Moraine House, Inc.

Moraine House is a 501(c)3 post-treatment recovery home for men over the age of 18, founded in 1976 in Valparaiso, Indiana, originally as a halfway house for recovering alcoholics and now broadened to serve those recovering from all chemical dependencies. Well over 90% of its residents come from treatment centers in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties in Indiana and Cook County in Illinois. Moraine House provides a structured 180-day program that concentrates on helping residents regain an independent, substance-free lifestyle in a family-like atmosphere that emphasizes personal growth, while abstaining from all illicit drug and alcohol use. Treatment is based on the 12-step philosophy, relying on the assumption that spirituality is the basis of long-term recovery, with staff working closely with clients to address spiritual needs nondenominationally. Key elements include an initial orientation and assessment leading to an individualized treatment plan specific to the resident's drug of choice, attendance at least five AA and/or NA meetings per week, participation in Relapse Prevention and Life Skills groups, financial responsibility classes, weekly progress reviews by the screening committee, obtaining an approved local AA or NA sponsor, seeking and maintaining employment or volunteering if disabled, sharing household chores, and random drug screenings. The program instills a healthy value system encompassing responsibility to self and others, sensitivity, accountability, appropriate decision-making, self-discipline, and manageability. Residents are expected to engage in thorough self-examination, confidential self-disclosure, making amends for harm done, and eventually helping other substance abusers. Moraine House is not religiously affiliated, allowing residents to attend services of their choice, and operates on a demerit system with strict rules against substance use, with program fees of $157 per week following a $40 screening fee.