Next Step Recovery Transitional Living for Men

Next Step was the glue that I needed to begin living in recovery. After a few rehabs, I still wasn’t able to piece together the information that I acquired over those periods of time and practice it. I kept getting out of rehab, getting over-confident, and having an “I got this” attitude, only to succumb to another relapse. I, just like others entering a transitional living environment, was very hesitant. But the staff welcomed me with open arms the moment I got to the facility. They’re made up of people who are living in recovery themselves, which is very comforting to a fellow addict. They were always there to listen if you needed them. It didn’t matter what it was about. This program is made for those who WANT to get clean and sober and begin a life in recovery. You have to WORK this program to make the most out of it. NS teaches you that it isn’t a “cookie cutter” plan that you can go by. It’s a mixture of LOTS of different methods that are specific to you and your recovery. It taught me that addiction isn’t just about the substance itself, it’s about how I was behaving and the principles I was practicing daily. Whether it was IOP, group meetings, NA/AA meetings, weekend outings, volunteer work, or just interacting with other residents, I learned tools that helped me cope with situations that arise that could lead to my using. Yes, the fees are higher than some out there. But you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for someone to hold your hand, do the work for you, or let you do whatever you please, then go elsewhere. They are very serious about recovery and are committed to helping people, not raising them. I strongly recommend NSR. It’s for those who are truly committed to recovery, getting back on track, and living healthy lives. It was a vital part of my recovery progress and I’m forever grateful for NS and my experience there. Note: Meals and nutrition are solely up to the resident.

Phew where to begin. I was a resident at Next Step for several months (I will avoid sharing any specifics to retain my anonymity). These months were among the most frustrating months of my life. First of all, I'll start off with the shortest part of this review which are the positive aspects of Next Step. The transportation vans which take residents to and from meetings, work, appointments, etc. are helpful and pretty much a necessity since the apartment complex is located several miles away from downtown Asheville. Without transportation you would be unable to do almost anything. However, getting picked up in a timely manner is rare. Expect to wait at least a half hour when you get off work to be picked up. You are not a priority. If you do not have a car or money to pay for Uber, you will find it very difficult to do anything enjoyable unless you find Narcotics Anonymous meetings enjoyable (you won't). The last positive thing about Next Step that I feel like should be mentioned is that the apartments are pretty nice. They are relatively new and provide you with everything you need. There are a washer and dryer in each apartment, dishwasher, refrigerator, etc. There is a gym and pool at the apartment complex as well, but you need to pay $25 to get a key card in order to access these. They would be even nicer if they didn't overpopulate the apartments. These are three bedroom apartments and Next Step will cram as many as six people in them which I have seen happen on a few occasions. There is absolutely not enough space in these apartments to have six people. Next Step is known in Asheville as the halfway house that "can't have girls over." This presents several issues. Residents are forced to hangout with girls outside of the apartments which makes it remarkably difficult to form and maintain a romantic relationship with a girl. You are almost never allowed to spend the night somewhere either. Having a relationship with someone while at Next Step puts a serious strain on the relationship. Other than some cool staff members who are helpful and easy to connect with, nothing much else positive can be said about Next Step. But many of the staff members are not suited for their jobs. One staff member repeatedly looks at resident's penises while they are taking their UA (drug test). It is creepy and downright unacceptable. You can tell if someone is actually peeing in the cup without staring at their penis. One staff member has relapsed multiple times since I arrived at Next Step yet he is still staff. For the most part, Next Step hires almost entirely recovering drug addicts who are under-trained for their jobs. Do not say anything to staff that you would not want every staff member to know about. They listen to you and then go behind your back and tell other staff members and sometimes other residents which is a huge no no. There are huge double standards at Next Step. There is one resident who does not involve himself at all in the Next Step community who has lived there for multiple years. He is taking up one of the rare one bedroom rooms and does absolutely nothing but go to work and get his urine tested occasionally. He is a rude to other Next Step residents but they continue to let him live there (probably because of $$$). Beyond this, some residents are treated much differently than others. There are definitely "favorites" that are treated better than other residents. Recently Next Step has started allowing residents to "work" the third shift which involves walking around to the other apartments and making sure everyone is there. This is not cool whatsoever. I do not want another resident to be able to lurk around my apartment because Next Step is understaffed. I could see this violating labor laws as they are working for no compensation. The owner is very manipulative. She will try to keep residents as long as she possibly can, typically by convincing whoever is paying that their loved one needs to stay longer or they risk relapsing. I have heard stories from multiple residents that confirm this being true. She will tell residents that their benefactor (for lack of a better word) wants them to stay for whatever reason and when the resident actually speaks with their benefactor, they discover that they never actually said that. This is a BUSINESS and Next Step is trying to make money, so they prolong resident's stays for as long as possible through manipulation and fear mongering. The "level up" system at Next Step is absolutely ridiculous. You start at Level 0 and once you become Level 1, nothing significant changes. Your curfew is the same but you don't have to go to some of the mandatory things anymore. At Level 2, get ready because this is huge, you get an extra 30 MINUTES of curfew. But only on Friday and Saturday. At Level 3 it becomes 11 throughout the week and at Level 4 it becomes 12. The level up system is childish and for the most part - meaningless. If you end up in an apartment with residents who are not clean people, your apartment will be consistently trashed. Staff will do nothing about lazy residents who refuse to clean up after themselves so if you're unlucky you will live in a depressing filth. Unless you have a car and find Narcotics Anonymous meetings enjoyable, you're not going to have a positive experience at Next Step. The day I left was one of the happiest days of my life. Overall, I was very displeased with Next Step and would not recommend it to anyone.

Ridiculously expensive. I would not enter this facility again if they paid me. Very negative and condescending staff. The staff at Next step recovery does not speak to you, they talk down to you. Very political and not even near worth the money they ask for. Do not believe the majority of these positive reviews; most of these individuals work or intern at the facility.

DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER NEXT STEP RECOVERY AS AN OPTION. Next step recovery in Asheville is not the place you want to go if you or a family member is trying to overcome a substance abuse issue. First of all, the initial payment and how much it cost to stay there per month are absolutely ridiculous. You pay this unusual high monthly “rent” to stay in a room with two or more other men. Next step will tell you that this astronomical monthly payment is to pay for the great trips that you will take while in the house. During my experience living at next step recovery we went to go play frisbee golf twice, which is free. Then we went bowling, and we went hiking twice which is also free. So you pay this crazy amount of money and the only services you get from the home are rides to AA meetings and to get drug tested randomly. I was very excited to start this new chapter in my life until I met one of the male staff members; who is in charge of the house under the administrator. After they get that initial payment his attitude changed from being very understanding and compassionate to being very intrusive, negative and brash. My parents thought this would be a great opportunity for me to move to a different state and work on my recovery. Unfortunately about five months into living at the house I suffered a relapse, which is a huge part of recovery. 90% of people with substance abuse issues do end up relapsing. I had drank some alcohol and blew numbers when they breathalyzed me. Obviously I know this was my fault. What I didn’t know is that they can choose whether or not to keep you in the house after a relapse. In my case, I was made to leave at about 11:30 PM at night. Keep in mind that I am from New York State, I did not know anyone in North Carolina or the Asheville area...Before I was forced to leave that night, I spoke to the manager under the administrator and begged him to pack my things himself and not to let anyone go through my things. He did say he would pack my things himself and gave me his word...Rather than keeping his word and packing my things himself, he thought it was a good idea to have the new resident pack up all my thing into a garbage bag and put it on the porch. Keep in mind that this new resident came right off the streets; hadn’t had any counseling and came into this house. This was the person that was put in charge of taking care of all my stuff....This place is all about making money, not the well-being and progress of its residents. If they find a reason to kick you out, they get to keep the huge initial payment and bring in someone new who has to make that payment as well...They should just be professional and deal with the facts. I would NEVER advise anyone to enter this “halfway house” or send one of your loved ones there. Do not send your loved ones to next step recovery in Asheville North Carolina.

Next Step is an amazing center for men. Nothing but gratitude and praise for everyone at Next Step especially the staff and one of the female staff members. They go above and beyond your needs to help you in any way possible. They dont just kick you to the curb like every other half way house or sober living house in the area. They help you even more when your struggling to stay clean and sober. Seeing a negative review just states the obvious that whomever it is has a huge resentment towards next step and is just wanting to blame them for their relapse.Call your sponsor! Highly recommend Next Step.SAVED MY LIFE

Next Step is a top notch recovery/sober living environment that provided specialized care and provides many resources to help transition back into society. I would highly recommend Next Step to anyone looking for a good quality center to go to.

Do not enter this House/program your self or send your loved one to this facility. First of all the initial payment to get him is ridiculous at $4500. This initial payment is supposedly for some of the "amazing" activities you are going to be a part of. When I was part of this program we went to play frisbee golf and bowling. Not to amusement parks and things they will not be truthful about. On top of this initial fee you will be charged $2000 per month to stay in a room with two other people. Apparently they're still in business charging ridiculous amounts of money for people who are trying to better their lives. Trust me, one guy will be very polite and charming on the phone to get you or your loved one into the program, but once that money is paid you will see a very egotistical, cocky individual who only cares about the bottom line. Again, I could've sworn that the owner gotten trouble for something financial. These people will kick you out for whatever reason they can find. They know that once you are gone they will just post someone else into their web, charge $4500 and wait for someone else to relapse. Even though they know the rate of relapse is extremely high, they will kick you out no matter what time of night and even if you are out of state and no no one. In my case I did have a relapse on alcohol and I was kicked out of the house with only what I could carry and knowing no one in the area. I pleaded with two of the people that they would make sure no one went through my things except them and I would come pick up my things the next day. The next day I returned to find that the person that took my spot in the house was in charge of packing my things. I use the word packing very loosely because it consisted of a brand-new Guy in the house throwing my things into a garbage bag and throwing it on the porch. ...All these people do is charge ridiculous amounts, drug test and breathalyzer i all these people do is charge ridiculous amounts, drug test and breathalyze certain people at night, provide transportation to AA meetings and that's it. The guy is not someone to look up to he actually looks down and talks down to the people at the house. The first thing he did to me when I arrived from New York was try to kick me out the first day for having something in my system. Horrible experience. I don't know who has been having a good experience with these people... Ridiculous. Please do not get sucked in today is nonfunctional halfway house.

Before you spend the initial deposit, which is a lot, make sure your loved one is ready for this type of place. They should have never taken my son in and he did not make it more than 2 months and we lost a lot of $$. T At times $$ seemed more important than the well being of our child. There are some really good people that work there and are dedicated but many of these places operate as a business as the person in charge of Next Step did the same. They are not alone on this. It is easy to make a nice looking web-site that makes you feel good but you really need to dig deeper. When are on our third now and they really have come through and worked with us.

Eh it was ok but im still an addict.

I have found Next Step offers the full range of support services that assisted my transition back into soceity. They help in the recovery process from multiple vantage points. I was introduced to the 12 steps, mindfulness meditation, practical life skills, and evidence-based therapeutic practices. It is this unique approach of integrated systems that accelerated my growth. The transportation and job assistance service was critical in helping me to find and maintain employment. The staff have a wealth of knowledge and I can tell that they really care about each individual. Next Step is located in one of the most scenic and vibrant areas in the world. I will always be grateful for the value they have brought to my life and to the community.

I have found Next Step to be exactly what I needed to help me transition back into the world. I am very happy that I chose to come here and have learned so much about the process of recovery.

Next Step is a great place to get clean. Wonderful accommodations and a great staff - I would recommend this facility for anyone serious about recovery.

I was in the next step program from 06' to 10', I highly recommend it if you are serious about staying drud and alcohol free.. It does work ! You have to want it !

Next Step Recovery is a great place. It gave me a great foundation from which to build a new life. I am forever grateful. The staff is truly amazing.

As a current client here at Next Step, I believe the staff puts my safety and well being as a number one priority. They supply me with assistance to help fulfill my personal needs. They help with job interviews and transportation.

Next Step offered me an opportunity and time to clear the cobwebs from my head and start living a clean and productive life. Going to treatment was helpful but did not offer the real life situations we all encounter daily. Next Step gave me a safe caring environment to experience these things and a supportive staff that would not only listen to me but also share some hard truths about living a life in recovery. I would not be where I am today, over six years clean and sober, with out the help and attention everyone at Next Step so willingly gave me.

The services offered at Next Step have assisted me tremendously. They take an integrative approach to recovery and utilizes a variety of techniques. I have been introduced to the 12 step process, mindfulness meditation, practical life skills, and evidence-based therapeutic processes. The transportation and employment assistance was critical in helping me find and maintain a job. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, and supportive. Next Step is located in one of the most scenic areas of the country with many fun outdoor activities to enjoy during the Sunday Adventure. I'm very grateful to have become a member of this vibrant community.

Next step is awesome

After my last trip through a drug treatment center I had no idea what to do next. The Structure and programming of Next Step Recovery was exactly what i needed to begin building a foundation of recovery and to make sustainable life changes.

not enough stars, this place is great, I have known many men to come through NSR and be successful in their recovery.

Amazing program! So much more than a halfway house! Saved my life!