How We Do It
We use five strategies to effectively accomplish our mission of restoring men to
FREEDOM, HOPE, & PURPOSE
ENGAGE
We want to engage each man exactly where they are. Every man arrives at Forge in a different place and building a relationship with each man is a very important part of their recovery. No one cares how much you know until they know that you care. Our first aim is to help each man understand that we do care about him and that we are here to help.
EDUCATE
We want each man to leave Forge as a responsible and productive member of society. Education is a vital part of this process. We want to educate them about addiction, recovery, and life skills to embrace a new way of life where they can effectively manage themselves after treatment.
COMMUNITY
We want each man to see that restored men value community. The root of addiction is selfishness which leads to broken relationships and isolation. We are a community-based program that teaches our men the importance of restoring relationships, the need for accountability, and the joy of true friendship. As an inpatient facility, our guys will experience community realistically and learn how to participate in a healthy family atmosphere.
EMPLOYEE
We want each man to be a dependable and productive employee. After thirty days, our men will begin working a job in our community. This employment will allow them to grow as an employee, provide for themselves, and pay for their treatment. We believe God created men to work to provide for themselves and their families. We want to help each man to step into this calling and responsibility.
SEND
We want each man to be restored to a life of purpose. We believe restored men restore other men. Recovery is a gift from God that isn't ours to keep. At Forge, we want our men to participate in the recovery of others. Our program is designed to build and send out leaders into our world with a passion to restore others to the same freedom, hope, and purpose they have found.
Phase Progression
Once an intake assessment has been completed and the application has been approved, all newcomers will report to Forge. This is one of the most important pieces of our program. Newcomers will be formally introduced to their brothers in recovery, leadership, and staff. Moreover, new residents will be assessed for their needs and basic essentials. Here at Forge, we are a family and we take care of each other unconditionally.
Newcomer
Each resident will come in as a newcomer for the first 30 days. During this time, they will learn to move and work as a unit. Days will be filled with physical training, work, process groups, 12-step meetings, and counseling. All residents will attend the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) during this time to begin the process of self-discovery through Moral Recognition Therapy (MRT). The group will acquire an appreciation for teamwork and an understanding of its importance. During this time a bond will be made that cannot be described. By the end of this process, the residents will have a newfound respect for themselves and their peers. They will be prepared to join the workforce and pay their way throughout the rest of their time at Forge.
Requirements to progress:
- 30 days of recovery
- Must have a state ID or Driver’s License
- Must enroll in GED program if needed
- Must have full-time employment
- Must have a sponsor
Journeyman
A journeyman’s responsibility is now to learn to lead themselves as they join the workforce and begin to pay for their treatment. They will work Monday through Friday, 1st shift only at a job of their choosing (with Forge approval). All residents must be home by 6:00pm to participate in evening group activities. During this level of growth, a resident must prove that they are capable of managing a house. He will learn to purchase and plan meals, delegate chores, plan outings, and coordinate with leadership on the basic running of the program. This stage of development will be completed when the resident plans, is financially responsible for and executes a Level 1 (L-1) project for their peers. This display of giving back is what proves that they are ready to level up and begin learning how to lead others.
Requirements to progress:
- Completion of Step 1 : “We admitted we were powerless over our addiction- that our lives had become unmanageable.”
- Completion of Step 2 : “We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
- Completion of Step 3: “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.”
- Must acquire a savings and/or checking account
- Must successfully complete the House Manager position
- Must display a working knowledge of a personalized weekly budget plan
- Must display a working knowledge of the ability to lead one’s self
- Must plan and execute an L-1 project (minimum $300)
L-1 (Leader of Self)
Once an individual reaches Level 1 they will begin to be equipped and trained to help lead others. Being an example is their primary focus. They are now the eyes and ears of the program. They work directly with staff to maintain a safe environment of growth and accountability for their fellow peers. Accountability is at the core of everything we do. These men are responsible for running the program from the inside out. L-1s will host house meetings, monitor behavior, and help guide the men coming behind them. Much more responsibility and expectations are put on these men. A sense of purpose and pride will develop as each man identifies his strengths and weaknesses throughout this stage. This stage of development will be completed when a resident plans and executes a community service project. We have been takers for too long and it is now time to get involved in our communities in a positive way. This display of selfless service is what proves that they are ready to level up as leaders of others at Forge.
Requirements to progress :
- Completion of Step 4 : “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Completion of Step 5 : “We admitted to God, ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.”
- Completion of Step 6 : “We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
- Must display a working knowledge of the ability to lead others
- Must plan and execute an L-2 project
L-2 (Leader of Others)
The individual will now begin to learn how to lead leaders. They will be assigned L1s to learn how to guide men positively and productively. Forge begins to shift its attention to prepare each man for life after treatment. The primary purpose of this level is to develop an individualized exit plan of action for our men. Men will set financial goals and be held to a strict budget as they start saving to become fully self-supported after graduation. Every man is different so likewise, each plan of action will be. At this point, our men will know the importance of leadership, teamwork, and community. They will have gone from consumers to members of their community as well as Forge. The resident will now plan and execute a project to leave the program better than they found it, for the man yet to come. During this level of treatment, the resident is expected to continue demonstrating leadership qualities by accepting additional responsibilities. Residents are asked to show, through behavior, that they understand, that with authority comes responsibility.
Requirements to progress :
- Completion of Step 7 : “We humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings.”
- Completion of Step 8 : “We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
- Completion of Step 9 : “We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
- Must display the ability to manage a cell phone with integrity and moderation
- Must display a working knowledge of a financial exit plan
- Must display a working knowledge of the ability to lead leaders
- Must write a commitment letter
- Must plan and execute an L-3 project (minimum $500)
L-3 (Leader of Leaders)
During the final stage, attention shifts from the resident’s growth in the program and focuses primarily on the preparations needed for life after treatment. The primary goal is to finalize and complete an individualized exit plan, of action, for each resident. Level 3’s will be held to the highest standards of the program and in our community. Completion of the 12 steps will give them a new perspective on their life and the lives of those around them. They will know what it means to be free and understand what it takes to maintain this freedom in the world that awaits. After all preparations have been 100% completed our men will have found a life of freedom, hope, and purpose. They are now ready to be called graduates of Forge. During the final stage of treatment, the counselor and the resident concentrate on designing the resident’s aftercare plan for the re-entry phase. Resident in this phase are given additional authority and responsibility, which will enable them to demonstrate that they can function under pressure and make decisions based on spiritual principles rather than on their feelings.
Requirements of progress:
- Completion of Step 10: “We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admit it.”
- Completion of Step 11 : “We sought, through prayer and meditation, to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and the power to carry that out.”
- Completion of Step 12: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and practice these principles in all of our affairs.”
- Must complete all ‘Exit Strategy Requirements’ and be signed off by an Executive.
Admitance Criteria
Whether by phone or in person, the Executive Director will screen a potential resident to determine the resident's appropriateness for Forge by applying the following Admission and Exclusion Criteria. If the potential resident is determined as inappropriate then suitable referrals will be provided.
- Be willing to enroll
- Be 18 years of age or older male
- Be at least 24 hours from the last use of alcohol and/or drugs
- Be medically stable. Any individual with ongoing medical problems, including dual diagnosis, may be accepted provided that they are addressing these problems with outside professional help, including medication management
- Have adequate control over their behavior and assessed not to be imminently dangerous to self or others
- Express a desire to recover from addiction to drugs or alcohol
- Be assessed as medically appropriate and free of any illness that requires isolation from others
- Have the capacity for active participation in all phases of the program
- Be ambulatory and meet personal needs without assistance
- Have adequate resources to pay for the program
- Have clinical manifestations that meet criteria for a more intense level of care (e.g. acutely psychotic or a danger to self or others)
- Have severe permanent deficits in recent memory, attention, concentration, who cannot attend effectively to activities of daily living and whose cognitive impairment prevents them from understanding and participating in the program
- Have ongoing medical issues, which require a more intensive level of monitoring and care than can be provided by Forge
Graduation
We have a semi- annual graduation for the men of Forge who have met the graduation requirements. These men have joined an elite group of community leaders and now call themselves Forge graduates. We are so proud of each of these men. Through selfless service they have all found a life of freedom, hope, and purpose. We do recover!!!
