Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers

Please remember that the ones with good experiences usually do not write these reviews… On any given day 105 patients are housed at Lakeside Kirkland and they happen to have the best recovery rates around. I LOVED it there and recommend it almost daily (I still attend lots of 12 step meetings because they told me to, lol) I ALSO happened to pick where I went to inpatient treatment (completely my choice) to check myself in… (we happen to get more out of it when we WANT to be there!!!) So, Please if your wanting or in need of help, check them out.
p. s. I loved the Grand Poobah’s lectures and ALWAYS sat in the front row for lecture

I have first hand knowledge of Lakeside –Milam in Kirkland. I attended all classes and all visits possible at this facility for a family member that we did an intervention on. I drove him there and picked him up when he graduated, I met with the staff that was taking care of him regularly. This place saved my loved ones life. The counselors and teachers are professionals there, they care deeply about your addicted son/​daughter/​loved one. I would not hesitate to recommend this place to anyone that chooses to live instead of die from hard drugs.

So… the good news first, I’ve been sober for over 6 months! It’s such a weight of my shoulders having that monkey off my back.
Now, the bad news. After being called a faggot almost everyday by patients, mistreated by staff, and even having my life threatened by one of the patients, LMRC had the gall to threaten sending my balance after my deposit and insurance of 750 and some odd dollars to collections. Please do not get me wrong – I love my sobriety, and I have my higher power, family, friends and a handful of wonderful people from my time at LMRC to thank for that.
However, it was only by the grace of God that I had the strength to overcome, what was already the most significant challenge in my life, being faced with the fear of my own safety within the walls of LMRC. When I told my counselor, whom I genuinely love, what was happening, she immediately took me to see the administrative coordinator as the issue was not deemed important enough for the nauseatingly egotistical Grand Poobah Director of LMRC to attend to. This woman was perhaps the most condescending, insensitive, and heartless person I could have ever imagined to be in the industry for which she «works.» Patient health and safety is the very last thing on this woman’s mind – you can virtually see dollar sides when you look into her dead eyes. As soon as I was brought into her office, it was clear that I was interrupting her very busy schedule, as she wasted no time informing me that she was slated to give a lecture in a few minutes. *Refer back to my patient health and safety criticism.
I broke down in tears explaining to her the event where a homophobic patient called me a faggot, and then started a physical fight with a friend who came to my defense all of which culminated to the assailant threatening to kill me. After I finished describing the situation, the very first thing that this «healthcare professional» said to me was, «I’m sure this isn’t the first time something like this has happened to you, and it most likely will not be the last.» Instead of trying to console me, a patient in a facility where safety and comfort should be in abundance, she chose to put the responsibility of protecting myself back on me by insinuating that because I am gay I should learn to tolerate and cope with hate crimes
LMRC, I decline giving you anything else. You got over $ 10,000 from my insurance company. I think for the bigotry you can cover the change.

I give a lot of credit of my recovery to Lakeside-​Milam. I went to inpatient in an all women’s facility across town in September 2012 and had an awful experience. When I first got clean, like most addicts, I had a lot of trouble accepting that I was a drug addict. I also was coming to terms of reliving abusive times in my active addiction now that I was sober. I was negative and uncomfortable with myself. The staff at such facility I felt was not supportive and understanding of where I was at with coping with my disease. I started oupatient with that facility after I graduated inpatient and still got the same cold not understanding experience. I decided to enroll in Lakeside’s outpatient program in Kirkland and got blessed with an amazing case manager, Cathy S. Cathy was extremely supportive through all of the tough times I went through in early recovery. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and that support helped me grow and stay clean through those tough situations. I will be coming up on 3 years clean this September and am so grateful for the support I got while working with Lakeside. Since I started outpatient in December 2012 I have given back to the facility whether it be bringing 12 step meetings into the facility or being asked to speak with the young adults program. I would definitely recommend anyone to go to this facility.

I am going to write an ongoing review from the «outside looking in» as we go through this 28 day program. I’ll post periodic updates and hope that everyone will get a better understanding, from a loved ones perspective of what it is like. We dropped off my husband a few days ago. The front desk area is cold, unwelcoming and feels somewhat like a dungeon. The staff we met was lifeless and seemed mostly like they were on sedatives. Check-​in was disorganized but even before that I should note that we were never even called and told what time we had to come in despite them telling us that we needed to wait for their call. There is a 72-​hr «blackout» period where the patients cannot talk or see anyone from the outside world due to being in detox. This can be extended if the detox lasts longer than 72hrs. This is over for us today, thank goodness. I will report back after I talk to him today and see him this weekend.
Fast forward a few days, the blackout period and he is able to call but that doesn’t mean that you will actually be able to talk to your loved one. You see, they have two pay phones (yes, you pay thousands to be there and they make you use a pay phone) that are in use, in 5-​minute increments, consistently throughout the time you are allowed to call. What this means for loved ones is that you actually never be able to get through to your loved one and have to hope they stand in the line a few people deep to call you between lectures/​groups.
On Monday and Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings there are family groups and lectures. On Monday and Wednesday night is is a one hour film or lecture followed by 30 minutes of sitting around and another 1.5 hours of family group. The film or lecture is hit or miss and think it all depends on who is giving the lecture. There are some people who who give the lecture that just spend so much time talking about themselves that people check out. The films are usually from the 1980’s which makes you wonder if what they are telling you is even the most up to date research. Really, the research on addiction hasn’t changed since 1980? Considering that the VHS videos themselves note that they research has changed (hence, the reason they are doing the video) isn’t there reason to believe that the research in the last 30 years has too?
The family group on Mon/​Wed is also hit or miss and also depends on who is leading it at least half of the time is spent listening the group leader talk about themselves. They go on, and on, and on. I have always stayed for the duration of the talks since it goes late and I live close but many others leave. They also repeat the talks so you go to the same exact lecture more than once. During the family group your loved one is either at AA in-​house or off-​site.
On Saturdays and Sundays you can visit with your loved one from 11:45−3. The schedule says noon but it is really 11:45. Earlier in the morning on Saturday you can do to a communication workshop with your loved ones but kids aren’t allowed so if you live far like some people do you might as well forget the communication session if you have kids since there are no child care options. It would make sense if they moved the adults only sessions to the days where everything is adults only but making sense isn’t their strong suit.
Going back to the facility now that I have been there for the past 3 weekends. It is OLD, which isn’t such a bad thing if it at least was built to handle the number of folks in the facility. There are a max of 105 patients there but they don’t have 105 beds so they actually «ask permission» from the patient to have patients sleep on the couch. Yes, the couch! I guess they’d rather not turn away the buck. There is one lady with short brown hair who seems to be totally with it but the other folks I have see are not anyone I’d model myself after. I just don’t get it when people who clearly do not take care of themselves try to act as role models to others who need to learn to take care of themselves.
One other thing I find funny looking from the outside ion is that they are do big on structure and rules yet they can’t follow their own. I’ve been told they are lax about lectures, «require» homework to be done yet never even ask or talk about it and lastly, make no effort to progressively restrict less things as the patient gets closer to discharge. There is nothing «real» about the Lakeside Milam and what could be «real» they take away so they patient goes straight from this ultra rigid program to little rigidity with no step-​down in-​between.
We’ll be released in the next few days which is wonderful. I got a call about discharge a week or so ago and it was weird, all they wanted to do is tell me what time to pick him up and what time his next appointment was. They don’t set anything up beyond the first days out whereas I would think they would at least develop a plan for one-​week post release but no. Once they are done, they are done. They’ve got their money.

This place is a joke they act like they are all about helping people but really they only care about there money there staff is very poorly organized and I have seen a number of situations that were not appropriate given the situation at hand. If your seeking help for yourself or a loved one keep looking around there are better options out there
Update 11÷20÷13 the next day after I posted this, the Vice President of Operations Juile M. reached out to me to see the detail of my concerns and if there was anything she could do. That being said She came across very genuine and concerned about my situation at hand. My feelings represent this location and not the corporation as a whole I have never worked with there other locations except for one phone call with the Issaquah location which was very informative.
I really appreciate the level of professionalism from Julie and wanted to express that as soon as possible.

I’ll preface this review with full disclosure – everything I report here was also discussed, in-​person, with the administrative head of the Kirkland In-​patient facility, based on direct interaction with the program.
The positive news to report is that the staff counselors and assistants are extremely dedicated to the recovery of their patients, with good hearted joy and energy. In addition, the center is founded on the ground-​breaking work of Dr. Milam, who was decades ahead of the treatment community in focusing on the biogenic (disease-​based) approach instead of the psychogenic («it’s all in your head») approach. Any center that chooses the latter over the former should be avoided as harmful, even deadly, to the addict (I won’t name names, but you might know of other centers that treat addiction as a behavioral issue). Also, their family program is well-​developed, and can be an important part of the recovery of the addict.
Now the rest of the story. If you choose to enter L-​M, or seek to have your family member treated there, be prepared for one of the most frustrating experiences of systematic and chronic administrative mediocrity you will ever encounter. The quality of service is so low that it injects significant jeopardy into the resultant degraded delivery of services related to recovery. There are countless anecdotal incidents that could be used to illustrate this, with the entire staff evidencing no sense of individual empowerment to apply intelligent discretion toward the delivery of high-​grade services, thus lowering the actual grade of services delivered. As I frankly stated to the head of the facility, that inevitably must fall on management’s shoulders – it always does, and the mind-​set always flows from the top down, putting the head person in the cross-​hairs of accountability. One result of this is that there is a diminished level of respect afforded the patients, even while accounting for the fact that their brain functions are extremely out-​of-​balance due to the disease.
I am posting this so that you can make an informed decision about what will be the bottom-​line experience of dealing with L-​M, especially since you will most likely be dealing with plenty of stress and family issues already and the administrative chaos you will encounter will sorely test your resolve at a critical time. My prayers and best wishes go out to you and your family, so never give up and don’t write off the addict – they are sick, not evil.

Whatever you do DO NOT GO HERE!!! I had a nightmare with these guys. especially the Director at the Seattle Branch. He was more of an enemy than a friend and He’s a control freak. All he does is talk about himself. I highly recommend Not using these guys.

This place saved my LIFE… I drank for twenty eight years, in which I thought was acceptable. Only fo find myself drinking every night to black out, losing my job, my wife of eighteen years, my house and everything I owned.
I had nothing left and no hope of beating my addiction to alcohol. I checked myself into Lakeside MIlam to find help. Yes they close off the outside world, put you on a healthy diet, and monitor your detox and start the process of educating you on your disease and showing you how you can live a healthy, normal life without ever feeling the need to self-​medicate with alcohol.
After 28 days in this facility completely stress free from the outside, I was able to start a new life and contribute to society once again.
Two years later I have no desire or thought of ever drinking another drop of alcohol, I have a great job, I have great friends, I’m working out three nights a week, and doing activities that I thought I never had time for.
I even took my GMAT and got accepted at Seattle University and am working on my MBA International Business.
Yes I go to AA meetings today, but that has become the life I want, I enjoy, I thrive in with all my new sober friends.
Lakeside Milam, the staff, the program and aftercare saved my life and has put me on the road of life I wish I had when I was sixteen.

There is also a staff member that said he wouldn’t live in the area I do because it’s «too colored now».