Best Gainesville, FL Drug Rehab Centers

As soon as I calm down & get hydrated, and comfy and clean in my bed, my experiences at Uf Health Shands Vista have become quite pleasant; as long as I can find people who can understand, trust, and believe me. Multiple trips outside and keeping a healthy diet ; looking forward to the meal, shower, and sleep times ; listening to music, staying busy with writing & drawing, attending every group, and sharing my experiences with people who understand is very beneficial for my mental health. I am a longtime Uf Health & Shands patient, as I am a native Gainesville, Floridian. First, I would just like to mention in the mental health department… some employees, can or will not show empathy , which can make the experience quite disheartening & difficult to find happiness or make healthy progress.Miss ‘Lauren Hertell’ was rude to my mother and I when she visited me . She said loudly and I quote “You’re on your own mama” . And laughed. I was also verbally & physically threatened by a very tall, large fellow who almost reached the ceiling in stance. they didn’t remove him until the next night. I could hardly sleep. There was also a tech who wore a bun that would smirk & laugh at me before she went home for the night. I was put on phone restriction for days for accidentally dialing 911. We had to dial 9-1 before calls and unfortunately, I never received any notifications about any calls, which would have made my day. Now, all the honorable mentions: Huge shoutout to Miss Laura who hunted down an important phone number for me. Hi, Barbie! (Barbara), Britney, Mr ‘Joe’ , Miss Karen, Gabriel, Ben, Laura, Danny, Dorian (Grey) , Tre, Miss Vilma, Miss Mia, Jacqueline, etc.. everybody. Also my sweet nurse who went and found me contact solution when I needed it.Thank you guys; from the techs, housekeepers, doctors, RN’s, and of course Dr Moore and Dr Solomon… By the end of my stay, I can healthily & properfly communicate with the staff and they show me kindness & respect back. It’s just a lonely place if you are alone or don’t have familial support. Thank you all and with all due respect, I hope to never HAVE to see you again. - Brittany Ferguson Former Patient

Miss S was an amazing tech employee and helped make my stay enjoyable

First the positives: Most of the nurses are incredibly nice, caring and accommodating to requests. My therapist Laura, and the weekday Psychiatrists were great! Unlike other reviews, I had multiple people review my concerns about medication and I had many people discuss the options with me and the concerns that I had. Particularly related to the potential long-term brain effects that I had heard research about increasing your risk of Alzheimer's. Ultimately, the decision was to start with a very low dose, which I was welcome to try and discontinued if I had any unpleasant side effects. It was very much a collaborative, non pressured approach to medication. We had two wireless phones available for 7 am to 10 pm and could provide a list of approved callers. In fact, (I witnessed) if you did not have someone on your list, they would not confirm or deny that you were there, but they would make note of that person's call, share that they had called, and would ask the patient if they were interested in adding that person to their list. They, had some games, puzzles. The negatives, and how they were managed: The intake process was very long, I get the impression it's very difficult for them to determine when the "busy time" for intake will be. Your introduction to your "pod" for a lack of a better term, (definitely has prison vibes) was horrible. Getting a "skin check" which was just short of a strip search was logical, but not comfortable. The fact that it was co-ed was immediately off-putting to me, I didn't know the schedule, and I didn't Initially feel safe. A nurse should have come to explain the schedule or provided a welcome pamphlet explaining things. The would have been very helpful. I did have a psychology fellow come speak with me which helped put me at ease. I did not get one second of sleep the first night. The prison type bed was extremely uncomfortable. I was near the nurses station and for whatever reason between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. that room was entered or exited at least a hundred times. The loud door was awful. In their defense the kind nurse did offer melatonin but I didn't feel safe so I didn't want it. This caused me to be incredibly anxious, very frustrated, and resistant to opening myself to the process. My door was opened at least 3 times per hour to check on me for safety. I felt a camera would make more sense. However, when I shared my issues, I received a pad for my bed, ear plugs, and melatonin. Then I slept great! I got a lot out of group time, which helped everyone feel more comfortable with each other. The food in one word was "mediocre." I am interested in nutrition so I can definitely say you get plenty of food, and there are some relatively nutritious options but overall it's pretty much hospital food. With a little bit of junk food mixed in. They allow very little outside time which is a bad idea, everyone wanted outside time. The weekend had less scheduled time which left people bored. My therapist managed to scrounge up a note book but many people said the would benefit from journaling. A case manager said she would resolve that issue and agreed saying "we usually have journals." Overall, I think people can choose to get something out of this setting if you understand that most of the things are designed for safety.

Life-changing. The Harvard of therapeutic communities.

Metamorphosis literally saved my life. I was court ordered to be at meta through drug court. The rules and 'tattling' is very contradictory to what addicts are used to. The purpose is to learn to hold other accountable for their actions. AA and NA did nothing for me. Bridgehouse did nothing for me. Meta was the only place to recognize what was causing me to use and address that. I graduated in 2012. I am still clean. Almost 9 years now. Recovery is different for everyone but hold on to the 'keeping secrets' and 'not snitching' behaviors of my using life wouldn't have helped me get this far.

I didn’t like the process when I first arrived. Holding each other accountable seemed a lot more like snitching or tattling than anything helpful. I felt like many things seemed conflict inducing at first for sure. I soon realized I was being provided a structure to implement better decision making during my time there and with that acquiring tools to take with me after leaving treatment. There’s nothing crazy about anything there in my opinion. The rules are the rules and there are consequences if you break them. They provide everything you need and then some. The staff is wonderful and really care about everyone there whether it’s voluntary or court ordered (majority were voluntary when I left a month ago). I needed to stay longer but had to leave due to circumstances at home that had to be addressed. I’ve been to treatment many times and I feel Meta has given me the very best chance to stay clean.I am a tough critic especially towards things that are stopping me from doing what I want. Meta is different for everyone but personally it’s the first place I would recommend to anyone.

I went for a mental health evaluation and it was okay. I was surprised they saw patients even if they had no money and then helped them get resources to be able to pay. You don't know how much that means to me.

Meri logan Nix was very professional with excellent services

What a gem in Gainesville! They have helped so many in our local community heal and lead more fulfilling lives of those you serve and also for investing in training and development for your staff. Thank you Meridian for changing lives in our community.

You got to be ready. And be mature, but if you reached that point and you seriously are ready I recommend this program. It's hard for someone who doesn't quite understand the addiction or just new to their addiction. It's a struggle but it's a great place for someone who is really ready

10/10. Great place , great staff , gives a lot of grace and much understanding. The director is wonderful as well as the counselors , spent 14 or so month in a the MIST program and was cared for , listened to , and helped beyond measure. Thankful for this place and those who helped me through my pregnancy , and sobriety.

They changed my life!! Most of the employees were great, really listened to how I felt, my counselor was awesome. I went through and completed the in house rehabilitation,changed my whole outlook on life,been clean since then, July 2021! Thank you guys for everything and for saving me!!!