If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. It was a disaster from the start. My husband checked in late Monday night. By Wednesday, I hadn’t heard anything, so I called. Admissions said they couldn’t confirm or deny he was even there. I called multiple days with no answers. Strangely, they had no issue calling me about his insurance (which he had through me) but wouldn’t provide even basic info about his well-being. Turns out, they never had him sign a release of information (ROI). When I said I’d drop off a letter for him, admissions threatened to call the police on me. Eventually, after escalating to someone higher up, they finally got him to sign the ROI. I received a brief update and was told he’d been moved to residential care. I got his clinician Corey’s contact info. I emailed Corey and only got a one-sentence reply. I also tried leaving messages for my husband, but got no return calls. Finally, Corey and my husband called together—to ask if I could drop off cigarettes. I did (regrettably), but when I arrived, the front desk wouldn’t give them to him due to lack of documentation. I texted Corey to confirm his approval—no response. That same night, a female patient shouted my husband’s name from the stairs. Every other rehab he’s attended has kept genders strictly separated, so this raised concerns. The next day, I tried calling again—no response. Eventually Corey called and accused me of “bombarding” my husband and said to leave him alone. I told him I felt used, and he refused to relay that, saying, “We don’t do he said, she said.” Ironically, he then told my husband I was contacting him after hours. A supervisor named Ariana texted me at 9:45 PM to check in—but later chastised me for contacting them outside business hours. I was never even told what those hours were. I’m a mom to a 2-year-old and sometimes the only time I have to send an email is at night. I asked for a follow-up update the next Tuesday—Corey never responded, and Ariana told me, “We typically provide updates once a week.” I visited my husband that Sunday. The visit felt off—his interactions with women, his coldness toward me. I raised concerns, and Corey said men and women barely interact and are always supervised. Later, my husband said Corey told him everything I had communicated to Corey. It felt like he was trying to turn him against me. In what world is that healthy for someone’s recovery? Then I got a call from my father-in-law saying Corey told them my husband didn’t want contact with me. An hour later, my husband called, unaware any of that was said. He never signed a ROI for them—yet Corey shared private details. Meanwhile, they refused to even confirm my husband was there without an ROI when I called in the first week. Highly unprofessional. I emailed Corey Monday—no response. Tuesday—no response. Wednesday—again, nothing. I left voicemails and texts—still no reply. Then during a scheduled couples therapy prep call, I was informed that my husband had been “therapeutically transferred” to a men’s sober living facility—aka, kicked out. They refused to explain why, but my husband told me he was caught in the woods from 10 PM to midnight with two girls and another guy—past curfew, so all four were removed. Corey had claimed men and women were “closely monitored” and “kept separate”—clearly not. The final advice I got from their clinician? “Demand the truth and know your worth.” That said it all. Now, I’m dealing with the fallout of an impending divorce and custody battle—after my husband cheated on me at rehab. If you care at all about your loved one’s recovery—or your own mental...
Read moreMy name is Keith and I'd like to share my experience at Mountainside so far. I came into Detox Oct.26 2017 Broken and no hope in my life.I'm 49 and have a great life and a really tough one at times. I thought i was going to just Detox then leaving but talking with staff and nurses plus family i realized i needed more help just Detox is not enough in my eyes to leave after. Residential i thought i was going to leave after 30 days which i'll tell you goes fast very fast. Mountainside isn't like any other treatment facility I've been in. I'm not a rehab junkie last one was 2010 had 7 years sobriety and tanked for 3 1/2. There is so much to do here besides a straight AA or NA facility. I climbed a Rock wall for first time,played vollyball and softball i had'nt done that since the 90's. Did yoga(crazy thought i'd never) and more and finally went Camping for two days. I'm from Brooklyn and was always scared of the woods. Not as much anymore. After the 30 days I decide to go to ExtendedCare here to give me that much more of a chance to stay sober. This has been a great experience and worth doing if you have a chance. I call it a MTV cribs sober house. We are going to mexico for a week in April. Have a job at the Mountainside Cafe which we get paid for and just so much more. Its a great way to transition back into the world hopefully staying sober which at times gets very tough but we can all do it with the right tools in our tool box. The staff here and residential are fantastic. Dan and Nolan who are the house leaders are fantastic. The program here is very individualized and they take everything very seriously in your recovery . They take in consideration personal needs and modify treatment based on that. We have two afternoon to evening staff Mike and Peter who are just as devoted to Dan and Nolan. We have alot of fun here but are very serious about our recovery. I'm not trying to sell anyone to go here but I feel this was the best move in my life to get sober again. If its here or another sober house for more time sober i would recommend it to everyone. Its hard to decide to seek treatment but were all worth it. Who every reads this either you or parents loved one the ones you love help them get help. I hope this has helped anyone reading this God Bless and please get help...
Read moreI came to Mountainside hoping for support and structure. What I got instead was a mess of contradictions and unnecessary power plays. The no-phone policy is completely over the top. Cutting people off from essential communication—especially during such a vulnerable time—is not just cruel, it’s counterproductive. You’re told to “build a support system,” then punished for trying to stay in touch with it.
The staff? Totally inconsistent. Some are helpful, others are on power trips. Rules change by the hour depending on who you’re dealing with. One person says something’s fine, the next acts like you’ve committed a crime for doing the exact same thing. It creates confusion and stress when what you really need is clarity and calm.
Worst of all, during a previous detox stay, I was denied care after an argument with a staff member. I was refused medication and even a simple request to get some outside air during a panic attack which was not taken seriously. The panic attack resulted in perceived “aggressive behavior” which apparently warranted calling 911 and forcibly removing me ONCE I HAD CALMED MYSELF DOWN AND WAS ABOUT TO FALL ASLEEP (NO THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL NURSING STAFF). I was then taken to hospital and forced to spend the night (not for my own safety but rather to ALLEVIATE THE STAFF OF HAVING TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS THE PROBLEM). They actually had the AUDACITY to send me an ambulance bill even after refusing transport multiple times, only conceding once being threatened with being KICKED OUT OF DETOX. This is a shocking and serious miscarriage of justice especially in the industry of (supposedly) HELPING PEOPLE.
Mountainside might look good on paper, but the reality is disappointing and at times even harmful. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone trying to...
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