That is indeed good news. Rehab can be a life saver if she gives it a chance.

I agree with Icehouse on the duration BTW. Even though for me the 70 days were enough (strict minimum there), most people went on to stay for about 3 months with another 6 months in assisted housing/aftercare programs.

70 days was the exception, but that was because I was so determined that when I stepped in there, it would be the first and the last time. I was done and I knew it. I just wanted those weeks to concentrate on myself only, to detox, and to try to gain a perspective on what the hell had happened, and how to avoid it in the future. Sounds selfish, and maybe it is, but it's good to stop the daily noise for a while and concentrate on getting better.

Also: I wasn't homeless, and so many of my fellow rehabbers were (or very close to it). Our social security pays for an almost unlimited number of stays, which has pros and cons like so many things. It's good in that money can never be an excuse for not trying to get sober. It's not so good because for many it was their umpteenth time, and they didn't see it as a big deal, or even important. The "record holder" was there for the 5th time. Yet, some do get sober after many tries, so who is to judge when enough is enough?

Some were there ordered by the courts. Some did it to just go through the motions. Some were people who just didn't have the skills to deal with modern life. Quite an eye opener for this here self employed cocooning IT wiz hot shot suburb dweller.

Many of them had been through 2 week detoxes or 1 month programs - with very little success.

I'm still trying to gather the courage to write a book about what I found there, how it works, the different people and stories. I have pages and pages of notes - I wrote down the day's events just before bed time. I started a few times, but literally choked up. I want to do justice to the stories, the people. And I have to write about myself in the most honest way too. Not easy, not easy at all. Yet, maybe worth it, as there is a huge gap between the first level (GP's) and the rest of the care system. Docs really just don't know what's available, how long it takes, how to refer people, costs. It's still very much a taboo and a black hole. Nobody has an alcohol problem, right? Some patients just "drink a little too much".

Maybe it would work for families and friends too. What to expect? What happens in such a place? How long does it take? Can we visit? Can they go home for weekends? Etc etc.

I don't want to write a vanity book, so I'm just trying to gauge the worth of actually writing it, getting it published, and "going public"...

Anyway, enough about me. Pamela, I hope she finds the tools to get out sober and have a perspective on a sober life.