In recent decades, scientists have conducted extensive research into the nature and causes of addiction.

We now have a comprehensive understanding of addiction, why it develops, and how we can treat it.

At Cirque Lodge, we share this knowledge with you through psychoeducational groups, lectures, and workshops. We help you understand more about your addiction, the science behind it, and how it affects your behaviors. We clarify the nature of chemical dependency and how addiction relates to co-occurring mental health disorders.

Our education sessions are usually open discussions where participants share their questions, experience, insights, and concerns. They offer the opportunity for interpersonal learning from other substance users’ experiences and professional therapists or other experts.

Talking openly about addiction is itself a therapeutic activity that is an intense shame-reduction exercise.

We provide clients with a comprehensive and well-rounded educational program covering a huge variety of topics and concepts. We discuss general subjects like addiction alongside more complex topics such as health, the family unit, and the 12-step program. We help you acquire a deeper understanding of addiction, how you can overcome it, and how to maintain a life of sobriety.

Our experiential therapy program offers a range of exciting group activities to help you recover from your addiction.

It is a chance to face and overcome challenges together and to learn and grow from the experience. It enables you to develop interpersonal skills, as you learn to work as a team and support each other.

Surrounded by the spectacular Rocky Mountains, Cirque Lodge offers unique and inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. You can go hiking and mountain biking, go fly-fishing, and ride in a helicopter at 10,000ft to remote parts of the mountains. You can grow in self-confidence as you try new things and develop skills, and find inspiration in watching others overcome any challenges they face.

Our state-of-the-art facilities also offer unique opportunities for indoor activities. The Studio contains a huge 17,000ft room that hosts a high ropes adventure course, low ropes team challenges, and an archery range.

The low ropes course consists of a series of challenges that require effective teamwork to overcome. It helps develop leadership skills, social skills and demonstrates the importance of asking for help.

Learning how to communicate honestly and build healthy, mutually supportive relationships is a fundamental part of recovery from addiction. We need strong support networks to help us through difficult times and help us maintain abstinence.

Professional therapists are present during all activities to help you fully benefit from the experience. They often end with a group discussion about healing, 12-step recovery concepts, and finding hope. This process allows you to reflect on and consolidate what you have learned together.

The 12-step program is a world-renowned program for lifelong recovery from addiction.

Developed by Alcoholics Anonymous almost 100 years ago, its efficacy in treating alcohol addiction is well established. At Cirque Lodge, the 12-steps underpin our entire rehab program.

The 12-steps are a set of principles that focus on personal development and the healing power of helping one another. It centers around three key ideas:

• Realizing that drug addiction is a chronic disease that you do not control
• Giving yourself over to a higher power and accepting the support and fellowship of other substance users
• Attending regular 12-step meetings to continue and consolidate support

Discussing your experiences of addiction as a group helps elucidate the shared experience of addiction as something that we do not control. Listening to other people with similar issues telling their stories of addiction helps you understand your own condition.

12-step meetings are not just an opportunity to benefit from others’ support. Offering your support to others is a powerful tool for recovery from addiction. It can provide you with a sense of meaning, self-worth, and pride that motivates you on your recovery journey. It helps you remain committed to and invested in the recovery process and overcome challenges that lie ahead.

Recovery is a lifelong process. Addiction is a chronic illness caused by changes in the brain that can be long-lasting or even permanent.

You may experience intense urges to use drugs in response to certain triggers or situations even after years of sobriety.

Long-term support is crucial in maintaining abstinence and living a life free of addiction. Regular attendance of 12-step and other support group meetings is the foundation of this. It helps you remain committed to recovery and is a source of help and guidance whenever you need it.

As part of our continuing care program, we connect you with 12-step and other support groups in your local area. 12-step programs are some of the most widely accessible mutual support networks worldwide. Alcoholics Anonymous is an international community of over two million people, with 1.4 million in the United States and Canada alone. You can join group meetings online if you are traveling or living in a remote area.

Our exceptional alumni program helps you stay in touch with and receive support from the Cirque Lodge community. We host a series of events, retreats, and reunions each year so you can maintain the supportive friendships and fellowships you form during rehabilitation. Our community can be an especially valuable support system that helps you remain motivated and committed in the years ahead.