It is now some weeks since I was in ESH. It isn’t easy but so much better than the chaos my life was in before.
If you’re reading this, you probably want to know what this place is like. I say with no pride this is not the first treatment centre I have been in. However, this treatment centre is different in many respects to the others I have been in. I have been dealing with alcoholism for many years and I think finally I may have found answers as to not just stopping but staying stopped.
I am taking time to write this review because if you, like me are searching for a place to start off an alcohol /drug free life then I hope this review helps to give you info. I have never written a review of this nature before and am doing so because what this place offers is good and I mean it.
If you’re looking for a place to go to just give your liver a rest, eat food prepared by a private chef, with a buffet breakfast every day, lie in a Jacuzzi and have daily massages then I would suggest looking elsewhere.
However, if you are looking for a real answer/solution to getting off and staying away from alcohol/drugs then I would seriously give this place consideration.
ESH does not come with all the bells and whistles that you might find in expensive/moneymaking centres. Whilst these outfits are often well-meaning, is quite clear that they have an obvious agenda to make money. I like many I’m sure don’t want to throw money down the drain. The overriding factor and long-term goal was and is to stop and stay stopped and do life differently. In truth by the time I got to ESH my finances were in serious difficulties and life empty -I was finished.
Whilst it may not have its own health spa ESH has all the basic elements to a good 12 step treatment centre- groups, therapy, counselling, outings to the gym/good healthy home cooked food , acupuncture and relaxation and pretty much everything you would find in the ‘expensive’ centres I mention above. It has everything you need to start the journey.
Where it differs from other treatment centres, I have been in is the care you get. It is a small outfit and you feel part of a ‘community’. The people who run it Paul and Sue and in fact all the staff are really approachable, helpful and you see they genuinely care. They give you time unlike some I have been in Wiltshire, Scotland and mid- England which were large and felt sometimes like expensive 12 step boot camps.
Whilst I was there ESH took a number of ex-residents to meetings. Some ex residents joined us for a walk or popped in. You would never get that sort of ‘personalised’ atmosphere in some other establishments. It was confirmation that you get what is on the label i.e real examples of people being well and giving back.
I found real respect given to us and we in turn were treated like adults. Of course, there are basic rules- the difference was the way they were imposed and they took a lot of time explain not just what they were but why they were. You are not just given a booklet of dos and donts and told what to do. There was no unpleasant confrontation when I was there. No self-styled police out to challenge you for not washing a cup- you are treated, as I have said like an adult and there is healthy expectation for you to be one.
Finally- really important - aftercare. Not just sitting in a group and giving an update. They go the extra mile. There is a meeting once a week at the centre, but it is what I would call unseen aftercare that strikes me. A few days ago I was in a bad place and couldn't get through on the phone to anyone. I called ESH and Paul spent a long time helping me on the phone. Another example- I don't drive (no prizes for guessing why)and was at a meeting at Warwick. Tired, exhausted after just starting work they went out of their way to drop me at the station. It meant a lot. After care really does mean CARE for them.
So how do they compare-well the other places - ESH 5* it is reasonably priced (not for profit) you get what you need- they care about getting you well and helping you stay that way.
Thank you
Gus
