41 - Top 5 Reasons to Come to South Florida for Treatment and What We Really Think of Dope Sick Nation

Tom and Ben discuss the top five reasons to come to South Florida for treatment. There are a lot of reasons why South Florida is a great place to come to for treatment for you or your loved ones. We talk about those reasons along with real life examples that have affected us.

We also give our real opinion on the TV show Dope Sick Nation. We want to set the record straight on why everything on TV isn’t portrayed as accurately as it could be. We also talk about what a good recovery center is and the importance of having a great community.  

Show Notes

• [03:54] How Dope Sick Nation is a bit misleading.
• [06:03] When treatment doesn't work out for people the first time. Then they lose insurance and need a scholarship to go through treatment again.
• [06:20] Scholarships in Florida are limited because there's been a huge crack down on client brokering. Unscrupulous owners can look at individuals as insurance policies.
• [07:04] The show does not show accurate representations of professionals in the recovery field.
• [07:56] The detox being represented in Dope Sick Nation isn't well-established.
• [08:48] Unfortunately, addicts can use suboxone to get high.
• [09:27] Dope Sick nation is not what South Florida treatment looks like. You can't stay street and continue to help people.
• [10:38] True interventionist inspire people, they don't go running around looking for addicts.
• [12:35] It looks like premature intervention is what's going on in the show. You can't treat people until they are ready.
• [13:12] We think South Florida is a good place for treatment. There is a good recovery community here.
• [13:30] The 12-step Community is key. There is a meeting on every corner at every hour in South Florida.
• [13:52] The recovery community is widespread. We can't go anywhere without seeing someone in recovery.
• [14:39] South Florida fosters a good environment for people to get clean.
• [15:18] When you come to South Florida for recovery, it's like a getting a fresh start. There is no fear of running into people who know about you.
• [16:51] There's very little stigma in South Florida and a lot of acceptance.
• [18:12] The meetings are great opportunities to meet new people even if you are looking for a job. Talk and mingle because you never know what opportunities you will find.
• [19:16] When people get clean and sober, they have an opportunity to do whatever they want.
• [20:22] By going to treatment, you get the opportunity to rewrite your script.
• [20:43] Geographical change. There are so many benefits to getting out of your hometown. You get a new place and a new you and you get to portray something different.
• [22:11] There are so many cool things to do in South Florida that you don't have time to go out and get high.
• [22:42] We take our clients surfing, boating, horseback riding, and do all kinds of fun activities.
• [23:17] Adventure therapy shows that there are other things to enjoy.
• [25:29] These activities also give people an opportunity to develop new hobbies that they enjoy.
• [25:44] We aren't the only good treatment center in South Florida. There are many great treatment centers here.
• [27:22] The FBI has a task force that cracks down on unscrupulous treatment centers. We wish Vice News would cover the better treatment centers.

Links and Resources:

Dope Sick Nation

Ep. 38 – Geographical Change: Assisting People Through Recovery