Hey Everyone,
I hope this week has treated you well. Today I would like to talk about an institution that I greatly respect, admire and have worked with for some time. Phoenix Recovery Project (PRP) is an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility in Mon Repos. This means that the clients live within the facility and work together to become sober and remain abstinent.
Phoenix was founded in 2000 and is registered under the Friendly Society Act. It is run by Mr. Clearance Young and is the only inpatient facility in Guyana who admits both men and women. PRP was awarded the Silver Medal of Service as they have dedicated over 10 years to good public, government and industry service within our society. Phoenix has 24 hour staff, including live in house mothers.
The clients are there for many different types of substances such as alcohol, marijuana, crack- cocaine, prescription drugs and sometimes, a combination of many.
There are also clients present that have mental health issues, especially due to drug use such as marijuana induced psychosis. For the clients that do show signs of mental illness, PRP has a relationship with GPHC where the clients go for clinic days to get the medication they need. Currently, about 14 of their patients do so.
Phoenix has worked with people from all 10 administrative regions of Guyana as well as individuals from Cayenne, Brazil, Suriname and Trinidad. They work with individuals from any ethic, socio-economic or religious background.
The most recent detailed data about PRP comes from the 2014 Drug Information Network Report.
In 2014, there were 40 clients: 30 male and 10 female. It is not clear whether this means that men are more at risk for substance use or whether men are simply more likely to seek help. The clients were of a wide age range, spanning from adolescents to adults.
Of the 40 clients living in PRP in 2014, 57% abused crack cocaine, 22% abused marijuana, 18% abused alcohol and 3% abused prescription drugs. Therefore, any individual can attend Phoenix, despite their drug of choice- it does not discriminate.

The current situation
There are no detailed statistics available for the clients at Phoenix but I did as much research possible at the moment.
Currently, there are 24 clients living in: 18 males and 6 females. The most prevalent drugs abused by the clients are still crack cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. The current age range is 17-74 years.
When someone enters Phoenix for recovery, they are entitled to a one week detox. This means, they get that time to rest, without having to participate in the activities available (which I will get into).
This detox week is important as the abusers needs to adjust to a new way of life, one obviously without drugs. Once this detox week is completed, the client begins taking part in all of the daily rituals/ routines.
This starts off at 5am with devotion, then breakfast and goes on to daily classes which include relapse prevention, occupational therapy, computer training, disease concept, self- help meetings and general educational and experimental workshops. They get exercise by going into the National Park or running on the sea-wall.
The clients are also encouraged to write daily logs about their feelings/emotions, which is known as a huge help during recovery.
The average stint per individual is 6-9 months, six being the minimum amount allowed. It is very difficult to recover from an addiction is less time than that. The cost per month is 60,000GYD.
If one cannot afford that, it is important to note that Phoenix also hosts open meetings for the public with substance abuse issues. This means that one does not have to live in PRP to be able to attend. All you need to have is the will to seek help.

The meetings available are:
Alcoholics Anonymous: Tuesday’s 6- 7:30pm
Cocaine Anonymous: Thursday’s 6- 7:30pm
Narcotics Anonymous: Sunday’s 6:30- 8pm

Phoenix Recovery Project has also opened a half- way house in February of this year. Half way houses are where the clients go after their stint in rehabilitation in order to successfully reintegrate into society. It is located right next door to the rehabilitation centre in Mon Repos. It is currently a male only dorm and hosts 3 individuals. In the half- way house, the clients work, have visitors and go and come as they please (with a curfew!)
The Phoenix Recovery Project has high success rates, which I’ve seen myself as I used to teach classes there. The clients love to be there, are cooperative and supportive of each other. If you have issues with drugs or alcohol, it’s the best place for you to be!
The centre can be contacted on 220-6825 or at email prpsarx@yahoo.com
Thank you to those to write in to caitlinvieira@gmail.com . Please continue to so I could know what you would like to talk about.
Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!