What are the admission hours?
Admission hours are 8 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday. Call 361-883-8109 to arrange for admission to residential, or 361-883-4994 to arrange for admission to detox.

Is cigarette smoking allowed in treatment?
Smoking is permitted in designated areas.

What are the visiting hours?
Residential program visitation hours: Saturday and Sunday 1-5 pm.
There is no visitation permitted on the detox unit.

What forms of payment are accepted?
We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, cash or personal check.

Do you have a payment plan?
In order to keep treatment rates affordable we do not offer a payment plan. Full payment is expected upon admission, but can be made one program at a time.

What should I bring to treatment with me?
If you are entering detox, you should bring any personal hygiene items, including shampoos, deodorants, shaving materials, etc. At least five days supply of underwear and socks is suggested, and slippers if you choose. You will wear hospital scrubs during your stay so you do not need to bring extra clothing. You should bring any medications you are taking, but they need to be in pharmacy packaging and clearly marked with your name, the prescribing doctor’s name, date prescribed and dosage. All medications must be current, and will need to be cleared by our medical director. Do not bring items such as food, drinks, radios, CD players, cell phones or pagers. It is recommended you do not bring cash, but you can bring a phone card or a few dollars in quarters for the pay phone. Do not bring any illicit drugs or alcohol of any kind, including medications containing alcohol. Smoking is permitted in designated smoking areas.

If you are entering residential treatment, you will need all of the above listed items, in addition to clothing for about four to five days. You will do your own laundry here so there is no need to bring large quantities of clothing. Personal items, such as small radios or CD players are permitted in residential treatment, but Charlie’s Place is not responsible for lost or stolen property. You should bring any medications you are taking, but they need to be in pharmacy packaging and clearly marked with your name, the prescribing doctor’s name, date prescribed and dosage. All medications must be current, and will need to be cleared by our medical director. Cell phones or pagers are not permitted, and we suggest you limit cash to $20, some of which should be in quarters for the pay phone, unless you bring a phone card. Do not bring any illicit drugs or alcohol of any kind, including medications containing alcohol. Smoking is permitted in designated smoking areas.

What should I expect when I am admitted to detox?
Detox is a term used to describe the period of time between when you stop taking the substance/substances you have been using and when you no longer have withdrawal symptoms. The body has to adjust to the loss of the substance, and you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as intense cravings, vomiting, nausea, bone or muscle pain, anxiety, depression, tremors or other discomforts. Simply put, this is the time when many addicts with all intentions of “quitting forever” will give up and start using again unless the symptoms are medically managed. The withdrawal can be very powerful both physically and emotionally and could even pose a serious health danger in some people. Under the direction of our medical director (physician), you will be given medications to manage and lessen the discomfort of the withdrawal symptoms, but you may still experience some of these symptoms to a lesser degree. The medications you are given in detox will be reduced at regular intervals over the course of treatment so that when you leave detox you should not need any medications to manage withdrawal symptoms. Once you complete the medication protocol you will stay on the unit for 24 hours observation without any medications. This is to make sure you are not exhibiting any withdrawal symptoms and are no longer impaired in any way by the detox medications.

When you first arrive at detox, you will see both a member of the counseling staff and the nursing staff. A counselor will need to initiate a profile, which is mainly demographic information, and then complete a screening. The screening tells us about your drug/alcohol usage and the severity of your dependence so that we can be sure you need to be in detox. The medical director (physician) is the only one who can diagnose your condition. If you are eligible for services, the nursing staff will do a urine drug screen, medical assessment and admission, and you will be placed on a medication protocol as ordered by the doctor. The medications and lengths of stay are ordered by the medical director and are specific to the substance/substances you will be withdrawing from.

Once admitted, our direct care staff will see that you are oriented on the rules; your personal items will be inspected to insure that no contraband is brought on the unit, and you will be given hospital scrubs to change into. This is not a lock down unit. You enter and stay here strictly by your own choice. No one will keep you from leaving if you choose to do so, but staff will encourage you to give it a little more time and re-think what you are doing if you decide to leave before completing. When you go onto the unit, you will be assigned a dorm room with several other clients. The first couple of days you will probably sleep a good bit, catch up on your nutrition and fluid needs, and generally give your body time to adjust. You will stay with us for 5 to 14 days, with the average being about 7 days. We have AA/NA meetings on the unit and the counselors do some groups, but the schedule is light in order to minimize stress and encourage rest and healing. During the day you will have access to reading materials and movies when there are no groups, or you can socialize with other clients, play a game of cards, or just take a nap. You will have breakfast, lunch and dinner on the unit, with snacks and juices available around the clock.

It is important that you understand that detox does not treat the cause of the problem, it is only a medical stabilization to allow you to withdraw from the substance you have been using. The addictive behaviors and thinking patterns remain in place, and without further counseling, education and support there is a good likelihood that you will begin using again in a short period of time. If you are serious about staying sober you would be wise to invest 4 to 8 weeks in residential treatment to prepare you for a sober life. The choice is yours, but do not under estimate the power and hold that addiction may have on you.

What should I expect when I am admitted to residential treatment?
Residential treatment is designed to provide education and counseling in a supportive and drug free environment. It is also a time when you will begin to look at things you may not feel are directly related to your drug/alcohol use -- things such as how you view yourself in relation to those around you, and how you interact with others and your environment. In a short time most clients begin to see that recovery from addiction is much more than just giving up a drug -- it is a process of change that impacts everything you think and do on a daily basis.

When you are first admitted to residential treatment, you will meet with our admissions coordinator to complete some financial paperwork and be assigned to the house where you’ll stay during your treatment. Our programs are co-ed, but the houses are either male or female. You will then meet a direct care staff member, who will orient you to the client rights and rules and sign all necessary papers. Your belongings will be looked through to make sure there are no prohibited items, and a urinalysis will be done. Some drugs may show up during this test, but it is expected that you are stable enough to enter residential treatment and do not need medical care to manage withdrawal. We do not have medical staff on hand in residential treatment. Once this orientation process is complete, staff will show you to your house.

Clients live dorm style, several to a room, in large residential houses. The clients are responsible for their own laundry, cleanliness and order of the house. We do not have maids or a cleaning service. As you get to know your housemates and work together to keep the house in order, you will begin to realize that you are part of a recovery community where we all work together to accomplish a goal. It is a new concept for many clients, and is a cornerstone of recovery.

You will find that being at Charlie’s Place is much like being on a college campus. You will have a schedule of groups and classes, meal times and free times where you can just kick back or catch up on your assignments. On the weekends we have a BBQ on the patio and family is welcome to visit during specific hours. Passes are also possible on weekends but must be approved by the counselor. Charlie’s Place has an open campus, so there are no fences or locked gates, but the rules are that you do not leave the campus without permission from your counselor. Clients attend at least 30 hours of classes and counseling weekly, including individual sessions with their primary counselor. You will meet with your counselor soon after admission to get to know each other and develop a plan of action for your stay here. You will then meet with him/her weekly to review progress and make any changes in direction. Our counselors are very skilled in dealing with addictive behaviors, so clients should be aware that they will not be given a “free pass” through treatment. Our mission here is to show you how to get well and give you some tools. You must do the work.

Our treatment encourages the 12-step model of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, which has been referred to as “a design for living.” We work closely with members of both these organizations to help clients transition from treatment into a continuous recovery program with ample community support. While not a requirement for staying sober, participation in these programs after treatment is highly suggested by our staff.