find that Program Enhancements can be fun, relaxing, and interesting. We expose our clients to new activities so they can handle situations that create times when they are "Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired" this stands for HALT in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. When we feel any of these emotions it is time for us to stop, and take care of our physical and emotional needs.

Our program enhancements like Acupuncture, Gardening, Music, Writing, Karate, Art, Knitting, Crafts, Yoga, Exercise and Cooking, are an easy way to stop our minds for an hour or so each day. We focus on stress management techniques, and we look for ways to stay the course.

We urge our residents to look at all areas of their lives.

Physical: Exercise can fight depression and help stimulate endorphins and dopamine production, replacing the high that we had received from chemicals.

Emotional: Learning to identify our feelings and communicate them honestly with others is critical to long term success. Doing so prevents the emotional blow-ups that might lead to relapse. Most recovering addicts grossly underestimate the importance of this, believing they can handle their emotions.

Mental: Recovery is a learning process. We build layers of interconnected knowledge about how we can stay clean and sober, but also how to live effectively in other areas (such as career, family life, etc.).

Spiritual: This is the inner strength that fuels our success. We seek a connection to a higher power this is different for everyone and never defined by anyone but the person in recovery. We move from a self-centered perspective to a self-seeking and helpful perspective.

Social: We share identification with other addicts and alcoholics. It is important to stay "plugged in" to the recovery mindset. Believe it or not, when we start to heal, and understand that we can have fun in recovery.

Our enhancement choices change regularly. Here are a few of our favorites.

Creative Expression: We take time for Art, Music, and Creative Writing & Knitting. The creative arts can be very helpful in the process of recovery from addiction. They can provide time to get in touch with the inner self and with the higher power and can help us find feelings that cannot be easily identified or put into words. Through helping the addict or alcoholic connect with his/her more authentic self, expression can help raise self-esteem and provide an opportunity to create new experiences beyond habitual and painful emotional patterns. The creative arts foster a renewed ability to relax without drugs or alcohol.

Cooking: One of our most popular enhancements is time in the kitchen. This allows residents to prepare a meal, design snacks, bake their favorite cakes, and create unusual recipes and treats that residents will share at one of the meals.

Yoga: A form of exercise and relaxation is offered in this structured weekly class. Stretching all muscle groups during the different yoga poses helps us limber up, feel more serene, and increase our energy levels.

Native American Healing Circle: Our regularly scheduled Healing Circle is a time of reflection, meditation, and sharing. This is a different form of spirituality that includes ancient rituals, and we enjoy finding a new path towards serenity.

Meditation: Formal relaxation can be a powerful tool in relapse prevention. Meditation can become a positive activity that provides a healthy alternative to addictive behaviors. Meditation helps relieve feelings of restlessness, anxiety and depression.

Gardening/Outside Maintenance: Some residents like to keep busy, and prefer outside activities. We have plenty to do on our huge estate, and folks who like the fresh air and some exercise can sign up for an hour of planting, raking or processing our homemade maple syrup. In the spring, we actually plant a vegetable garden and we all enjoy the fruits of this labor of love.

Exercise: Residents are able to spend time working out in our exercise area with equipment, weights, treadmills, and mats.

Acupuncture: Webster Place offers an optional group acupuncture session to residents. Developed in China over 2,500 years ago, acupuncture is part of a system of medicine that seeks to establish the free and balanced flow of energy by the insertion of needles on specific points along the energy pathways of the body. It is based on the idea that blocked chi is the cause of disharmony in the body/mind, and therefore disease. Acupuncture is currently used in many drug treatment facilities or can be part of a self-help program for recovery.

Maple Sugaring: Webster Place has 25 sugar maples around the property. You can learn how to drill and tap a maple tree. Then, as recycled wood burns, will be able to see up close the workings of a sugarhouse where you can experience the sweet smell of warm maple waffling through the air as you learn the ABC's of making syrup. This is a seasonal activity that produces some really tasty syrup for breakfast.

Daily Reflection: We enjoy quiet time to reflect on the day. It's a great way to keep connected with your peers, and see how the community is doing as a group. This usually helps settle us down before calling it a day.

Animals: As a side note, Newman, our recovery dog is usually in the building, and there are chickens roaming the grounds. We find calming benefits during interactions with animals.

Call our admissions department to start your recovery journey: 603-934-2020