Ft. Lauderdale Hospital on Sunrise

Sunrise, Florida | See other Florida rehab reviews

555 S.W. 148th Avenue
Sunrise, Florida 33325

Interview from 40yea
Why did you choose this facility?
40years: My insurance company chose it, I called them and told them I needed to go to rehab.

Tell us about the experience - was it positive or negative?
40years: For me negative, it use to be a 28 day program, then when the systems went to HMOs, the insurance company would only pay for 5 days, so the program was cut to 5 days, not enough time to really do anything except go thru withdrawl there. I went there and there were three shrinks you could be assigned to, each one had their own method of withdrawl from Herion, one used methadone, one used dilaudid and mine use some anti-convulsion drug thats starts with the letter C, very common. I hated it, had a friend smuggle dope in through the fence around the outside smoking area, so then the second night I couldn't take it anymore and signed myself out since I was voluntary. Except my insurance company called my office and said that if I didn't go back that I would lose my health insurance, which was Prudential at that time if I remember right. I went back and did finish, Barry Gibb's son was in there also. On the exit talk with the shrink I told him it was like I was I had taken a hit of mescaline, and he told me that since I had done so many drugs for so many years that I had done damage to my brain, and that my endorphins would also not work because I had been on opiates for so long they were permently shut down, so that was quite depressing. Very negative experience.

Do you feel the program was successful?
40years: Not at all, I was back on dope within a week, and then put myself on the Methadone program. I finally weaned myself off all drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in 2006, but even after years of being clean I still feel like I am on some mild form of mescaline when I think about it, or I notice it, but it is now my normal state of mind, I remember what my mind use to be like, but I will never be able to experience that again.

What advice would you give somebody considering going to this facility?
40years: Do what they tell you to do, it isn't going to be fun, rehab isn't fun, but after the withdrawl is over you will feel better than you have since you started doing dope. Getting clean is a wonderful feeling at first, depending on how long you have been on drugs. If it is not a 30 day program then you should try and get into one, 5 days is not enough, and if you can't, then you should go to a support group every night after you get out, like NA or AA, everyone thinks they can do it without help, I did but it took years to do it that way. Also you need to know you need to stop seeing the people who did drugs with you, or sold you drugs, even if they are your best friends, if you don't, they will ruin what is left of your life. You need to find new friends who will be a positive influence on you, and when you see that you can have fun without drugs and that being straight makes you actually happy, then you are on the right track.