Adding to our team of two, we began adding electronic medical records experts to our team. One is a Spiritual Counselor and Residential Technician Director. Another began as a therapist, then Clinical Director. Both individuals have been partners at a previous company for many years and thrived tremendously until it was bought out. Like most veterans returning from a successful but lost war, the Spiritual Counselor and Clinical Director were blessed to be a part of the Avedis Family.

The last person who came on board was the Clinical director just mentioned. We pushed ourselves beyond our limits, connected with great professionals, and organized tasks and operations. Soon we were blessed with our first three clients. At the time, we did our best to give our client care, compassion, and all we had in our combination of addiction specializations.

From Small Beginnings

Soon after our EMR (KIPU) was built, our CEO met to collaborate with others who share a similar Mission. The other leaders had begun to merge naturally into areas where they believed they could not succeed initially. Yet they set aside these negative thought patterns and strived despite them (just like what we give to our clients). In about six months, the Avedis Recovery story began to find more and more growth and organization. We remodeled the office, set up clinical strategies/modalities, and each original leader began to function within multiple positions. About six months later, we were licensed with the State. Our support was also from the ex-Chief of DHCS for 13 years, who told us he truly believes in us. About a year after, our Detox Facility opened. Once again, every department was developed through the striving and hard work of the original leaders.

Why We Do This

Even today, our IOP facility, where the Avedis Recovery story first began, does not look completely different. What makes the difference is the story within the original team members and our growth. They say recovery does not happen within four walls, and we do not use what we call the “Luxury Effect” to heal our clients. Many have a misconception of recovery, and in reverse. They believe that if a client comes into a magical castle, they will be able to heal. The more privileges (in terms of activities, play, and distractive elements) the more they will heal.

This is not Avedis Recovery. We understand that recovery is one of the most painful and uncomfortable journeys a person can go through. Therefore, we ensure our clients understand that recovery occurs within the four walls of the human condition, not the external facility. We guide them through this approach right from the beginning and give them this knowledge through genuine care and compassion. Our model of recovery includes: A humble heart and an insightful mind. One must be able to detach one’s desires to their impulsive behaviors, a motivation that relies on ethics/morals, and the knowledge of addiction as an entity filled with specific characteristics. One must not be mistaken as the individual himself/herself and their personality.

Our People are What Makes Us Different

The light in our story shines brighter within each individual who has grown with the company. We aren’t just the physical building, items, or luxurious aspects. Unlike a distorted goal from other facilities described as true recovery, we are what we do. If one were to live luxury and catered to, what happens when they leave and enter real life once again? This hurts a client through adaptive, behavioral habits (like addiction), and it helps them. We attend to our client’s growth in a similar (yet we know everyone is different) fashion within this story. We believe that striving, sacrificing, a healthy ego, motivation, and true learning are the only ways to develop.

There is nothing fancy about Avedis Recovery from the outside, but from within, our growth has led to a deep connection with one another and especially ourselves. Only then can we truly give our clients what we have picked up within our journey. This is not a single trip within one path, it is an exploration that derives new and sometimes unpredictable paths that open along the way at a constant pace. The choices we make, while admitting there could have been better choices is the true definition of transcendence. Sometimes, to move forward we have to take a step back. In every relationship that life brings us, the core of our story is transported with a single belief: If you promise and claim to do something, make sure you fulfill your promise.