Recovery is Just An Island Away

Many people feel like they need to get away to recover from a devastating addiction. Perhaps that is why some people elect to literally get out of the country for their rehabilitation, whether it means coming over to the United States, opr going abroad to a discreet little island off the shores of England.

In Blackwater Bay, in the county of Essex, rests what is affectionately referred to as “Sobriety Island”, tucked away oasis of tranquility and abstinence which resonates positively in addiction treatment circles.

Although this island has passed through many hands over the centuries it’s most interesting owner was Frederick Nicholas Charrington (1850-1936) whose family owned one of Britains’s top breweries. Ironically, this man born of the drink turned Osea Island into a haven for those afflicted with alcohol and substance abuse disorders. No alcohol or drugs were permitted on the island, hence its nickname.

Following this same tradition are the new inhabitants of Osea Island, who operate he Causeway Retreat. This unique recovery spot has nontraditional methods to guide visitors on their way to a healthy, substance-free lifestyle.

“The Causeway Retreat is a very different departure in English treatment “ says Dr Mike McPhillips, Medical Director of the Causeway Retreat. “We have chosen to employ 12-step and abstinence-based treatment for addictions with a very different turn on conduct. Most of the treatment centers I’ve worked in have a very strong ethic on group therapy, and they use it almost exclusively as their main tool of treatment. They also have a lot of rules, and most are really quite rigid about dress codes, behavior, etc, during treatment”.

Many traditional treatment centers also have prohibitions about what books people can read, television shows they can watch, Internet sites they can visit, or where they are allowed to walk within the recovery facility itself. That is not the cse with the Causeway methodology. They believe this is counter productive.

“Even when it is done in a very, very good way, it very much puts a barrier between the patient and the therapist and staff at the treatment center” McPhillips adds. “Many of the clients complain about this in other places, saying it is like being at school or chastised.”
The Causeway has its own one-of-a-kind environment. When you visit this facility – and really this is an unjust term for it – you do not get the feeling you are in a hospital or recovery center of any sort.

“It feels like being in a large beautiful country home with very good food, a couple of very nice chefs and very friendly people trying to help you get well” McPhillips explains. “The Staff doesn’t dress in uniform. It’s a very informal, nice place. It feels like family and it should because that is what we are trying to achieve”.

McPhillips feels the Causeway’s success may be due in part to its unique venue.

“I think the second thing that works with the island is the community of people on the island. There is something about living and working on an island that changes you and changes the way you are with people” he adds. “The fact that you are on a small island, surrounded by water, means you know that you share the food and the buildings that are there. We eat all of our meals together. I’ve never worked in a treatment center before where the staff and everybody are on a first name basis with each other. This morning I ate my breakfast with one of my patients and I cannot ecall doing that at any of the hospitals I have worked at these last 10 years.

The village is a focal point for all who visit the island, hosting apartments, a gymnasium, swimming pool, library, sauna room, games room, cinema and even their own proper recording studio. All patients have free reign of he entire 400-acre area, with no off limit locations.

Osea Island harbors this recovery community with its quaint little village, calm coastal breezes and gorgeous views from the Manor house. Local wildlife, nature trails, gardens and breath-taking views of the tide all contribute to a serene environment in which to recover. Bound on all sides by water patients are well isolated from temptation. The only physical tie between it and the mainland is a causeway (Roman Road) which is a few thousand years old. It is a tidal road, and only visible for four hours each day, while covered with water up to 16 feet the remainder of the time. The only other way off or on is by boat or helicopter (both always readily available for emergencies).

At this particular treatment center, those seeking help do not have to worry about being unfairly judged; they already know they need help – that’s why the are there. Dr McPhilllips has been a consulting psychiatrist for a decade, holding regular meetings with American treatment center representatives when they come over to England to learn more about various types of addiction treatment approaches, but he finds his way is still more effective for his particular clients.

“We, at the Causeway Retreat, saw an opportunity to provide an incredibly safe environment. Because it is on an island, and surrounded by the ocean, we have total security in that environment. There are no drugs, there is no alcohol and there is a very high staff-to-patient ratio. We feel that what we are offering is a great deal more comfortable in terms of the physical environment for the client, but we are also much less strict,” McPhillips notes.

“We don’t feel the need to insist that people attend every group session every single day. We don’t make attendance at any meeting an absolute condition of being treated, and we find that by approaching people more gently and offering treatment under conditions of non-compulsion, that we get an enormous amount of compliance and willingness from people” he adds. “We’ve all worked in other treatment ceters before and followed unquestioningly the codes and rules of those centers, but I think when you take away some of thos prohibitions and rules you’ll find you still have very well behaved, very well motivated patients who get better.