Foundation House took its house managers and community leaders ice climbing at the Amphitheater wall at Grafton Notch. We hiked 40 minutes through the Maine backcountry to the frozen wall where four different routes ranging in difficulty from moderate to hard mixed climbs waited for us. Every guy was able to push himself beyond his comfort zone and realize that he can accomplish more than he thought possible. A full day spent in the beautiful surrounding Maine wilderness gave the guys a chance to pause and reflect on how far they have come and the rewards that sobriety can provide both internally and externally. Now folks, that’s what we here at Foundation House call a Ropes Course!
In summer 2014, our International Travel Expedition featuring residents, alumni & staff visited a Tanzania Coffee Farm, summited Mount Kilimanjaro and enjoyed a Serengeti Safari. We traced the origin of the coffee bean where man began, and climbed the world’s tallest free-standing mountain.
The greatest accomplishment we can achieve is providing the environment for our residents to not only gain a life of sobriety but a feeling of higher purpose in their own life. Mike Fisher is a profound example of this kind of accomplishment. Mike joined the FoxHole a little over 3 years ago and after a successful stay joined our alumni community in Portland as an active and valuable member. Mike is currently traveling the country, catching a fish on a fly rod in all 50 states and spreading his message of hope and inspiration at treatment centers across the nation. This video tells his inspirational story.
We believe in a strong holistic focus in early recovery – combining a variety of therapies such as mind-body therapies, yoga, meditation, acupuncture healthy nutrition, exercise, creative arts therapies and more. Every week our residents are engaged in these activities in an attempt to “slow down” the thought process and find awareness physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Foundation House employs a variety of daily, weekly, monthly and annual activities to keep our residents busy and encourage the idea of having fun in early recovery. Most addicts and alcoholics would never consider that getting sober would include dogsledding, rock climbing, fishing, kayaking, archery, or a freezing plunge into the ocean on New Years Day!
Foundation House is the best transition from wilderness therapy available in our industry. The experience of residents who go through a wilderness program is often misunderstood or discounted in the next phase of recovery.
Many young men in recovery turn to exercise when they get sober. Expending energy in a healthy way and working with your peers in a team environment creates many teachable moments for our residents in relation to their recovery from drugs and alcohol. During the spring and summer we have a softball league that plays every Saturday and includes both current residents and alumni. In the winter, our flag football league takes the place of softball with the same goal in mind. Through the week, our Ice Hockey league plays throughout the winter as well, and provides an outlet and activity for our residents on nights when boredom and restlessness can set in.
Music is a creative outlet that can have a large impact on the life of a young man in early recovery. This creative therapy can have a powerful influence on emotions and mood and allow our residents to express their feelings in a way that allows an individual to feel safe in doing so. Music therapy has been shown to help people manage deal better with a variety of conditions. Our music studio is located just steps from our main office and residents can play, record and produce their own music together on a weekly basis.
Most addicts and alcoholics develop poor eating habits in active addiction. Prior to receiving treatment they eat irregularly, or eat only foods that are quick, cheap and low in nutritional value. When entering Foundation House an individual is returning to the real world. In this stage, we believe it is important to develop good nutritional habits and work to keep the body as healthy and disease-free as possible. Our mission is to educate our clients to shop, prepare and eat in such a way that helps them feel better and show up for themselves and others in early recovery. Our Recovery Cooking Classes take place at our very own restaurant, The Triangle Café, located just a block from our main office.
