Spencer House – Newark

Helped my dad

These people will invest in you until you're able to invest in yourself. Among other things. iNVESTiNYOUROWNgR8Ness

Spencer House is not the best rehab by a long shot but they do at least try to help. They try and teach you the skills that you’ll need when you get out but doing things by a book will not prepare you for real life… situations. I got lucky and my counselor Ms. Terrie was able to teach in way that you were able to understand how you were going to use those skills. Terrie was an addict when she was younger so she was able to communicate to us in a way that was super relatable, because there’s nothing worse than someone who hasn’t lived that life trying to tell you what you were doing wrong. One of the biggest problems there is their contradicting of rules. The handbook you are given has the rules but they like to add rules as they see fit even if you show them that the handbook says nothing about it. Drugs are also a BIG problem. Since it’s not a lockdown facility you are allowed to leave if it’s been approved by your counselor which gives anyone the chance to bring something back into the house because they cannot strip search you once you return. In the 4 months I was there drugs were found at least 5 times which means that there was way more times that they didn’t get caught. It was so bad that a few weeks before I left 3 people had to be taken to the hospital for overdosing on fentanyl. I was glad my time was almost over because before the overdoses happened it was like a frat house. There was 3 cellphones which you aren’t allowed to have, bottles of alcohol along with meth and the already mentioned fentanyl. They were even able to sneak in 2 girls one of which happened to be a few weeks away from turning 18 making her a minor. It’s definitely better than jail or STAR by a long shot. I would recommend it but just be prepared for what you’re walking into.

There is little structure, classes are signed off on without having done them to push you through, they don't address mental health at all only AOD if they even teach the classes. Normally the ones who are… using/smuggling drugs in are running the class because staff is "too busy" and then all you do is watch on demand action movies or keeping up with the Kardashians.. very unethical would not recommend if you really want and NEED recovery

I used to stay here an it helped me alot