The Opioid Epidemic is Surging Amid COVID. Why 9 Out of 10 Patients Make a Full Recovery At This Facility.

James B has been to rehab for opioid addiction at more places than he can count. Each time he relapsed after being released.

“I don’t know how many times I overdosed. I would go into treatment would leave go back to the same environment. I’d manage to string together a week or two, rinse, repeat.”

James’ story is a familiar one especially now. Opioid overdoses have skyrocketed in the wake of COVID. The American Medical Association says at least 35 states have seen surges in opioid related deaths. James expected to be one those statistics.

“I just wrote off my life and myself. I was pretty much like, “this is how the story ends.”

Fortunately for James that’s not the narrative now. The 29-year old has been sober for over a year and smiling a cherubic smile.

“I’m doing very well. Progressing in all areas of my life, so that’s an interesting very foreign bizarre feeling to me,” he says with a laugh. 

The reason for James’ new-found joy is he found an outfit in the Chicago area that took a different approach than he had seen before. It’s working so far.

“At Symetria Recovery they really help you find your recovery and help you live the life that you want to live. The availability, the resources that are there have been invaluable to me. Priceless maybe.”

James is apparently the norm and not the exception for patients at Symetria Recovery’s six Chicagoland facilities which are boasting unprecedented results.

“Symetria Recovery has an 88% success rate which is unheard of,” says Marketing Vice President AnnMarie Fauske. “We’re saving lives. Symetria saves lives.”

Chief Operating Officer Timothy Bohman says it’s because they use a simple but unique system.

“What we’re doing today nobody else in the country is even coming close to from an outpatient perspective,” says Bohman. “We created a program that utilizes all best practices that are available today in one location with one treatment team, one philosophy in order to drive better outcomes and better results.”

Fauske says it’s is a more holistic approach.

“Symetria treats the whole person. When a patient walks in the door they are assigned a team of people from the beginning, that includes MAT [medically assisted treatment] so they’re pain-free from the moment they walk in and it also includes psychiatry which is rare.”

It’s called “The Symetria Method” and part of its methodology utilizes treatment such as “Smart Recovery”. Results show it’s a no-brainer.

“It’s learning how to challenge the way you think, challenge the way you feel. Which ultimately challenges the way you behave,” says program director Francesca Davis. “It’s a more realistic approach to recovery”. 

And some would say, a more forgiving one.

“It’s not if you make a mistake you’re out because recovery is not linear,” says Peer Recovery specialist Amy Burrows. “You don’t just say ‘I’m going to be in recovery and then everything goes swimmingly’. It’s not an After-School Special”

Patients are giving it an A-plus grade.

“Symetria kind of gave me the ease where, we’re here to help you, we’re not here to judge you’,” says Michael who’s now celebrating sobriety.

Sami, another patient echoes that. “They listen to you and they want to help despite if you relapse and if you’re going through things and there’s no judgement.”

Relapse forgiveness among other things is helping in relapse reduction. Not only is Symetria saving lives they’re also saving insurance carriers money and have the data to prove it.

“We did a 5-year study and found that Symetria had a 12-time greater outcome than the industry average,” states Fauske. “So, we know that 9 out of 10 patients are going to be successful.”

Patients like James who’s shedding tears of joy for the first time in his adult life.

“My family is thrilled,” James says. “My dad even said he was proud of me, which floored me. I was practically crying. I never heard that. I never expected to hear that.”

For more information go to www.symetriarecovery.com