I went through Mountainside in 2008 for 51 weeks after a couple, brief unsuccessful visits. I lost most of my speech from drinking by age 25, but now back to normal and approaching 12 years sober. I loved my time there, but also spent 2.5 years in local sober houses after treatment which was awesome. If you wanna make it work or are at rock bottom, you can get and stay sober. Addicts can be cranky, anxious, rude, and want control... If they leave early or have a bad experience with a rehab it’s usually (but not always) because they aren’t ready or aren’t desperate enough. Mountainside is MUCH nicer and bigger these days, but if you want it bad enough you can get sober anywhere. I bought a house in the area and live 2 miles away. Unfortunately, as Mountainside exploded financially and across the east coast, it’s now almost completely separated from the local community. Anyone who went there prior to maybe 2013 is basically not part of the new “wealthier” club, and therefor feel cutoff from the new Mountainsiders, which stinks because once you leave a rehab and your counselors you tend to lean on those who went through the grind and can take you to meetings and help integrate. I LOVED Mountainside so much, lived and went to meetings and events there for years... now I drive by it everyday and feel closed off, been there once in 6 years, same with my friends... I understand business is business, but what gave me hope through 51 weeks was seeing hundreds of alumni showing up to the Friday and Sunday night meetings, and starting to make relationships with those people who would drag me to meetings. I just wished the current/newer residents had that taste of real world early sobriety before they were discharged. That in my opinion, is more important than post departure out-treatment programs... but that’s my opinion,
