Common Ground – Winona

It was my experience that this IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program), along with the recovery housing provided ended up nearly destroying my faith in my own recovery process. I would not wish on my worst enemy the feeling… of utter disbelief and betrayal I feel, and hope that anyone reading this thinks twice before choosing on your own, or having a loved one sign on with this program. In the eight months I was involved with this program, I “graduated” twice, but never received a course completion certificate, had two roommates relapse and the program was fully aware of this happening, and these clients were allowed to stay in our shared room with me as they continued to use for a couple of weeks each (before finally being shipped back to an inpatient facility), was offered “extended housing” where I agreed to pay for housing offered to me, then out of the blue, had the option taken away (told they no longer offered it and I would need to be out in the middle of winter, with no other housing even considered, believing I was set for a while) then had to have a counselor advocate for me so I wasn’t put in a spot of being completely homeless in early February. There’s more to every story than you’re ever going to hear from one side, but the short and long of it all is I applied myself fully to my recovery process. I did the work, I showed up, I actively participated, I rebuilt myself from the ground up, I trusted the process, as I was advised to, and on three separate occasions, I was completely marginalized by the program, and not one of those were ever acknowledged by Common Ground. “Meeting you where you are” is their motto, or slogan, and it’s completely accurate, with a tiny caveat. They will absolutely meet you where you are, as long as where you are is exactly where they want you to be, and following every recommendation made by them in a manner consistent with what they believe is the best for you. Otherwise, they’ll meet you by brow beating you in a group setting, stonewalling conversations where you’re not compliant with what your counselor believes, and, my personal favorite move, informing your probation officer that any further contact with them should be through a lawyer. I couldn’t make this ridiculous stuff up, I’m not creative, or twisted enough to. Eight months of opening up, giving everything asked of me, trusting the process, and the system, “graduating” the program (twice) each time being given little tokens of completion and heartfelt laminated sayings for my future sober life refrigerator, and the culmination of all of that work was I did end up justifying a relapse as a result of feeling betrayed, but that’s on me, I guess I should have also retained some of my old not trusting anything mindset, and perhaps I wouldn’t be where I am. So here I sit, thankfully in different housing (which they did help facilitate, in fairness), having to restart the Outpatient treatment process. I have a new Chemical Dependency Assessment tomorrow, and get to start this whole process over again. So, maybe your, or your loved ones experience will be different, but that’s what happened to me, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Recovery from addiction is a difficult, and worthwhile endeavor, and I would suggest finding a program that has their clients best interest in mind over their own agenda.

Great place. Great owners, they actually care and do a wonderful job operating these facilities. Thanks to them, I have a chance to take some time and re-evaluate the direction my life is going and work towards… improving myself without having to worry about juggling bills and other stuff. They genuinely care and are a godsend.

Your only allowed to work 2nd shift which is the biggest joke, I've had to turn down 4 good jobs due to there efforts of control thanks to Tara whom should be fired!!!!!!! The recovery house is a joke now your allowed… to leave 2 hours a day 6 hours Saturday and 6 hours Sunday the program was ruined by Tara, counselors are so-so clients do take care of there responsibility or chores in the house and techs don't enforce chore list well some don't I would not recommend this place to anyone ever again the new program coordinator made the house more like a jail then halfway house, the new clinical team is by far a joke compared to the old clinical team the recovery house is a joke now

Not a good place to go if you are trying to get sober, when i first got there i was honest about wanting to do medically assisted treatment then wgen i got set up with a doctor they told me if i started taking suboxone… i would have to leave, while i was there ppl where on there 3rd relapse and they had no intentions on staying clean just didnt want to go to prison, i was there on my own free will and that kind of irritated me