My husband still didnt think the Rehab at Home program would work so I kind of dropped it.  I kept calling Alan however. I even got my husband to talk to Alan from time to time.  When on the phone, my husband would say to Alan, great! I am interested!   Then, when he hung up he would tell me that he wasnt interested. It was crazy!! I felt trapped.  They kept assuring me that the program would work regardless of his motivation; I just wasnt strong enough to act on it without him saying yes from the start.
A week later he was trying to detox from alcohol on his own.  I felt overwhelmed by the holidays coming. I was just exhausted by Bobs continued alcoholism.  I was just completely exasperated!  I called Alan.  He seemed to sense that the time was right.  He had Todd call us a few minutes later.
Within an hour, Todd and another Rehab at Home counselor, Pat, drove down to our house.  We all sat and talked.  They answered some more of Bobs questions.  This time he really said yes. We signed the papers and started the process.  Immediately, we all made a call to our family physician.  By evening we had my husband on medications to be properly detoxed.  (They also consulted the Recovery Center medical team to make sure that family physician had covered all of the bases for a safe detox at home.)  The RAH staff maintained phone contact with us every few hours.  We felt that they were with us every step of the way.

Did you continue to hear the ad and did it influence you in continuing the process?
I did. But in reality I was already convinced.
Later my husband told me that what made the difference is he thought I was having a nervous breakdown. But you have to understand he had been in and out of rehabs. Nothing was working. In the past year hes been in rehab five or six times. Its a terrible way to live.  Whatever the reason was for him to say yes, I am just happy we did it.
You mentioned Alan. What role did he play in your deciding to pursue RAH? What role did others play?
Alan was helpful when he continued to call us. It also helped a lot when we met with Todd. It was really when we met with him that I knew I wanted to give it a try. He really sold the program.
We also met Pat, the RAH worker that came with Todd to our home.  We knew it was a great fit. My husband has this thing that if youre not a recovering alcoholic or addict you cant help somebody who is. Pat shared that he was in recovery. So that was great! We love Pat! He would come and visit.  He would speak to both my husband and I every day. Pats visits us often. He is just great. 
The second day into the program I was an emotional mess.  They sensed that speaking with a woman might be the best thing for me.  One of the Recovery Center female counselors spoke to me for a while.  It really helped me get grounded.  Within a few days I was beginning to feel so much better.
We all made day to day decision as a team.  What had a plan for if he relapsed; we had a plan for if he didnt.  The approach was individualized to our unique needs at the moment.   We all began having real conversations that were productive and very open.  They showed us that if we all worked as a team: my husband, the family, the professional that we could out wit the alcoholic in my husband.
What also influenced our decision to go with Rehab at Home was that my husband didnt have to go to rehab again. In our situation, they utilized our family physician and taught me how to use breathalyzers.  The breathalyzers are great. Our two sons have about had it with dad. I told one son over the holidays what was happening and he let the other know. Theyre very excited about having the breathalyzers. It made my son more comfortable over the holidays, knowing we could test him if there were any doubts.

Can we use your experience to share with others?


I really want to help other families. Anybody can call me anytime. Im fine with our story being shared. Having this program takes a lot off of ME. I was dealing with this myself. Now there are people there for me. I can call them at 2 AM before I had nobody.