How We're Different

Desert Canyon Treatment Center’s drug and alcohol rehab program provides a healing environment for change and works with you as a unique individual with real needs.

A Wellness Model instead of a ‘disease model’
Desert Canyon has been leading the drug and alcohol rehabilitation industry in the whole-person approach to treatment since 1998. This wellness approach focuses on helping each individual become more healthy, strong, balanced, "centered" and happy with their lives. It addresses the many significant areas of life that can contribute to abuse and addiction to alcohol and drugs, helping each person rebuild their lives the way they want them to be.

The ‘disease model’ implies that there is something wrong with you that cannot be healed. While there may be predispositions to addiction (physically, emotionally, and socially), our sophisticated drug rehab and alcohol treatment program is able to identify and treat these areas specifically, using many of the most effective methods available today. For example, research has shown that there are indeed alcoholic bio-chemistries that make some people predisposed. But, rather than a "disease", these are considered to be conditions that can be treated and/or managed and their impact dramatically reduced. In addition, emotional issues, childhood traumas and other significant personal and interpersonal problems are profoundly addressed by our professional staff.

Feel Powerful instead of powerless
Do you feel powerless over your addiction? A vast majority of those that are chemically-dependent have self-esteem issues and feel powerless in the face of beating their addiction. That’s why our drug and alcohol rehab program focuses on building self-esteem and helping people regain their self-worth again. With a sense of powerfulness and self-worth, people are in a better place to say "no" to unhealthy, addictive behaviors and to say "yes" to the healthy choices that make life worth living. In addition, people gain skill at recognizing the addictive "part" of themselves and at diffusing its power.

Make a Choice instead of ‘one day at a time’
Whenever someone makes a conscious change in their life, it begins with choice. Even those who use the "one day at a time" approach to drug and alcohol abuse and addiction find that one day they simply decide, "I will never drink or use again!" Our programs and professional staff will help you get to that point of making this choice, and meaning it. You’ll make the choice for yourself and in this way take your life back into your own hands.

A Non-Pharmaceutical model to empower you
Current trends in alcohol and drug rehabilitation and treatment resort to the use of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals to medicate the biochemical imbalances associated with the use of addictive substances including drugs, alcohol and prescription drugs. However, we believe that the inherent risks associated with treating substance dependency with drugs far outweigh its benefits. We believe that this tendency will ultimately enable a culture of dependency. 

Our drug and alcohol treatment model encourages and supports you to develop a nondependent life and encourages the use of natural methodologies to bring about equal or better results than pharmaceuticals. The program components — including targeted nutritional supplements, neurofeedback, exercise, meditation, transformational and cognitive behavioral therapies — help you repair the neurological and chemical imbalances caused by alcohol abuse and drug abuse and restore natural health and well-being on a long-term basis.

A Small Facility instead of an institutional setting
Desert Canyon is located in Sedona, Arizona, known for its awe-inspiring red rock formations among the Coconino National Forest. It is a vacation destination for millions of people each year. The building houses a maximum of 10 clients at any one time, providing a comfortable, homelike setting that minimizes that "institutional" feeling and provides an abundance of personal attention. It also enables us to tailor your drug and alcohol rehab program to your individual situation, and respond to your unique needs.

No Shame, No Blame
The drug and alcohol rehab program believes that shame and blame do not, in fact, bring about the desired result of modifying behaviors. Quite the contrary, shame and blame usually trigger resentment and belligerence, and lower self-esteem in the face of life's ups and downs. We provide a nonjudgmental, unconditional environment that gives people a sense of safety in which to heal and change. We treat people like the adults that they are, with a focus on education, communication and skill-building. Ultimately, this supports the process of change and transformation to last a lifetime.

Support instead of dependency
Our focus is to provide you or your loved one with the resources you need to lead a rich, successful, life without drugs or alcohol. As a means of support, alumni clients participate in Aftercare conference call sessions with other alumni, facilitated by a licensed professional staff member. Participation is not mandatory, since the emphasis is not on long-term dependence on our staff or on lifelong attendance at meetings. AfterCare is especially helpful in the transition from drug and alcohol rehab to home life. Many former clients also find it helpful to call in for a tune-up, to ask for guidance or to share their successes. AfterCare is available for free for life whenever it is desired or needed.


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