Substance Abuse - Drug Rehabilitation - The Cornerstone Program

The Cornerstone Program is committed to the idea that dependence on alcohol and other drugs is a serious problem and should be treated as such.

Cornerstone is a private program which is twelve step based and offers a network of interacting services including a fee based intensive outpatient program and a 18 - 24 month support group.

For today's youth, the pressure to get involved with drugs and alcohol is inescapable. It has become a major part of youth culture. At Cornerstone, we believe that the key to getting kids to stop using is to show them a way of life without drugs and alcohol that is better than what they had when they were using.

We call this "Enthusiastic Sobriety."

Symbols of Sobriety

There are two primary symbols that The Cornerstone Program uses to acknowledge sobriety and parent involvement. Young people involved in the Cornerstone support groups receive a "Monkey Fist" for 30 days of continuous sobriety. Parents receive the "Parent Heart" for participation in the Cornerstone parent support group for 30 days.

The "Monkey Fist" is a mariner's knot used by ships to help them dock. A baseball sized knot with lines attached is thrown from the ship to the dock. This is first contact the ship has with land. The crew on shore catches the knot, secures the line to the dock and pulls the ship to shore.

At Cornerstone we have adopted this as a symbol representing our sobriety as we are being pulled in from the sea of drugs and alcohol. The fist symbolizes first contact to solid ground, with the group symbolizing the crew that pulls the newcomer safely to shore.

Family involvement in the recovery process has been proven to be crucial to success. In the Cornerstone Parent Group the symbol for program participation is the Parent Heart. The heart is made from carved wood, and embossed on the heart is a Monkey Fist symbolizing the drug abuser who lives in each Cornerstone parent's heart.