"Mirikai and Oasis residential program"

I entered the Lives Lived Well rehabilitation centre called Mirikai towards the end of January of this year, for treatment of substance abuse. At Mirikai, I was shown compassion, understanding and a non-judgmental attitude from staff which was extremely important in the early days of my recovery, as I was supported and encouraged to build confidence in myself again which laid the foundation to begin to make positive changes in my life.

At Mirikai I was able to challenge my thoughts and beliefs about myself through daily group sessions and attend weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings. I also attended weekly psychologist appointments with Danny who is by far the best therapist I have ever worked with and helped me gain insight into dealing with a range of issues. After spending 10 weeks in treatment in Mirikai, I moved into the transitional part of the program known as Oasis.

Being given the opportunity to take part in the Oasis program has definitely changed my life, a mixture of integrating back into the community whilst still engaging in daily group sessions and weekly case management sessions with the oasis facilitator, Rachelle was the perfect process to put in practice all the healthy strategies I had learnt. Having Rachelle as my case worker has been an integral part of moving through the Oasis program. Rachelle guided, supported, motivated and encouraged me to be the best version of myself and in my opinion, she has the ability to bring this out in not just me but my peers who are also in the program. I cannot express enough how important Rachelle and the Oasis program have been to help me not just to build a recovery-focused life but a life that involves happiness, family, friends, healthy coping mechanisms and most importantly a balance.

I have done other transition programs and this is by far the best I have ever been involved in and I highly recommend it to anyone. After 5 months in the Oasis program and 2 months in Mirikai, I will be leaving soon. I have never had so much fun in my life while working hard on my internal issues and actively moving forward. I would like to thank all the staff of Lives Lived Well with a special mention to Danny and Rachelle who have worked very closely with me. An amazing group of people doing amazing work.