If you live in Coral Springs and you are looking for addiction or mental health treatment, Recreate Life Counseling is about 30 to 35 miles north in Boynton Beach, a 40 to 45 minute drive in normal traffic. We run partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs, we are accredited by The Joint Commission, and we work with families across north Broward.
This page is for the person who is not sure where to start. It covers what to do in a crisis, how to pay for treatment, how to compare programs, and what the first week at Recreate looks like.
If this is an emergency
Treatment programs are not emergency services. If someone has overdosed, is unresponsive, or is talking about hurting themselves, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For a mental health or substance use crisis that is not a medical emergency, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline any time of day.
- Overdose: give naloxone (Narcan) if you have it, call 911, and stay with the person. Florida’s Good Samaritan law protects people who call for help during an overdose from some drug possession charges.
- Psychiatric crisis: Broward has crisis stabilization units for short, secure stays, and community providers such as Henderson Behavioral Health offer crisis services and emergency stabilization.
- Someone who refuses help: Florida law has two court processes families sometimes use. The Baker Act covers mental health emergencies, and the Marchman Act covers substance use. Both are serious steps, and a crisis intervention service or attorney can explain whether either fits.
- Severe withdrawal: detox for opioids, alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine or methamphetamines should happen under medical supervision. Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be dangerous on its own.
Once the immediate crisis is over, the next step is ongoing care. That is where programs like ours come in.
Substance use in Broward County
Coral Springs is often thought of as a quiet suburb, but it shares Broward’s drug supply. Broward led Florida in fentanyl deaths in state medical examiner data reported in 2022, with opioid-related overdoses driven by fentanyl mixed into heroin, prescription painkillers and cocaine. That puts people at risk whose drug of choice was never an opioid.
Locally, the United Way of Broward County’s Commission on Behavioral Health and Drug Prevention leads prevention and community engagement work, including efforts to reduce stigma so people ask for help sooner.
What Recreate offers, and what we refer out
| Service | Who it helps | Recreate |
|---|---|---|
| Medically supervised detox | Anyone at risk of moderate or severe withdrawal | We coordinate a referral |
| Residential treatment | People who need 24-hour structure away from home | We coordinate a referral |
| Partial hospitalization | People who are medically stable but need a full day of treatment, five days a week | Offered |
| Intensive outpatient | People stepping down from PHP, or starting with fewer hours around work and family | Offered |
| Aftercare | Everyone leaving a program | Aftercare plan and alumni support |
Inside PHP and IOP, your week includes individual therapy, group therapy and family therapy, with cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and motivational interviewing as the core methods. People with a co-occurring condition such as depression, anxiety or trauma get integrated dual diagnosis treatment rather than two separate plans.
How to pay for rehab
Cost stops more people from starting treatment than almost anything else, so it helps to know your options before you call anyone.
Private insurance. Employer and marketplace plans cover addiction and mental health treatment as an essential health benefit. Your share depends on your deductible, copays or coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum, and whether the program is in your plan’s network. We check all of that for free and send a written estimate. See our guides for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Humana and TRICARE.
Self-pay. If you prefer not to use insurance, or part of your care is not covered, ask admissions about self-pay options and payment arrangements.
Publicly funded care. For uninsured Broward residents, the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition is the state’s managing entity for mental health and substance use services, and it funds care through government-funded providers and nonprofit organizations across the county. Some programs use sliding scales based on income, and some have a waitlist. Calling 211 Broward is the quickest way to find an opening.
Scholarship programs. A few nonprofits offer partial scholarships for treatment. Ask any program you are considering whether it has one, and get the terms in writing.
Comparing programs: questions worth asking
- What accreditations and licensing do you hold, and can I verify them? (You can check ours on The Joint Commission’s site.)
- Do you start with a biopsychosocial assessment, and who completes it?
- What does a personalized treatment plan look like here, and how often is it updated?
- What is your staffing, and how many people are in a typical group?
- Which levels of care do you provide, and where do you send people who need something you do not offer?
- How do you involve family members?
- What will this cost me, in writing, before I start?
A program that answers these clearly is usually a program that runs well. One that gets vague about cost or pushes you toward a fixed length of stay before assessing you is worth a second look.
Your first week at Recreate
Most people from Coral Springs start the same way. A first phone call or form gets a benefits check under way. An initial assessment with a clinician covers your substance use, mental health, medical history, family support systems and what you want to change. From that, we recommend PHP or IOP and set a start date, often within the same week.
Your first days are mostly about getting settled: meeting your primary therapist, joining groups, and building the first version of your plan. Family members are invited into the process early, because recovery goes better when the people at home know what is happening and how to help.
After treatment: staying connected in Coral Springs
The months after a program ends carry the highest risk of relapse. Before you leave, your aftercare plan sets out ongoing counseling services, coping strategies and the support network you will lean on. North Broward has daily AA and NA meetings, peer support groups and SMART Recovery options, and our alumni program keeps you connected to people from your own treatment group. Your relapse prevention plan is built to work at home, not just at the program.
Questions people from Coral Springs ask us
How long is the drive? Usually 40 to 45 minutes, using the Sawgrass Expressway and Florida’s Turnpike or I-95. Rush hour adds time.
How long does treatment last? It depends on your progress, not a fixed number of days. PHP often runs a few weeks before stepping down to IOP, which can continue for several more. Your clinical team and your insurer review length of stay as you go.
Can you admit me the same day? Same-day admission is sometimes possible once benefits are confirmed. More often, people start within a few days. Ask admissions about current availability.
Do I need detox first? If you are physically dependent on alcohol, opioids or benzodiazepines, probably yes. We will tell you during the assessment and arrange the referral.
Can I call on behalf of someone else? Yes. Many first calls come from a spouse, parent or sibling. We can explain the options and talk you through how to approach your loved one, though they will need to agree to treatment themselves.
Is everything confidential? Yes. Your records are protected under HIPAA and federal rules for substance use treatment records, and nothing is shared without your written consent.
