Recreate Life Counseling is a Joint Commission-accredited treatment center in Boynton Beach, about 40 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. We provide partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment for addiction and mental health, and many of the people in our programs come from Broward County.
We are not in Fort Lauderdale, and we say so up front. Plenty of Broward residents choose a program one county over on purpose: close enough that family can join sessions, far enough from the people and places tied to using. If you are weighing that choice for yourself or someone you love, this page covers what to look for, what treatment involves, and what it costs.
Addiction in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County
Broward has been hit hard by the fentanyl era. In recent years it has recorded more fentanyl-involved deaths than almost any county in Florida, according to medical examiner data reported by WLRN. Statewide, fentanyl deaths fell 35 percent in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That is real progress, but the risk has not gone away.
What makes fentanyl different is that people often do not know they are taking it. It turns up in cocaine and in counterfeit pills sold as oxycodone, Xanax or Adderall, so someone who has never used opioids can still overdose. If anyone in your home uses drugs, keep naloxone (Narcan) on hand. It is sold without a prescription at Florida pharmacies.
Signs it is time to get help
- You have tried to cut back or stop and could not.
- Cravings take up a lot of your day.
- You need more to get the same effect (tolerance).
- You feel sick, anxious or shaky when you stop (withdrawal symptoms).
- Use is costing you at work, at home or with your health.
- You are hiding how much you use, or the people close to you have started to worry.
One safety note: if you have physical dependence on alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids, do not stop suddenly on your own. Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause seizures. Medical detox comes first, and outpatient treatment follows.
Levels of care, and where Recreate fits
Addiction treatment runs on a continuum. The right starting point depends on withdrawal risk, your mental health, your home situation and how much structure you need. Recreate provides PHP and IOP, and we refer out for the levels we do not provide.
| Level of care | What it is | At Recreate |
|---|---|---|
| Medical detox | Supervised withdrawal management, usually several days | Referral to a partner detox |
| Residential treatment | Live-in care with 24-hour support | Referral |
| Partial hospitalization (PHP) | Treatment most of the day, five days a week, going home or to recovery housing at night | Yes |
| Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Several hours a day, several days a week, built around work or school | Yes |
| Aftercare | Ongoing therapy, support groups and alumni programming after discharge | Aftercare planning and alumni program |
| Recovery housing | Structured, substance-free housing during and after treatment | Referral to certified recovery residences |
The drive matters when you choose. PHP means coming in five days a week, so most people traveling from Fort Lauderdale either stay in recovery housing closer to the program or plan their commute around it. IOP is easier to fit around a job. Ask admissions about schedules before you decide.
In a mental health emergency, go to the nearest emergency room or call or text 988. Broward’s crisis stabilization units handle psychiatric emergencies that need a short, secure stay.
What we treat
Substance use disorders: alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder including fentanyl and heroin, prescription drugs, benzodiazepines (after detox), cocaine and methamphetamine.
Co-occurring mental health conditions: anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD and bipolar disorder once symptoms are stable enough for outpatient care. Many people use substances to manage symptoms they have never had treated. Our dual diagnosis approach treats both at the same time, because treating one and ignoring the other is one of the most common reasons people relapse.
How treatment works
Every plan starts with a full assessment of your substance use, mental health, medical history and home life. From there, the core of treatment is evidence-based therapy:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to change the thoughts and habits that drive use
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for managing intense emotions and cravings
- EMDR and other trauma-focused work
- Motivational interviewing, individual counseling and group therapy
- Family therapy, because addiction changes the whole household
- 12-step facilitation and an introduction to peer support groups
- Medication-assisted treatment, coordinated with prescribing providers, for opioid and alcohol use disorders
Holistic practices such as yoga and art can complement this work, but they are not a substitute for it. Before discharge, you build a relapse prevention plan that covers your triggers, coping skills and the people you will call.
Paying for treatment
Most private health insurance covers PHP and IOP. The Affordable Care Act treats addiction and mental health care as essential health benefits, and federal parity law stops plans from limiting it more strictly than medical care. What you pay depends on your deductible, your copays or coinsurance, and whether we are in your plan’s network.
Our admissions team checks your benefits for free and gives you a written estimate before you commit. Plan-specific guides: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna and TRICARE. If something is not covered, ask admissions about self-pay and payment options.
If you have no insurance and cannot pay privately, there are other routes in Broward. The Broward Behavioral Health Coalition funds care for uninsured residents through local providers, 211 Broward can point you to them, and the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Fort Lauderdale runs a free residential work-therapy program.
How to choose a rehab in South Florida
South Florida has more treatment programs than almost anywhere in the country, and quality varies widely. Check these things with any program you are considering, including ours.
- Accreditation and licensing. Look for Joint Commission or CARF accreditation and a current Florida DCF license. You can confirm our Joint Commission accreditation yourself.
- Honest level-of-care advice. A good program recommends what you need after an assessment, not the most expensive option, and tells you when it is not the right fit.
- Licensed clinicians. Therapists should hold a Florida license (LMHC, LCSW, LMFT) or be registered interns under supervision.
- Specialty programs that fit you. If you have trauma, a co-occurring condition or a specific substance, ask how the program handles it.
- A written cost estimate before you arrive.
- Certified housing. If you need recovery housing, choose a residence certified by the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR).
Walk away from any program or recovery home that offers free rent, free travel, cash or gifts in exchange for enrolling. Paying for patient referrals is illegal under Florida’s Patient Brokering Act, and those offers usually mean the business is billing your insurance, not treating you.
Support after treatment
Recovery keeps going after the program ends. Our alumni program keeps you connected to people who went through the same thing, family programming helps your household rebuild trust and set healthy boundaries, and your aftercare plan links you to ongoing therapy and peer support groups. Broward has AA, NA and SMART Recovery meetings every day of the week, which makes it easier to keep a routine once you are home.
Getting started from Fort Lauderdale
- Call us or complete the confidential form. You can call for yourself or on behalf of a loved one.
- We check your insurance benefits for free and send a written estimate.
- A clinician completes an assessment and recommends a level of care. If you need detox first, we arrange the referral.
- We set a start date and talk through your schedule, housing and transportation.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Recreate from Fort Lauderdale? About 40 miles. In normal traffic the drive is 45 to 50 minutes on I-95 or Florida’s Turnpike, and longer at rush hour.
Do you offer detox? No. We refer you to a partner detox program and admit you to PHP or IOP when you are medically ready.
Can I keep working during treatment? Usually, in IOP. PHP runs most of the day, five days a week, so most people take leave from work during that phase.
Do you treat mental health conditions without addiction? Yes. Our PHP and IOP programs treat depression, anxiety, trauma and related conditions as well as substance use.
How soon can I start? Often within the same week, once your benefits are confirmed and your assessment is complete.
Can my family be involved? Yes. Family therapy and family programming are part of treatment, and being an hour away makes it practical for family in Broward to take part.
