High Commitment

Haven Ministries Recovery Program involves a high commitment from all involved and therefore those interested in the program are encouraged to read the following program description before deciding if they want to proceed with the intake process

Recovery Program Description

Haven Ministries Recovery Program

90 Support Groups in 120 days                                                                                                                                                                                       

The intensity of the recovery program exists in attending 90 support groups in the first 120 days of recovery so that the individual begins investing them self in the recovery process in a way in which change in their life can occur. These support groups are devotionally based and vary from the use of devotional material like the Purpose Drive Life to Bible Study. Attendance at support groups should begin immediately upon contacting Haven Ministries for services - even before being seen by the Chemical Dependency Counselor or Psychiatrist or starting Suboxone or Subutex. These meetings occur at 8:30 am M-S and 5:45 pm M-F.

Weekly Celebrate Recovery 12 Step Program                                                                                                                                                               

Weekly attendance at Celebrate Recovery, a Christian based 12 step program, is required of those who make the decision to come to Haven Ministries for recovery services. Celebrate Recovery provides the Scriptural basis for the 12 steps and acknowledges Jesus Christ as the higher power. The 12 step program is a tool that promotes the psychological and spiritual growth and transformation of a person going through recovery.  Celebrate Recovery meets on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am.

Weekly Pill Counts & Locked Boxes                                                                                                                                                                           

Once an individual has started treatment with Suboxone or Subutex they are also required to bring their medication in a locked box to Celebrate Recovery each week for a pill count. This provides accountability for their proper use of the medication they are being prescribed. Supervised Medication Administration occurs daily at 8:00 am for those whose pill counts are off or are abusing or selling their medication.   

Biweekly Worship                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Biweekly attendance at Haven Ministries worship is required to provide an corporate or group experience in relating to God with all of oneself - with one's heart, soul, mind and strength. Worship has a primary goal to honor God the One who created, saved and sustains us and a secondary goal of producing change in the worshiper as a result of intensely relating to God in this way. A Worship Service provides one with the ability to relate to God through the Bible (God speaking to us), through Prayer (us speaking to God), through Confession (revealing and turning over our burdens to God), through Song (our emotionally relating to God), through Offerings (our giving back to God for all He provides us), and through Holy Communion (our appreciation of God's Son's sacrifice for us). Worship is on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am & 11:00 am and is required twice a month so that individuals who are part of another local congregation can remain connected to their church by attending every other week.

Therapy Groups                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Haven Ministries offers groups therapy at 5:00 pm one day each week of the month (Monday the 1st week, Tuesday the 2nd week, Thursday the 3rd week, and Wednesday the 4th week). Group therapy is offered in the following areas: depression, bipolar disorder, personal boundaries, couples boundaries, adult ADHD, anger management, domestic violence, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, smoking cessation, pain management, and weight management. Group therapy is required a minimum of once a month and addresses co-occurring psychological and psychiatric conditions that often exist with addictions and which an individual may have been self-medicating with drugs of abuse. Identifying and developing psychological and behavioral treatment approaches for these conditions decreases the risk of relapse over time. A Group on Relapse Prevention on Wednesday at 5:00 pm is mandatory for those who continue to have positive drug screens.

Medication Management and Review                                                                                                                                                                           

A thorough medication and psychiatric review is required each month for 45 minutes. During this time a review of physical and psychological functioning is obtained, a review of benefits and side effects of medication is obtained, a urine drug screen is obtained, compliance with recovery expectations is reviewed, medications for recovery from opioid dependency as well as other psychiatric and physical conditions are reviewed and renewed, appropriate lab tests are ordered, and an integrated approach to substance abuse is reviewed as part of a recovery educational process. Urine Drug Screens are obtained randomly.                   

Intake Process

There are three steps in Haven Ministries Substance Abuse Initial Intake Process.

Step one is completion of the intake paper work. This is available at Haven's office located at 20 16th Street South Wilmington, NC 28401.

Step two is completion of a computerized assessment. This is done when the paperwork is completed at the office.

Step three is providing a urine drug screen. This is also done when the paper work is completed at the office. 

Once Steps one - three are completed an appointment will be scheduled with Haven's Chemical Dependency Counselor. Payment of $75 for the computerized assessment and urine drug screen and Prepayment of $75 for the Chemical Dependency Counselor assessment is required before this appointment will be scheduled unless you have Medicaid. (There is a different fee schedule for those with private insurance because they are reimbursed for their clinical care and medication by their insurance company.)

After being seen by the Chemical Dependency Counselor you will be scheduled for a Medical/Psychiatric assessment for consideration of medical treatment of your addiction. If you are self paying for your appointments you will need to prepay $150 in order to schedule this appointment. Because a physician can only have 100 patients on Suboxone / Subutex at one time and because Haven always has 100 people in the program, it may be at least one month before you can be seen for consideration of medical treatment.  

You should begin attending recovery support groups and the weekly 12 step group on a regular basis as soon as you have been seen by the chemical dependency counselor. You are required to attend 90 support groups in the first 120 days of your recovery and it makes sense to get started with these support groups from the very beginning. Those who are investing in their recovery this way will have their Medical / Psychiatric assessment moved up if an opening occurs prior to when an opening is anticipated.

The self pay monthly charges after the Chemical Dependency assessment and Medical / Psychiatric assessment will be $120. The medication monthly charges can be as low as $120-$180 depending on how many tablets of Subutex are needed each day.  

Treatment Expectations

Treatment Expectations

Once medication treatment has begun the treatment program expectations are as follows:

1. Completion of 90 support groups in the first 120 days of recovery (meetings are at 8:30 am M-S and 5:45 pm M-F; the 12 Step Group Celebrate Recovery on Sunday also counts as a support group)

2. Monthly Medication Review

3. Monthly Therapy Group (as indicated based on issues)

4. Relapse Prevention Group (12 week group for those testing positive for substances of abuse on their urine drug screens, those refusing or avoiding urine drug screens or those contaminating their urine drug screens or those caught turning in false samples)

Lost Medications

No replacement prescriptions will be provided (No Exceptions)

Different situations that have come up often early in treatment with Suboxone / Subutex include:

1. Stolen from Car

2. Stolen from House

3. Lost it

4. Left at out of town hotel

5. Left at out of town relative

6. Water destroyed it

7. Short changed by pharmacy

8. Loaned to friend

ALL lost, stolen, destroyed medication will be treated as if it has been sold and the person will be placed on daily supervised self administration of medication at Haven Ministries.

Non-Compliance with Recovery

The most common ways people get into trouble in their recovery is by not following through in attending their 90 in 120 Support Groups, Weekly Celebrate Recovery and Pill Counts, Worship Services, or by having positive drug screens. The consequence for these results in intensifying the recovery program and ranges from extending the number of support groups that need to be attended, adding on relapse prevention groups, taking medication daily under supervision at Haven, or no longer prescribing Suboxone / Subutex and instead offering treatment with Naltrexone an opioid blocking agent.