iRecover Treatment Centers
iRecover Treatment Centers is a group of innovative addiction treatment centers that use technology to aid in the recovery of people suffering from various addictions. The group was the brain child of Jim Gray after his youngest son was nearly killed by an impaired driver. The group was started in Canada and has since expanded into the United States.
Contents
- iRecover Treatment Centers
- History
- Use of technology and influence on the addiction treatment field
- References
History
Jim Gray has been sober since 1990 when his wife left with his three sons. This inspired Jim to turn his life around and he sought help from the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Jim has been involved with Alcoholics Anonymous ever since. Jim is also connected to the “How it Works” groups that originated in Palm Springs California. After Jim gained his sobriety he gained custody of his sons and moved to the North West Territories of Canada. There, Jim operated a successful aviation business for a number of years. Jim and his sons moved to Alberta where Jim was involved in the building and moving of oilfield camps. Alcohol came back into Jim’s life by means of his youngest son being hit by an impaired driver. His son nearly died. Jim’s focus was shifted towards getting impaired drivers off the road. He bought an old minimum security prison from the government in Central Alberta. This was to be the birthplace of the first iRecover Treatment Center, called Serenity Ranch in 2005. The second treatment center was earmarked in 2012 for the town of Northern Arm. Unfortunately due to resident’s concerns the center never opened in Northern Arm. Instead, the owners of the Red Mantle Lodge in Gros Morne National Park, contacted Jim Gray and a new home was found for the second treatment center, called Serenity On The Rock. The third treatment center, Serenity Palms, opened in 2013 in the Cathedral City / Palm Springs area in California. This is the first iRecover Treatment Center in the United States and also the first to offer apartment style living. iRecover has since also opened an outpatient behavioural health clinic in Santa Maria California as well as a women's only residential facility in Lavington, BC in the heart of the Okanagan.
Use of technology and influence on the addiction treatment field
The name iRecover was selected due to the use of the Apple iPad as a learning aid for people suffering from addictions. This is a world first in the recovery field. The iPad is used as a classroom tool to deliver course materials, media and literature. It is also used communication tool for participants and their families. One of the key features of this development is that participants in the recovery program can talk to their counselors face to face using Apple’s Face Time technology. The iRecover group is also the first to adopt a franchise model in the addiction field.