The Plymouth House
Men’s Program

At the Plymouth House we offer a Men’s Program in order to make our addiction treatment as individualized and focused as possible. Our Men’s Rehab Program focuses on issues and challenges that are unique to men, while providing guests with the healthy communication skills they need to develop meaningful friendships that will last for years to come. The Twelve Step method of addiction recovery is heavily reliant on peer support, and at the Plymouth House we base our unique and comprehensive recovery program on the Steps and Principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Guests are fully immersed in the Twelve Steps, the most well-known and most consistently effective model for the successful treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. To learn more about our Men’s Program or to learn more about our unique and comprehensive recovery program, contact us today.

Men & Substance Abuse

There are many fundamental differences between men and women when it comes to the development of addiction and related symptoms. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, men are more likely than women to abuse chemical substances of all kinds, and they are also less likely to seek professional substance abuse treatment. Men are also more likely to experience serious injuries and emergency room visits at the hands of an illicit drug. When it comes to substance abuse recovery, men also face a unique set of challenges. Many men grow up in households that teach them that emotional vulnerability equates to weakness. In other words, “Real men don’t cry.” This way of thinking can be extremely detrimental to the emotional well-being of men, and makes them less inclined to seek professional help when they are struggling with a serious issue. Because many men grow up with these false beliefs about vulnerability and asking for help, we offer male-specific workshops that focus on healthy emotional expression and opening up about issues that might have otherwise been swept under the rug. Our main priority is ensuring that our guests learn tools to help them continually work through underlying issues even after completing treatment. These tools help men avoid relapse and maintain fulfilling, long-term sobriety.

What Does Our Men’s Rehab Program Look Like?

Our Men’s Rehab Program includes male-specific group therapy sessions and group workshops, male-specific lodging and men’s Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Examples of the workshops we offer as part of our Men’s Program include:

• The role of toxic masculinity in the development and exacerbation of addiction.
• Healthy emotional expression.
• How competitiveness can be either healthy or detrimental.
• Fostering healthy friendships with members of the same sex.
• Working through anger and aggression in healthy and productive ways.
• Balancing sobriety and work-related obligations.
• What it means to be a good son, father or grandfather.
• Exploring the negative health effects that active addiction can have on men of all ages and walks of life.
• What it means to serve the familial role of “breadwinner” and working through potentially unhealthy gender norms.
• Deescalating high-tension situations that could potentially turn violent.

At The Plymouth House we separate our male guests so that they can build healthy and functional relationships with one another and begin to thoroughly understand that they are not alone in their struggles. Offering a Men’s Program also helps eliminate potential distractions, allowing our guests to fully focus on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing.

Benefits of Gender-Specific AA Meetings

Those who are somewhat familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings will have likely heard at least one old-timer say something along the lines of, “Men stick with the men and women stick with the women!” There are very good reasons for this guideline, including:

• Trauma – Many men and women who begin abusing chemical substances simultaneously suffer from unresolved trauma. In fact, some reports suggest that up to 90 percent of men and women who find themselves in the rooms of AA have suffered some degree of trauma at one point during their lives. Separating the men and the women often makes members of each gender feel more safe opening up about certain issues. For example, a guest in a male-specific AA meeting might feel more comfortable talking vulnerably about trauma related to divorce or the loss of a spouse, just as a guest in a female-specific meeting might feel more comfortable referencing past domestic or sexual abuse.
• The presence of underlying emotional issues – Many men who struggle with addiction experienced childhood trauma, which led to insecure attachment issues and a range of emotional problems later on in life. It can be easier for men who are struggling with codependency or low self-esteem to focus on their recovery in a gender-specific setting. While emotional issues are common among both men and women, separating men and women makes these emotional issues easier to navigate.
• Behavioral addictions – Many men who struggle with substance abuse simultaneously struggle with behavioral addictions — and when it comes to sex and love addiction specifically, having mixed-gender meetings can prove to be quite a distraction. It is recommended that men and women who are new to sobriety stay away from romantic involvements of any kind for at least a year. Of course, gender-specific meetings make this easier to accomplish. There are also certain stigmas surrounding behavioral addictions — such as eating disorders — that might prevent a man from opening up if there are women present.
• Fundamental differences between men and women – There are simply a series of fundamental differences when it comes to men and women. This is the predominant reason why it is recommended that men stick with men in AA. The same goes for sponsorship. Men are always paired with a male Twelve Step Contact, who will walk him through the Twelve Steps over the duration of his stay.

Begin Your Recovery Journey Today

At The Plymouth House we believe that effective addiction treatment should be readily available to men of all ages throughout New Hampshire and all surrounding areas. From the moment you make the decision to contact us, our experienced team of Treatment Advisors will personally work with you and your loved one until the day he arrives at The Plymouth House. We know that in the majority of cases, our guests and their families have a myriad of questions regarding demographic-specific treatment options, covering the cost of treatment, our facilities themselves and the details of the admissions process. With one phone call we will assist families and their loved ones in making the right choices for their unique situation.

While we do require a two week mandatory stay at minimum, most guests require more time than the initial two weeks. If a guest wishes to extend his stay, he must inform his contact person at least three days before their tentative discharge date. At that time, staff will conduct a review to determine whether an extension is in the guest’s best interest and that behavior and effort warrant the privilege of an extension. To learn more about our Men’s Program or to help a loved one get started on his personal journey of long-term addiction recovery, contact us today. We look forward to speaking with you and answering any additional questions you may have.

Stop Letting Substances Control Your Life

Many men who struggle with substance abuse thrive in the Immersion Recovery environment because they feel safe addressing deeply personal issues and can focus solely on recovery and healing as members of the 12-step program. For more information about the 12-step immersion experience or our men-only approach, contact a Treatment Advisor at (888) 693-1927