Taking steps towards recovery at new Warkworth retreat

Tucked away down a quiet side road just outside Warkworth, a former B&B has quietly been welcoming and helping people from all over New Zealand face up to and recover from dependency on alcohol since it reopened its doors in January.

The Retreat is a registered charity running a 30-day residential programme that can accommodate up to 12 people at a time. The emphasis, according to chief executive Janet Thompson, is to provide a safe, supportive space where alcoholics will be treated with compassion and understanding by people who understand what they are going through.

“When you come here, you’re greeted by people like myself, who’ve been in the same position,” she says.

“One alcoholic talking to another is one of the most healing processes you can have – I know the lies we tell ourselves because I’ve told them to myself. I know the shame of not being able to not drink.”

Thompson says it’s the shame and stigma surrounding alcoholism that stops many people seeking help.

“One of the big things is alcoholics are ashamed – we think we should be able to control it. We think it’s because we’re weak and think people will think we’re a failure,” she says.

“But an alcoholic isn’t a bad person, they’re a sick person in the grip of a progressive illness.”
Alcoholism doesn’t discriminate, either, she adds.

“We’ve had pilots, schoolteachers, doctors, nurses, farmers, housewives, you name it.

“For a lot of people, alcohol wasn’t the problem, it was the solution. Then the alcohol that was the solution becomes the problem itself.

“When they come here, they can drop the mask that they’ve had to wear to protect themselves from the world. They can be vulnerable in a safe space, and the healing can start.”

The Retreat programme is based on the 12-step recovery process originally outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). There are daily group meetings, one-on-one sessions with counsellors and weekly visits to local AA meetings. For downtime, there is a gym, extensive grounds and gardens, shopping trips and visits to local attractions, plus in-house chefs to prepare three healthy meals a day.

Thompson says the only requirement to attend is a desire to stop drinking and the only prerequisite is willingness and openness. None of this comes cheap, however – fees range from $13,000 to nearly $20,000 for 30 days, something she knows is well beyond most people’s budget.

“We know there are people who can afford nothing, so we raise money for our Scholarship Fund so we can help anybody. We don’t make money; we run on the bones of our bum.”

The Retreat also provides aftercare for residents and there are sober living rental homes in the area for those who don’t feel quite ready to return home.

Info: Call The Retreat on 0800 276 237 or email janet@myrecovery.org.nz