Why Delray Beach is the Rehab Capital in the US?

How Delray Beach, Florida Became Known For Drug Treatment

The idea of Delray Beach as the “recovery capital” of the country seems to have originated in a 2007 New York Times article, which put name to a building trend of many recovering addicts from out of town seeking treatment in South Florida.

With its trademark warm weather and laid back atmosphere, the sunshine state of Florida was unusually attractive as a place for struggling addicts to seek out a new beginning. Rehab facilities could offer appealing outdoor activities and an inviting beach atmosphere along with more traditional rehab practices like support groups and psychological and pharmaceutical therapy. This enticed struggling addicts from around the country to embark to Florida for rehab to begin their new life in recovery.

So naturally, as the number of addicts in recovery in South Florida grew, the recovery community in the area grew with it. This was especially true of Delray Beach, a small beach-side town that lies between West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, which became known as a hopeful “town of second chances.” A plethora and Alcoholics Anonymous and NA meetings sprung up to connect former addicts newer to recovery to those with more experience, welcoming them with open arms and helping them to find the critical support they needed to restart their lives after rehab.

The bustling tourism industry in Delray Beach, as well as in surrounding South Florida cities, also gave people recovering from addiction a handy-dandy way of finding jobs that were well suited to their life in early recovery because of their simple, part-time, and low-stress nature, such as work in restaurants.

In accordance with the growing recovery community, the number of sober homes and halfway houses in the Delray Beach area began to increase as well. A sober home is a non-clinical facility that nonetheless can play a critical role in addiction treatment by providing patients with services that facilitate their recovery.

These services might include frequent drug tests, a strictly drug and alcohol free premises, and codes of conduct that help residents to develop a structured drug and alcohol free lifestyle, such as curfews, bans on opposite-sex visitors, mandated attendance at twelve step meetings and other therapy and treatment programs, and requirements to find work outside the home.

By gathering patients in early recovery together under one roof, a halfway house can also help an addict to find a support system and community, and insurance will often cover stays there as part of a patient’s drug treatment. These residences may be associated with specific drug treatment centers, allowing them to offer more structure and support than a fully outpatient rehab facility while still being less expensive than true residential treatment facilities.

The proliferation of these sober homes led to the development of a “Florida model” of substance abuse treatment, in which recovering addicts would move from residential rehab facilities down to less intensive forms of transitional care these residences exemplify.

But not everything in Delray Beach was always as idyllic as it seemed when it came to drug treatment. As attested to in later news coverage about the supposed “rehab capital,” it seemed that some corrupt South Florida treatment centers were taking advantage of insurance companies by billing them for unnecessary services while failing to provide their patients with adequate care. Instead of getting sober, patients would thus end up trapped in an endless “Florida shuffle” as they bounced from rehab center to rehab center, or staying at sham halfway houses that were actually veiled dens of debauchery.

In the worst cases, these corrupt rehab centers would even encourage patients to relapse so they could bill the patients’ insurance companies for additional treatment. However, according to a 2018 Sun Sentinel article, the recovery capital has cleaned up its act thanks to the concerted efforts of people like state attorney Dave Aronberg and stricter regulations on treatment centers for drugs and alcohol. Prominent criminal cases that targeted some of the worst offenders also set a precedent for others to cease their immoral practices, setting the stage for a truly healthier Delray Beach.

So, nowadays, Delray Beach has once more become a town of second chances and a beacon of hope for many addicts, and the Florida model of substance abuse treatment continues to offer many people who struggle with addiction the scaffolding they need to achieve recovery.

Still, because of the existence of these corrupt rehab facilities, it’s important to thoroughly research any treatment center that you or your loved one are considering pursuing their recovery at. The empathetic and redemptive mission of Reco Intensive, which was founded by a man who had achieved recovery through the Florida Model himself and sought to pass his knowledge onto others, is completely at odds with any detrimental or exploitative practices.

Best Addiction Treatment Programs In Delray Beach, Florida

For first rate addiction treatment in Delray Beach, look no further than Reco Intensive. Along with scientifically backed therapies provided by expert psychologists, our holistic model of addiction treatment includes activities like yoga once a week, equine therapy, and other experiential “adventure therapies” that help our clients to overcome their past trauma and re-conceptualize themselves and their histories.

Our alumni program is also designed to foster lifelong recovery. It provides patients with a Delray Beach recovery community by pairing new clients with alumni “buddies” and hosting once a week meetings where alumni can discuss the successes they have had in recovery and strategies they have found to help overcome their struggles.

To learn more about our Delray Beach treatment center, feel free to check out our testimonials or to reach out to us anytime at 844.955.3042, or to contact us online anytime here.

Sources:

vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/2/21156327/florida-shuffle-drug-rehab-addiction-treatment-bri-jaynes

sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/delray-beach/fl-reg-sober-home-challenge-20180901-story.html

nytimes.com/2007/11/16/us/16recovery.html

nytimes.com/2017/06/20/us/delray-beach-addiction.html

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/21/my-years-in-the-florida-shuffle-of-drug-addiction