St. Jude put the power of change forever into my life! When I went to Saint Jude I was so broken, so selfish, and so uninformed. Broken paths and relationships everywhere. I thought I was a slave to medicating myself ;and that in order to get sober would mean " white knuckling it" I learned at St. Jude that it's simply a choice! I am responsible for my choices and actions. I learned how to have fun again sober... by doing things sober! My life is full of so much joy being in charge of my decisions! I highly recommend it to anyone that is struggling or that has a family member struggling with addiction.

I am living my life When my family confronted me with the fact that my drinking was out of control I said I could handle it myself. They persisted and I went to St. Jude's. At first I was wondering how did I end up here? After a week or so I dug my heals in and concentrated on the program. On me. On what I was doing to myself and my family. Six weeks later when I went home I felt lighter better more centered. That was less than a year ago. Since then I have traveled to Tahiti ,become a great grandmother, watched a granddaughter graduate from high school, move to a beautiful condo on the ocean, and within a year I will celebrate our 50th anniversary with my husband. Yes I have a lot to live for.

Absolutely Amazing LIfe Changing Experience Deciding to leave my home and place my career on hold was a big decision- one I probably should have made years ago. When I finally reached the point when I was ready to tackle my issues, I spent weeks researching places I could seek treatment. St. Jude stood for all of the things I believed in, and held a message of empowerment. Tired of feeling helpless, I made the decision to go to New York. From the moment I got there, I was amazed. I immediately felt like family. I was able to learn things about myself through the coursework and companionship of my housemates that I never thought possible. The staff is the most caring group of people I have ever had the pleasure to spend a month with. We are still in contact, and I genuinely miss them all. I have been home for 3 months now, and my life has become something I never thought possible. After 13 years on heroin (I'm only 28, so it was the majority of my adult life), I can finally live free of my addictions and pursue my goals with no restraints. I am grateful every day for the staff at St. Jude. If you are considering any type of inpatient treatment, please talk to St. Jude. You hear horror stories of inpatient programs- this is not one of them. It's not rehab- it's a life-changing retreat. It's the only thing that ever worked for me, and if I could send everyone I know there, I would. Today I am back to being a business professional and graduate student, am healthier than I have been since middle school, and free from drugs. But most importantly, I know who I am now. And I know who I want to be. I don't know how to thank them enough for their genuine compassion and on-going support.

A great place to start your new life. I entered the retreat broken and overwhelmed. With the help of everyone there and the course material, I was able to learn to live again. I had a great time and was treated respectfully during my stay. I would recommend this program for anyone in need.

I AM NOT DISEASED My name is Shawn, I am an ..... Wait wait wait. Let me start over. My name is Shawn I am not diseased. I am not powerless, I am not out of control, nor have I ever been. Now just to let you know before I got here I would not have said these things because I totally fed into the diseased mentality. Completely believed I was powerless. I prayed and prayed everyday for God to remove my obsessiveness and defects to no avail. Now if you're one of those closed minded people like I was you may be thinking, well if you really worked the program you would stay sober. To those I will say I went to 180 meetings in 90 days. Three and four meetings a day. I worked the steps to the best of my ability more than once. I still had the desire, and believed it was up to God alone to relieve me of the obsession. Now I know the truth. Now I know I and I alone am responsible for my decisions. I chose to drink and drug and until I faced this fact nothing or no entity was gonna save me from myself. realizing the power is mine, that my success is in my hands, is so freeing and empowering. I can change myself from the inside out. I can control myself and my thinking, How depressing it was to think one little can of cold beer would make me drink thirty more. I am not weak. I am powerful but had been brainwashed otherwise. My happiness and my life are mine to make whatever I want to out of. I have total confidence in myself thanks to Saint Jude Retreats. The best most productive years of my life lie in front of me. I cant wait to show people that I can succeed on my own.