Retorno’s detox programs: Elah (women) and Alon (men)

Retorno provides support in a secure environment. Participation in our detox program is the first step toward recovery and rehabilitation.

The Elah and Alon programs provide both physical and emotional care, based on a group dynamic, in which the group becomes the basis for healthy living. The participants help one another, becoming pillars of mutual support, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship, helping each other, and being responsible for each other’s welfare. This dynamic is essential in preventing the group members from returning to their use of alcohol, drugs, and dangerous behaviors of their past.

Elah — detox program for women

Elah, for women, provides an immediate solution to women in dangerous situations who are using drugs, abusing alcohol, and engaging in dangerous behaviors. For women coming from abroad, Elah is open to adults aged 18 and over. Elah is the first step in the recovery process, removing the woman from her environment and the dangers surrounding her.

Elah alumni include women from the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, and other countries.

The therapeutic environment provides a safe place to learn, through trial and error and reparative experiences, how to face day-to-day challenges without resorting to mind-altering chemicals.

The program at Elah increases self-awareness and social awareness and enhances the positive qualities and attributes that enable women to deal with their challenges in a whole new way.

The women live in a dorm, with a structured schedule that includes a variety of activities conducive to a healthy life. The treatment approach is physical, clinical, behavioral, and social.

Alon — detox program for men

At Alon, patients can detox at an inpatient clinic in a safe, easy, and comfortable environment. Alon is offered in both Hebrew and English and is geared toward men ages 18 and older. The duration of the program is a minimum of 21 days and can extend up to 6 weeks. During this period, clients get through the physical dependency stage and get ready for the transition to the therapeutic program at Retorno.

The goal of the treatment is to get clean from addictive substances in a secure environment. During the detox period, clients grow, recover, learn to contain themselves and each other, and they learn to make that positive changes that can create for themselves a new reality.

Goals of Elah and Alon’s detox programs

Physical withdrawal from psychoactive substances and/or alcohol
The beginning of a recovery process in a protected environment
Raising awareness of what problems led to the current situation
Recognizing behavior patterns that caused emotional dysregulation and the need to “use”
Developing motivation to change in an atmosphere of growth and recovery
Acquisition of basic tools for healthy, clean living
Learning to trust, and feeling safe in social circles
Integrating valuable experiences in different areas of personal growth — including music, crafts, movement, horseback riding therapy, and animal-assisted therapy.
Connecting to the self and environment from a healthy, “clean” place without mood- and mind-altering substances
To bring the client, as quickly as possible, to ongoing care

Each client will be directed to the program most suited to him or her – Retorno’s residential rehab program or another facility.

Three Stages of Treatment

Stage One

Physical withdrawal from the substance, if needed, with full medical support throughout. Our physicians oversee the process, and a nurse is on site 24/7 to keep each person safe and as comfortable as possible.
Regular wake and sleep time, nutritious meals, personal hygiene, and acclimating to the insulated environment
Integration into social circles

Stage Two

Becoming familiar with a therapeutic framework – group and individual therapies
Identifying each individual’s needs, based on personal history, past trauma, emotional states, and level and type of drug use
Awareness of dominant behavior patterns that brought the young man or woman into a situation in which he or she lost control of their life and lack of regular functioning
Working on interpersonal relationships within the group and with the staff, using day-to-day occurrences as a means to improvement
Recognizing challenges with the world of emotion, understanding self-image, and the beginnings of self-acceptance

At the end of Stage Two, two months after the beginning of treatment, there will be an evaluation committee, which includes the client herself, her family, the therapeutic staff, and the individual who brought her into treatment. The purpose of this committee is an interim summary, with suggestions regarding continued treatment.

Stage Three

This stage is a continuation of Stage Two. After the evaluation, this is the process of internalization and preparation for continued care after Elah or Alon.

Staff

The detox programs are run by multidisciplinary teams that include physicians, nurses, social workers and professional counselors, with a nurse on site 24/7. Both programs are supervised by the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Alon – detox for men

Yehuda Ziegelman – Inpatient Unit Manager
Dr. Kfir Klein – Chief Physician
Tamir Rustamov – Head Nurse
Asher Levi – Social Worker
Aharon Sopher – Director of the English-Speaking Program

Elah – detox for women

Sara Klimi – Inpatient Unit Manager
Dr. Sveta Yeger – Chief Physician
Noa Yitzhaki – Head Nurse
Aviva Gershon – Social Worker

Admissions for men and women from outside of Israel

For men and women coming from abroad, a referral is typically made by the family or by a professional. Graduates of the Alon and Elah detox program can go on to the adult residential rehab program at Retorno. For people who decide to stay in Israel, ongoing support for successful community living is available through Retorno’s Mifgashim program. For graduates of the detox program who return to their homes abroad, the Retorno staff will work to arrange a “soft landing” and ongoing community support.

Through Israel’s public program, Elah also serves Israeli residents, including girls from age 12. Referrals for Israeli residents can be made by health and medical centers, social services, the Israel Prison Service, therapists, schools, family members, community members, or the woman herself.

To protect each client’s health and safety, our admissions team will guide you through the medical requirements before arrival.

We make every effort to admit every man who meets the criteria for Alon, and every woman who meets the criteria for Elah, as quickly as possible. We offer each of you our full professionalism, attention, and love.