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.

St. Jude Retreat Amsterdam, NY I had the fortunate privilege of being a guest at St. Jude Retreat in January of 2014. I had tried multiple times in a 12 step program and it just didn't click. Conceding to the mentality as a victim of a disease in which I had no control just didn't make sense to me. I was in a weakened place in my life and I really didn't think trashing my past was going to be what it took to turn my life around. I went to St. Jude and found that the program was very empowering. The program allowed me to figure out where my standards were and where I wanted them to be. Getting clean was going to mean changing my attitudes and my focus, finding things of value in my life and focusing on them. The program at SJR was valuable in showing me that my personal choices affect my life. Being aware of that allows me to be an active participant in the direction my life takes.

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.

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 refreshing alternative to the 12 Step Treadmill! In an arena that is dominated by the methodologies of AA/NA and their faith healing approach for overcoming drug and alcohol dependencies, it's nice to know that there are resources available that forward the notion that one can effect positive changes in their lives through education, cognitive changes and a lot of hard work and determination. While I have not personally been a client of St. Jude Retreats, I've had the pleasure of speaking with several members of their executive staff as a result of having published my book on the subject of addiction, "The Freedom to Recover". While our views on what works and what doesn't may not be 100% in alignment, they are pretty close. I've read over all of their course materials and have yet to come across a "program" or in-patient setting that offers anywhere near as comprehensive a game plan based on logic, self empowering ideas and real life approaches to addiction. Drug and alcohol addiction, or as I prefer to refer to it, dependency, is NOT a disease that requires lifetime "recovering" but rather, is a condition that one can overcome and put in their past. At least that is my view and one that St Jude Retreats embraces as well. Regards, Rolf Ankermann.