In November 1997, the Vineyard House opened its doors to its first resident and to an ambitious goal as well: to create a recovery house that would shelter people who have addictions, helping them stay sober and begin rebuilding their lives on the Island.
Today, the program is doing all of those things. Since it began, four people have graduated from it, and 11 are currently living in the two Vineyard Houses and making progress. Some have moved in and been asked to leave after “taking up again,” officials say, but the program’s success rate of roughly 80 per cent is considered high.
Vineyard House officials have taken a low-key approach to publicity — largely out of respect to their clients, who are promised anonymity. But they are thrilled with the success they’ve found so far.
“There are miracles happening every day,” said Hazel Teagan, an alcoholism counselor who is on the Vineyard House board of directors. “I’m absolutely delighted.”
She’s not alone. Among the Island’s human service agencies, the Vineyard House has developed a reputation for its effectiveness.
“Is it filling a niche? Absolutely,” said Jane Dreeben, director of substance abuse services for Island Counseling Center, which is part of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. “It provides a safe, sober environment for folks who have had trouble staying sober and clean. Their participation in the Vineyard House has allowed them to stay sober for longer than most of them ever have. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful resource for the Island.”
The idea of a sober house, which had been talked about for years, became real only after a few generous donors made it possible for a group of residents to acquire two large Oak Bluffs houses, which are now the core of the Vineyard House program. The houses were improved, furnished and opened as a house for men and a house for women. Since then, the original vision has changed — for instance, both houses are now used for men — while other elements of the plan have played out exactly as organizers had hoped and planned: namely, people in recovery are benefiting from the opportunity to live in affordable Island homes where sobriety is demanded.
The theory behind the program is that people coming out of detox or intense treatment programs sometimes need an interim step, a place to live in their home community that is guaranteed to be sober. The Vineyard Houses are not like halfway houses, which typically include treatment regimens as part of the residential program. At the same time, rules are an important element of the Vineyard House. To live there, each resident for the first 90 days must attend a daily Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Each resident must also have a job, or a regular program of volunteer work. And residents must agree to random testing for drugs and alcohol for the duration of their residency, which is supposed to be about six months. Those who test positive are asked to leave.
These strict guidelines contribute to the efficacy of the program, officials said.
“It’s really a model of living in a like-minded community, and living in a safe place, where drugs are not available, where you know you’re going to be tested at random and that you can’t crawl into your own bed — which has become safe to you — if you pick up and use,” said Sandy Broyard, a social worker who is president of the Vineyard House board of directors.
The example of sobriety is set not only by the other residents but also by each house’s paid managers, both of whom are recovering from addictions.
The residents of the houses declined to be interviewed for this article, but both house managers attempted to explain how they contribute to the culture of the Vineyard House.
“I carry the message of recovery in my day-to-day living,” said one of the managers, who asked to be identified as Bells P. “And really, I think, that’s what it’s all about: the experience of having been there, the empathy, that I can relate to all the guys who come in and can say: ‘I’ve been right where you’ve been and it’s going to get better.’ They get to see me on a day-to-day basis, living a life of recovery. And, hopefully, I’m an example to them that recovery is possible, that there’s a life after drugs, and a good life.”
Both managers added that it’s important to their own recovery to be able to help others.
“We have to give away what we’ve got, what we’ve learned, because if we don’t give it away, we can’t keep it,” said Charlie, who is also a house manager.
Saying that “recovery is very mysterious,” Bells P. added: “The core of the disease is self-centered fear, and the opposite of that is being selfless and having courage, and that’s why being selfless in all areas of my life is what keeps me growing. … It doesn’t make sense why it works, but just like Charlie says, we can only keep what we have by giving it away.”
Asked if the job is frustrating in any way, Bells P. said that it is tough “being powerless over other people and their disease.”
“I’ve kicked plenty of people out,” he said. “That’s very difficult.”
For members of the board of directors, the hard part has been trying to help women who are in recovery. The women’s house, when it existed, was never in as much demand as the men’s house. There are plenty of women who need support, but women often have to care for children or elderly parents, and some women were unable to live in the house because of those responsibilities. The women’s house, which had a capacity of six, was never home to more than four women.
During the final weeks that there was a women’s house, 10 men were on a waiting list. Eight of them relapsed. When the last women left and no women were waiting to get in, the board converted the house into a men’s house. That was last fall.
“We felt we really didn’t have a choice,” said Mrs. Broyard.
Now, Vineyard House board members are hoping women can be served through a morning support group sponsored by Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Island Counseling Center. The morning program is one that existed for many years and was re-activated late last year. The support group is generally attended by about three to 12 people, said Mrs. Teagan, who used to facilitate the group. The sessions are not intended to duplicate AA meetings, but they offer additional support in a different format, usually with a smaller group.
“We talk about if they’re feeling close to relapse, about any triggers, if they’re aware of what leads them to relapse, any present stressors,” said Mrs. Teagan. “It’s sort of a check-in. If someone is fragile, the group supports them.”
Other options are also being talked about for women, including an alternate type of residential program, Mrs. Broyard said.
The ultimate goal is a comprehensive program, one that prevents the loss of life; that is, the people behind the Vineyard House say that drugs and alcohol are causing deaths on the Island. Mrs. Broyard noted that one resident who chose to leave the house after only a few days of residency — against the urging of the house manager, Charlie — was later killed, the victim of a violent crime. “He was a very sweet man,” said Mrs. Broyard, who had been there when he was interviewed as a candidate for residency. “Very mild-mannered.”
Conversely, many see the houses as an alternative. A recent donation from Trudy Taylor of Chilmark came with a note that states: “I send it in my son’s (Alexander’s) name, for I’d like to think that if they had been available when he needed them, he might have been alive today.” Alexander Taylor died after experiencing long-term substance abuse problems.
Many other people in the community have been generous with money, products and time, which is good, because the organization is facing expenses that total about $130,000 in 1999. In addition, the Vineyard House has an interest-free debt of $149,000.
Financial donations are welcome. Additionally, the houses are in need of several items, including a lawn mower, a snow blower, a weed trimmer, computers and computer accessories and a microwave. In addition, both driveways need to be paved, and both houses continuously require maintenance work.
People who want to donate funds or anything else are encouraged to mail their contributions to: The Vineyard House, P.O. Box 3311, Oak Bluffs, Mass. 02557.
Asked why she thinks the Island community has been so generous already, the group’s executive director, Sandra Demel, said: “Because people’s lives can be saved this way, and so many people are touched by the whole issue of abuse. And it is such a miracle to see people change.”
This article appears in February 26, 1999.