Seattle Drug & Narcotic Center, Inc.

When it opened its doors in 1968, Seadrunar or Seattle Drug and Narcotic Center, Inc. was the first center to offer a long-term residential treatment facility in the Pacific Northwest. Since its inception five decades ago, the center has helped thousands of clients get treated for their substance abuse.

Seadrunar offers long-term behavioral modification for substance abuse treatment. However, the center does not provide any on-site medical detox.

Accommodation

Set up in a now-defunct nursing home, Seadrunar has a campus large enough to hold approximately 150 clients (though the average number of residents staying on the campus is 70). Three residents share a room, which is furnished with basic furnishing and twin beds.

Most rooms have private bathrooms, but the residents can also share a bathroom located in the hallway. The center also offers a residential unit for children aged 12 and below.

There is a small workout room at the Seadrunar campus. It also has a track for jogging and a private park.

Food

Even though the center does not provide an on-site chef, the residents get three meals a day. All the meals are prepared by the residents themselves, taking turns, under staff supervision.

Treatment Program

Residents entering the long-term residential treatment program are provided with a structured treatment plan that emphasizes behavioral modification.

Programs offered at Seadrunar utilize a therapeutic community model. In this model, the residents are taught by professional counselors to identify various destructive behavioral patterns. The model also uses peer enforcement to teach residents new coping skills.

Another unique feature about the center is Seadrunar Recycling Work Program. Under this program, residents work at the facility’s recycling plant for eight hours every day. Once the residents complete their work, they take part in individual counseling or group sessions.

The residents also take part in daily morning group sessions before starting their work. What makes this unique program even more impressive is the fact residents can use their time in the recycling program to subsidize their treatment.

The center provides meals and transportation for residents taking part in the Recycling program.

Even though work at the recycling plant is not mandatory, residents have to select some job at the campus – be it cleaning or doing laundry. This phase lasts for nearly 180 days, after which some residents enter the second phase where they work outside and live in residences outside the facility. This phase also lasts for almost 180 days.

While the average number of residents in the first phase is 60 to 70, this reduces to around 30 to 40 residents in the second phase.

Staff

Seadrunar does not employ a psychiatrist or a medical doctor at its facility. That said, outside referrals are given if and when required.

In Addition

Seadrunar arranges a five-day camping trip for its residents every summer. The staff also tries to arrange regular outings such as visits to movies or baseball games.

Cost

Entrance fee – approximately $575 (in-state); approx. $1,800 (out-of-state).