Anschutz rehab center’s Family Week helps addicts recover

University Of Colorado-Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

DENVER — One in every eight Americans has a significant problem with drugs or alcohol. That’s according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

Addiction is something that can be very hard for a family to handle, but experts say getting the family involved can actually be one of the keys to a successful recovery.

Kate Beach was addicted to stimulants in college, but after she entered a 30-day program at the Center for Dependency Addiction and Rehabilitation (CeDAR) on the Anschutz Campus in Aurora, she is now sober. 

She says one of the most meaningful parts of her rehab was something called Family Week, a five day program that’s held twice a month at CeDAR for family members to learn about addiction and their role in recovery. 

“The family week is a way to help family members,” said Steven Millette, executive Director of CeDAR. “They  come and spend a five-day period learning about what addiction is, what recovery is and how the family member has been affected by substance abuse.”

Beach said the program helped her family come together again: “It plays a huge part in my relationship with my family today,” she said.

Experts will tell you that the more you involve family members in recovery, the better the outcome is. The cost of Family Week can be expensive at $600 per person, but that’s why the facility is holding a fundraising golf tournament on Wednesday, Sept. 19at Arrowhead Golf Club.

The fundraiser will help those who need recovery from addiction, and a painting of Peyton Manning — signed by the quarterback himself — will be auctioned off at the tournament.