From a parent...
Mere words
cannot begin to convey how impressed we’ve been with the Imagine Program. I
can’t conceive of a program that would have addressed our child’s addiction
problem so effectively.
As impressive as
the program itself is the support that is given to the patient as well as the
entire family. Since addiction is a problem within the family, it is so
important to treat the whole family unit. The teen and his family are supported
and encouraged by the entire staff, the other teens currently in the program,
the teens that have graduated from the program , and the parents both past and
present of recovering teens. Not only did we get a healthier son back, but
we’ve all gained a supportive “family” network.
We are so
grateful to the staff of Imagine and would highly recommend the program to any
family who’s teen is suffering from addiction.
From a parent...
Before
we found the
Imagine
program, my family was suffering from the hardship of raising a teenage
addict/alcoholic. Our lives were a
total wreck. I felt totally inept
as a parent
who had
failed to steer his family clear of
drug &
alcohol abuse. Not only did I feel like a failure, I was
clueless
about how to even begin to help my child to
battle
her
disease.
My daughter
completed a variety of out-patient
SA treatment
programs, but
none were effective. My despair grew deeper and darker every time
she relapsed.
Some of my
worst fears proved to be reality.
I couldn’t
believe the nightmare we were living in. I thought it would
destroy us
all
because our
situation only worsened.
The first time I
heard about Imagine was from another teen in recovery.
I didn't
believe my daughter would
ever consider such a unique recovery
program...that was until she asked
to
participate
in the Imagine play. After meeting
the entire
Imagine staff, I felt confident
my prayers
had been answered. That happened
over
a
year ago and
my entire family has
remained
actively involved with
Imagine ever since. I’ve
witnessed a miraculous transformation in my daughter since she started at
Imagine. Imagine has provided my
family with
excellent
opportunities for recovery, personal
growth and
lasting
support which
have simply been amazing. My other teenager, a
son, is
actively
involved too
at Imagine
in the
S.O.R.T. program, where Siblings Of Recovering Teens have
their
own
support group
to help them
deal with
their
unique set of
issues.
My
entire
family is
healthier, happier & more stable today
than it has ever been. The storm that almost swept my family away has
subsided into
a gentle rain, and I’ve never been more proud of her.
Eternally grateful
From a parent...
Our journey on the
cycle of recovery began over 15 months ago. We were blind to the disease that
had taken control of our son. We believed, as many parents do, that the alcohol
and drug usage was social and that it was a "phase". Unfortunately, it took
several months for us to get our son in a treatment program. After a 2 month
stay at an inpatient rehabilitation facility, our son joined the Imagine
Intensive Outpatient Program.
When we first
started the treatment program we were doing it to help our son overcome drug and
alcohol addiction. We never imagined that the program would enrich
all of our lives. Drug addiction is a disease that affects the entire family
system. When we started the program we were all unhealthy and our family was
dysfunctional. Jim Savage and Sharon Deesch provided individual and group
counseling for our entire family. We addressed each of our individual needs as
well as the needs of our family unit. We are much more open and direct with
each other than we have ever been because of this program. We are discovering
new things about ourselves every day. I can honestly say that our family would
never have considered going to counseling and being open to talking about every
aspect of our lives if we would not have entered the Imagine Program.
Every Monday evening
we are fortunate to meet at Imagine and share our experience with the other
Imagine parents. They share what they are going through as well. Sometimes we
are struggling and other times we are filled with joy. Recovery is not easy,
but it is worth the effort. The parent group is called PORT (Parents of
Recovering Teens). We have had many ups and downs dealing with the addict and
with the addiction. I cannot stress enough how much love and compassion you
will find with other parents who can relate to what you are going through.
There have been many times when I wanted to "stick my head in the sand" and
avoid dealing with issues. A phone call to a parent in the program got me
through to the next day.
The Imagine Program
incorporates a colorful approach to traditional "rehab". Our family has
enjoyed the Native American spirituality theme. We have participated in several
Vision Quests (spiritual campouts for the clients and parents). Our son gets
tremendous enjoyment playing music; he has participated in the Imagine drama
production with Jim Savage and with the other clients.
Our son works the AA
12 Step program and has an AA sponsor. He was assigned a mentor through the
Imagine Program who he calls daily to follow up with his progress. When the
counselors determine that it is appropriate, he will be allowed to become a
mentor and an elder in the program. This will allow him to “give back” to new
clients and it will also help his sobriety. He will continue to be a part of
this program for as long as he needs to and we will continue to be a part of the
program as well. Since starting the Imagine Program, he is interested in
pursuing a career in drug counseling so that he can use his “experience,
strength and hope” to help others that are struggling with addiction. We know
he will be successful because he has gotten the best possible care and treatment
at Imagine.
There is a sign in
the family/group counseling room that says “Expect a Miracle”. No matter
what happens in the future, our family is well underway on the journey to
recovery…we got our miracle! Thank you Jim, Sharon, Trent, Shirley & Rosemary.
We are forever grateful for all you have done for us.
From a
parent...
We were shocked when we
found out our son had become involved with drugs. We were even more shocked
when we found out the extent of what had been happening. We felt we were
attentive parents and J was a generally a happy teenager, fairly responsible
and doing well in school. We had no idea and no indication what had been
happening.
When we discovered
marijuana in his car he denied everything. Not willing to take a chance,
however, we had him tested. Knowing that the results would come back positive,
our son confessed. There was a lot more going on than we had even surmised. He
told us that he needed help. At least we were very fortunate in that respect.
Imagine Programs and
Jim Savage were recommended to us by a drug awareness group whose number we had
been given. We got in touch with Jim immediately. Jim met with us and with our son. He
had a terrific way of identifying with teenagers and made J realize that there
was a lot more to what was happening with him and his behaviors than he was even
aware of. J began the program right away.
It was not easy at
first. It took awhile for J to admit to his addiction. After all, he was a
light user and felt that several others were far worse off than he was.
However, through the program he came to realize that his issues were just as
real, and any difference was a matter of degree, not of disease. Once he was
willing to accept this, he began to interact with his peers in the group and
work hard toward his recovery.
I’ve always felt that,
even if there had not been the drug issue, Imagine is an outstanding program
for J. He learned to look into himself, take personal responsibility, and open
up to share his thoughts and feelings with his peer group. His first vision
quest was a deeply spiritual event for him. His participation in Imagine really
was a maturing experience. The drama and band programs gave him another avenue
to express himself and his talents.
It was a lot of work
for our family as well. The program demanded a great deal of time and
effort, but we had to learn and do our own healing as well. The PORT
meetings were a great support. Other parents in the same situation as we were could understand
what we were going through. We could all share our common experience in a way
that we couldn’t do, even with close friends who were not as able to understand
our situation.
Our family is very
grateful to Jim, and the entire Imagine staff, who were terrific from day one.
Their dedication, support, education, and spirituality came together to create
an "Imagine Family" that helped put our son and our family on the right path
again. I wholeheartedly recommend the Imagine Program for any parent who finds
themselves in a situation similar to ours. Thank you so much!
From a
parent...
Imagine Program.....The year 2003 encompassed the worst and best that our family has experienced. We discovered that our 15 year old daughter's experimentation with alcohol and drugs had turned to abuse. She displayed the classic symptoms – her grades took a downward turn, she was in trouble with authority figures at school and with the law, and communications at home was either strained or non-existent. Unfortunately, we, as parents, did not recognize the symptoms as addiction and pursued a course of family counseling. After six months of unsuccessful family and individual counseling sessions, we were directed to the Imagine
Programs, created and run by Jim Savage
Imagine is a comprehensive IOP program designed primarily for adolescents with substance-abuse problems. Mr. Savage uses music, drama, meditation, spirituality, peer pressure and voices of experience to first engage them and then to provide them with the tools they need to deal with their disease. He provides them with a model of a productive recovering addict as well as an environment in which qualities such as honesty, humility, and hard work are held in high regard. Some of the tools and habits they develop help them cope with life in general, not just their disease.
Treatment is divided into two parts – primary and aftercare. The Imagine Program becomes such an integral piece of their recovery that transition from primary to mainstream is often difficult. Their continued involvement in the Imagine Aftercare Elders program is a critical step in their continued success. Aftercare treatment, though not as intensive, is no less important. It provides a bridge between the 10 hours per week of primary care and adulthood where they will be “working their program” on their own. This is where leadership qualities such as mentoring and self-esteem are developed.
The Imagine Program treats not only the teen in crisis; it treats the family in crisis. Parents are educated about the disease and it's effect. We are educated on how and why of our actions and the potential consequences. We are taught how to be effective parents instead of codependents in denial. There is a strong support group in the parents that remain involved – they've been there too, they know what it's like. Our adolescents' recovery is strengthened by our recovery. Staying involved in the Imagine
Program and its numerous activities is a constant reminder of the tenuous position your teen is in, the daily fight they face. It eases their return to the commitment of sobriety after a relapse knowing they have a supportive family and peers.
As a family we now communicate often and openly. As her parents we stand by her, support her growth, applaud her strength. She has taken her life back and is making great strides in her progress and reclaiming lost ground. Today our daughter is a 16-year old college student, works part time, and talks of dreams we thought were lost a year ago. She extends her hand to other in need and says, “I love you” often to her parents.
Our hope is that all families in similar crisis will find the help and success we found in
Imagine
From a parent...
UNBELIEVABLE!!!
What else can I say about the turn around your program has done for my son. I recently was asked by a friend, "Who is this Jim Savage that you keep talking about?" My comment is, "he's the man who pulled the poison out of my son's heart and mind and has helped my son begin a new positive direction in his life."
Jim, when first started the Imagine Program, I was hesitant, skeptical, and very cautious in the beginning. After attending the family night sessions each Monday and the Thursday night sessions with parents and kids, your program didn't take long to change my mind about your unique talents in reaching troubled teenagers and many lost parents. As you are aware, my son had been going to another counselor who just couldn't reach his heart the way did.
Your treatment program is one of a kind. My son is now starting to act like his old self before the drugs, alcohol, and rebellion. As my son stated to me after a few group sessions, "It doesn't feel like I'm being punished . It's more like we're being allowed to see within ourselves of why, and how we've arrived to this situation and we're now being taught a new outlook and how to make wiser decisions."
The Vision Quest campout gave me a new outlook on how to be a better father for a son who has an addictive personality. The combination of the parent and kid meetings, and the campout has awoken me to a new positive dimension in my life.
Thank you once again for helping begin the process of turning my son's life and my parental philosophies into a brighter future.
From a parent...
Our son, David, was enrolled in the Imagine program in April of 2004. Prior to enrollment David had spent two years using marijuana and not attending school on a regular basis. In March of 2004, David was sent to truancy court where he tested positive for marijuana. He was ordered to attend community service, boot camp, and counseling. Because of his sporadic attendance and lack of dedication at school, David was month away from tuning 18 with no hope of graduating from high school, no driving privileges, no job, no friends that did not use drugs, and family relationships that were nonexistent.
The Imagine program has exceeded all of our expectations. David is a completely different person than he was three months ago. Not only has he quit using drugs, he has cut off all contact with his former “using” friends, has re-established relationships with non-using friends, has re-established relationships with family members, has completed two summer school sessions with and A and a B, is on track to graduate from high school, has gotten a job, and is responsible, respectful, and communicative at home.
This progress is directly attributable to the unique aspects of the Imagine program. The program emphasizes traditional values of spirituality, responsibility, integrity, and sobriety in very non-traditional ways that appeal to teenagers and force them to confront the deeper issues that have disrupted their lives. In David's case, he was dealing with issues related to separation from his mother, which occurred when he was eight years old. While we knew this was something that needed to be dealt with and had in fact taken him to a psychiatrist in the past, it took the innovative setting of Imagine and the insight of Jim Savage and Nick Juliano to help David deal with it in a way that led to true healing and recovery. In addition, because of the Elder Program, David now has a permanent place where he feels connected, and can both receive and provide encouragement and accountability.
We cannot say enough about Imagine and what it has done for our son and our family.
From a parent...
If anyone has a very special God given talent, Mr. Jim Savage, of the Imagine Program has been blessed with the unique talent of reaching through to troubled teenagers. Through Jim's talents, my son is still alive and has responded to the ongoing recovery process since graduating from the Imagine Program in January.
Jim, through his past life's experiences, and his unique counseling style, I have seen so many young people make dramatic changes in their lives. Through Jim's counseling and the
Vision Quest, troubled teenagers have awoken to their current conditions and realize if they don't make a change in old "user" friends, proper life focus, and awareness of staying sober, they are in a terminal downward life threatening spiral.
The treatment process for the parents is absolutely wonderful, too. Through this required program, I became knowledgeable in so many ways of being a better parent to a child diagnosed with an addictive personality.
I could write pages upon pages of my sincere gratitude about the Imagine Program.
All I can say is "Thank You" to Jim Savage and his staff at the Imagine Program for saving my son's life, and educating me to be a better, more understanding parent for a child with this disease.
From a parent...
I would like to take this opportunity to share some of our thought and impressions concerning the Imagine Program.
Our 17-year-old daughter, N. started the program in June 2002. She was heavily involved in the abuse of various controlled substances. She was lethargic, depressed, apathetic and suffered from low self-image. We realize that these characteristics are not uncommon for drug users but, of course, what one knows intellectually often collides with emotions and gut feelings. Feeling apprehensive she started the program, ostensibly to keep peace at home.
From the beginning we had faith in the program's leader, Mr. Jim Savage. Our first impressions of him were that of a caring individual who blended a mix of experience, confrontation, spirituality and a no nonsense approach to therapy. Some of his more "non-conformist" approaches, i.e. drumbeats took us aback a little at first but we later learned to accept and appreciate the techniques. The support given by the rest of the group and the group's elders and supporters was invaluable.
At some point, approximately, 4 weeks into therapy the metamorphosis of N. took place. Instead, of just being there our daughter really started believing in the program and even more important, in herself. From that point her demeanor changed for the better. It was as if she woke up out of a bad dream. She was more responsive, open and caring toward herself and her family. We don't really know what magic was used, other than a degree of confrontation between her, Jim and the group but it had a profound impact. This progress continue through the program until she graduated in August, ten weeks later.
Together with her own desire to get well, Jim, the group, the Vision Quests, Kim Hanna's support and our family's support she is well and planning for the future. I would venture to say our family is stronger now than it was before the whole issue of drugs came up and our relationship with our daughter is stronger and more open. We do not know what is in store for the future but we remain optimistic. We realize that everyone's experiences will vary and that there is not cut and dry solutions to very complex problems but we feel that our family's experience with Imagine has been very positive and has provided us with a healthy framework for the future.
Thank you.
From a parent...
What a difference a year can make in a life. It is said that our suffering and pain create the contrast in our lives that makes us richly appreciate our blessings. So as I look back over memories this time last year and remember the fear and dread that I then had for the future of our family, I can now shout out with overflowing joy.
Thank God for this Life. Thank God for my Family. Thank God for the support of our Friends. Thank God for Imagine.
I can remember when C. was young, he would say to me "Life is Good" and so it is.
From a
parent...
My definition of recovery:
A parent's trials and tribulations of figuring out how NOT to control and assist their child.
After all our experiences through this whole recovery process, I definitely feel that the Imagine Program has benefited our daughter
C., and for that matter our whole family, the most.
In the beginning
C. fought "the system". After being in a short term in-patient facility twice, outpatient through that facility twice, and in a residential program for 104 days,
C. thought she had them all figured out. Tell them what they want to hear, show up every day, and at the end of the program you go home and do what you want. I have to admit, that is exactly the attitude she seemed to have when she entered the Imagine Program. But what I hadn't counted on was that all the people there had her figured out also. Up until the last week of the program I was totally convinced she was not "getting" the program and using it properly, but the week she "graduated" I saw a change and felt an honesty about doing the right thing that I had not seen before.
The great thing about the program is that it is different, and I mean
different! There is no other program out there like it and that's what intrigued me. She had been through all the typical programs and they had failed anyway, so what the heck? I think the reason the program finally succeeded where all others failed is that the kids work so hard with each other and hold each other accountable. The reason
C. has been able to succeed after she graduated from the program was that she continues in their aftercare program weekly. She has established friends and confidents through there and they hold each other accountable. They tell each other everything and share their problems with each other. If they get in trouble, they help each other out. That is the only way to be successful at recovery. Have other friends who are going through the same thing you are. They go to AA meetings together, outings together, campouts together and they talk to each other regularly.
The other really good part of the Imagine Program is the "counseling", both for the kid in recovery and for the parents too. Helping the parents seemed to be the area in all the other programs that I felt was lacking. Because, like I said in the beginning, recovery is a process for parents to figure out how to let go and not control their kid. The kids have to learn to control themselves. It takes a lot of 2x4's to finally see that they are right. They offer weekly group meetings, and individual counseling too. They even have a support organization for parents after your child has graduated.
Without a doubt, after a child leaves a full time program they need a program like this to keep reminding them why they got where they were. If they just return home like nothing happened, they will fall back into the same habits right away. I know, we lived it twice. Imagine worked for us and continues to work for us.
C. graduated over two months ago and continues to go weekly to the program. No one makes her. She doesn't have to, she just goes. She goes on the campouts every month. Even though she's the first to admit it is not "fun", she still wants to go.
It's a place she feels she can turn to for help if she needs it. In this I feel confident. For us the future finally looks brighter.
From a
client...
What's up? My name is David, a 17-year-old recovering drug addict. I've been sober exactly a month on August 14, 2001. I got sent to a residential treatment center because I made a fake prescription for
Xanax, and smoked pot several times a day and drank alcohol on weekends. After inpatient I went to Imagine to help me transition from rehab to home. The program has helped me a lot. I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. Imagine has helped me by having a close group to talk to that supports me in my recovery. It also helped me get closer to my Higher Power. We meditate a lot and pray all the time. An important topic is the Medicine Wheel, which is a model for life and recovery. The four directions on the Medicine Wheel all mean something. East is rebirth and being spiritually connected. South is about the trust and innocence of childhood, and growth. The West is where you look deep inside yourself and see what is needed to be changed. The North is about letting go and making the changes needed to be reborn. It is where you “die” to your old self. In Imagine, this is signified by the Vision Quest, where you go up on a hill to sit by yourself all night and pray about the things you need healing for and what you need to let go of. You prepare for the Vision Quest by making “prayer ties”. Each tie you make is a little pouch with tobacco in it which is an offering, and you say a prayer for each one. You make lots of prayer ties to get ready for your Vision Quest, then your supporters use them to set up your “sacred spot” so they're with you during your Vision Quest. The day of the Vision Quest we prepare the land by mowing, raking, and making a giant Medicine Wheel. The whole night is surrounded by extreme amounts of ritual to set the mood and open up receptiveness to your Higher Power. What I got out of my Vision Quest was a renewed commitment to recovery, some humility, and letting go of some of my resentments. Most important, I felt closer to my Higher Power. After the Vision Quest the “reborn” you gets a new name to show that the old you is gone and the new you has emerged. My name is Yellow Wing, and it is very sacred to me. Without going in to all the details, I'll just say that the “Yellow” part of it has to do with the fact that I was connected to the sunrise and the East during my Vision Quest. This signifies rebirth and being connected to my Higher Power which is why my name is special to me. The Wing part is because I had moth medicine, which is related to the moon, and has to due with my creative energy. That's another reason my name is important to me.
The Imagine Program has helped my recovery more than anything else and has greatly helped my relationship with my Higher Power.
