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We know how scared and hopeless addiction can make you feel. Like you have no control over a life you once loved, as things spiral even further into darkness.   

You’re one step closer now to finding the solution. It’s always darkest before the dawn. We are here to help you recover.  

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The Beginning of Addiction

You’re not sure how things got so bad. At first, it was just a few pills to relax after a long day of work or sneaking in a glass of wine after the kids went to bed.  

Before long, it became drinking and driving on the job. It turned into downing bottles of wine per day, which you then hid throughout the house (hoping your family wouldn’t find them).   

Life has become unmanageable. The shame and guilt you feel from your DUI haunts you. You can’t get the looks in your neighbors’ faces as you stumbled into your home late at night out of your head. More than anything, you fear that your children will pick up your habit as they grow up. These fears make you turn to drugs and alcohol even more, just to cope.  

You wonder if this spiral has something to do with that thing you buried deep in your mind. That trauma, that transgression that you can’t even speak about out loud. The one you’ve never told anyone. That secret you keep buried inside. 

Time to Get Help

You know the gig is up. You can’t keep living this way. But you’re not sure what steps to take.  

You’ve tried stopping on your own, but it’s not working. You can string together a couple days of sobriety together but before long, the withdrawal symptoms become too much. The flu-like aches, nausea, trouble sleeping. It’s too painful, and the drugs that would make you feel better are right there.  

You’ve tried going to a 12-Step meeting, virtually or in person, but you’re not sure if it’s the right place for you. You can’t imagine sharing all the secrets you’ve been keeping inside to a room of strangers, especially men.  

Your family started going to Al-Anon and put-up strong boundaries. They’ve stopping giving you money and taking your excuses. You know deep down they’re taking care of themselves, but this makes you feel even worse, like you’re a disease they need to protect themselves from.  

Maybe you have young children or are currently pregnant. You’ve called treatment centers to try and get help, but none of them are equipped to take a family. 

You’re worried it’ll never get better. Maybe just waiting is the answer. Spoiler: it’s not.  

You thought drugs and alcohol would be your stress reliever; a way to cope from the challenges of your day. But instead, it’s become a destructor of a life you once loved.  

There is nothing wrong with you. The real you, under your addiction. Despite the shame and guilt you feel, and the unsaid messages you hear from society like… 

You don’t deserve to be happy.   

Look at all the wreckage you’ve caused …  

You’re worthless. You’re just an addict.  

The truth is, you are priceless. You just have a disease: substance use disorder. You are not a bad person. You are a sick person who deserves to get well.  

You are meant to become the sister, mother, daughter, wife, and friend you’ve always been, underneath your addiction.   

We know it seems like there’s no other choice than living this way. That’s what addiction does to women. It’s a form of mental, emotional, and spiritual slavery. We understand because we’ve helped over 5,000 women begin the journey of recovery from addiction and get free.  

You deserve to walk through those doors, too. 

New Directions for Women Offers Hope!

Let’s take a moment to introduce ourselves. Here at New Directions for Women, we are a nonprofit organization devoted to transforming lives. We help women, pregnant women, and women with their children recover from addiction.  

In 1977, we were founded by three courageous women in Newport Beach, California who envisioned a safe, caring, and beautiful environment to help women getting sober with dignity and grace.  

Today, we are grateful for our 40+ year history. Our clinical motto is “Love, Kindness, and Compassion in All Things.” We greet each patient and family where they are at on their journey and stay involved over a lifetime of sustained sobriety.  

Most of our staff are also women in recovery who broke free from the bonds of addiction ourselves. Among our staff, we have over 120 years of recovery.  

We know how you feel because we’ve been there ourselves, and navigated this disease in our beloved friends and family members.  

When addiction tells us we are worthless over years or decades and our bodies, minds, and families decay from the effects of drugs and alcohol – we start to believe the lies.  

We are here to help you build a new future. We have the medicine for you, and infinite amounts of love, kindness, and compassion for your journey.  

“One of the hardest things was learning that I was worth recovery.” – Demi Lovato

Recovery: Creating a Life That You Love!

Even when our life is in shambles, making a change is scary. Scary enough to keep us in active drug use even though it’s slowly destroying the one life you get.  

But remember, recovery is not just about putting down the substances. It’s about creating a life that you love, so you no longer need drugs and alcohol to cope. You deserve to be happy and healthy.  

You may worry about losing your friends and the people you currently use with. Well, recovery is all about community. You will build up a strong network of people who love you and have your back.  

Maybe you’ve tried getting sober at another treatment center and experienced a relapse. That doesn’t mean you’ve “failed.” If someone with cancer experienced a remission, would you call them a failure? Don’t give into the stigma of addiction. You are worth another chance at recovery.   

Or perhaps your identity is so tied to the addiction, you don’t know who you’ll become after you get sober. That’s okay. You have a safe place, encouraging professional staff, and an invitation to come and figure it out, with other women going through the same thing. You get to define who you want to be.  

Our addiction treatment program is NOT:   

• A Quick Fix or Band-Aid 
• Reliant on the Power of Positive Thinking and Simply Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude  
• A “Spiritually Bypass the True Issues to Temporarily Solve Things” kind of program.  

We’re going deep and creating the inner shifts that will change how you experience the world.  

Our legacy is helping as many women as possible to break the generational cycle of addiction. Because you were meant to live a life beyond your wildest dreams.  Not just for yourself, but for the next generation of your family. 

Healing from Addiction Through Recovery

What will happen as you start to heal from addiction, discover your true gifts, and become the woman you were always meant to be?  

As soon as you walk onto our campus for a site visit, you’ll be wrapped up in love and compassion. When we look at you, we don’t see the self-hate, trauma, and shame you see in the mirror. We just see a woman fully deserving of recovery.  

Within a couple of weeks, the “brain fog” will start to lift. You’ll be able to focus again, and your memory will improve. You’ll start to remember the things you love about your day, like playing with your children in the park, or laughing with your loved ones.  

You will start to find hobbies that inspire you, whether they’re artistic, intellectual, or spiritual. You’ll grow your self-confidence, and your loved ones will begin relating to you differently.  

Your physical body will begin to heal. You won’t be carrying the weight of addiction with you, or the fear, anxiety, and trauma that you’re used to. The glow will come back into your skin. You’ll start to wake up excited for your day, speaking and thinking in a new language of recovery.  

Can you imagine yourself:  

Feeling free, in charge, and in control of your life? 

Seeing new possibilities and options that never existed before arise?

Living your legacy and breaking the generational cycle of addiction for your children and grandchildren? 

You Deserve to Be Free

The world deserves the highest version of you. It’s not your fault that you became addicted to drugs or alcohol.  But now it’s your responsibility to recover.  

We offer a full continuum of care, whether you need to physically detox from drugs and alcohol, live in a residential program with a sober community of women, or live at home and attend our outpatient program. You can enter any level of care, based on the severity of your substance use disorder.   

We are on this journey with our patients for the long haul, even as they become alumnae.  For us, sobriety is a lifelong process. We are here to be your partner on the road to recovery.  

Testimonials from Alumni

Don’t just take our word for it. Read our alumna Val’s testimonial, directly from her Yelp review: 

“New Directions saved my life!  I can’t say enough good things about this very special program.  I’ve struggled with addiction for 20+ years, and have attended 5 other programs over the years.  Their program truly embodies a mind/body/soul approach to healing and recovery. 

I was fortunate enough to find NDFW and stay for 30 days in Residential treatment.  My stay was comfortable, the facilities, group rooms and bedrooms were extremely clean and it became my safe haven to begin healing.  I am not kidding when I say the energy on campus was magical! There were literally butterflies and hummingbirds constantly in the garden. Waterfalls and so many feminine touches, and cute, festive decorations during the holidays.  Totally made me feel at home. 

Victoria, the Intake Specialist was kind and compassionate from my first phone call and during my intake.  She made me and my husband feel supported from the very beginning. 

The program includes every mode of therapy and treatment that you can ever hope for!! I was so surprised and grateful to be able to participate in:  Family Group Therapy, one-on-one couples counseling with my husband, psychodrama (helped me soo much with past trauma), Native American smudging, ropes course, inner-child work, animal therapy (on a horse ranch!), daily groups with the other patients, meditation and art therapy.  Seriously, what more could you ask for!?! 

The entire staff genuinely care about your well-being.  Most are in recovery themselves, and have experienced addiction first-hand.  Such strong women who can empathize with what you’re going through. 

They will support you in all aspects of your recovery process.  I know of at least two women in the program with me who had court cases in other states, and a staff member TRAVELED WITH THEM to court to make sure they felt supported and advocate on their behalf. 

The program also included regular group exercise – yoga, cross-fit and beach hikes/outings.  Jamie, the Activities Director, was super sweet and high-energy, so she made it fun to get active again! 

Chef Fatima, made DELICIOUS, healthy meals.  I consider myself a “Foodie”, so this was one of my favorite parts of my stay.  Her meals were soo yummy and healthy, and always prepared with LOVE. And she accommodated patients with special diet needs. 

I am currently attending NDFW Outpatient Program, and weekly Alumnae AA meeting.  I have made strong connections with the other women.  Shannon and my therapist, Dawn, have been loyal advocates for me, even after a brief relapse.  They’ve showed me unconditional love, and helped me get back on track.  I am fairly new to Orange County, and New Directions now become my extended family.   

This has been my experience.  If you are looking to heal, make a change and start living the life you were meant to live, I highly recommend New Directions for Women.” 

Why Should You Choose New Directions for Women?

Dealing with addiction is complicated. At New Directions, we understand the complications that come along with women and addiction. We believe each person deserves a chance to recover. Our mission is to provide treatment to any and all women seeking help from addiction. Please contact us today if you or a loved one is suffering from addiction.