They just want the insurance money! Not really good for actual rehabilitation as they will just have you talk in group sessions until their time is up. read more

I can't post it all here so here's my blog: https://tooshallpass13.wordpress.com/2023/11/02/kolmac-rehab-facility-of-silver-spring/ Welp, even more news! I wasn't just ripped off ONE Benzo and one opioid. The accident I was in, in 2017, put me on the opioid Hydrocodone and what they called Diazepam (Valium). A neurologist had me on Amitriptyline. My new pain management had me on Tramadol. By August 2018, I had been ripped off 4 drugs abruptly and 5 were cold turkeyed for a total of 9 drugs I was off in just months. Withdrawals off psych drugs and then Hydrocodone and Diazepam (Valium) made me look insane I guess. No one said anything. I was full of rage all the time and they kept telling me it was "mental illness". You didn't recognize Akathisia (uh, I was pacing your halls, could not sit still) or admit that your Phenobarbital tapers are dangerous. You pumped me full of high doses of Phenobarb at like 7:30AM and had me wait it out. I NEVER felt better. Then within 8 weeks you thought you could just cut large amounts every week and I'd not have any withdrawals? Are you kidding me? That proper taper took almost a YEAR to come off. Your protocol is harming patients further. You put me on a drug I did not need telling me it would help. Help what exactly? And if that wasn't bad enough, it's addictive. In fact, weren't barbiturates used before Benzos? So I would love to know what you mean about barbiturates not working on the same receptor as Benzos. They both work on the GABA A receptor. They are similar and are both used for alcohol withdrawal. The following made my life a living hell in that place: Oscar who made jokes and didn't take my medical condition seriously, lady who took over as my counselor with red hair who scolded me for making a joke and my "outbursts" were "scaring" the other patients, the neurotic nurse Barbara everyone hates, Dr Negro, and the director of the program who scolded me and basically washed her hands of me. She was rude and ignorant. She told me to look on NAMI for groups for anxiety. Oh Lord. Really? You realize most of the donations NAMI receives is from pharmaceutical companies, right? There are no "groups" for "anxiety". I have done this ALL my life. What makes you think I'm going to get help on NAMI? You all NEVER listened and denied Benzo withdrawal was even a thing. Your rapid cessation of Phenobarb almost killed me! Tapering off over almost a year was cruel and barbaric. I had SO many issues getting care due to that prescription. I ended up in a hell hole psych ward in PG County because NO ONE took patients on Phenobarbital. The doctor handling my case in the hospital? She cut my dose in half without telling me. I was distraught and frantic! Then I had to do a new intake AGAIN where they called my therapist and told her how mentally ill I was and if she would see me. She said she couldn't handle someone with that amount of anxiety and she never spoke to me again. She did however wonder how I ended up in rehab with my medications cut off. She didn't understand why I was at Kolmac. She said these things to my Kolmac counselor. Because I was "no longer a threat to relapse" you all washed your hands of me. My mom came to that appointment, too. Everyone was out to lunch mentally. Just insane how no one put anything together and treatment was continued and I was LEFT on Phenobarbital. What if I had no doctor? After going through what I have, I no longer recommend detox to ANYONE, that includes alcoholics and addicts. I'm guessing you're not an actual addict or you don't remember detox. Yeah, try going at 16 YEARS STONE COLD SOBER! Your intake officer should have known better and believed me when I said I had been sober for over a decade and a half. Instead of helping, everything was made so much worse. And no one cares. That's the problem. I'll be dismissed as crazy or mentally ill by posting this. It's really sad. I've been suffering for over 5 years and they just keep screwing around with my meds. https://youtu.be/guLQqTGIWV8?si=Z-FLtFFZ84kSFxfm read more

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Received a call from a withdrawal nurse yesterday. Her unprofessionalism was absolutely appalling. It wasn't the fact that she advised me to detox. It was HOW she communicated it - "I dont care if you'll still be in chronic pain from your pre-existing condition. That's your problem to deal with, not ours." The attitude was, you must detox, or else.... A nurse with this attitude should enter a specialty that's money hungry, and shouldn't be in the "caretaking" business. read more

Good grief. The DC facility is a hovel. Located in a very nice office building, it's managed to make itself into a dark, unwelcoming. Soviet-era facility. The bright spot in reception was Brenda, but the young black guy was just crap and seemingly useless. I'd fire him as he seemed to add no value. Then the real issues began. When you are seeking help, you really don't need some bozo at reception opining on whether your health insurance covers testing. Apparently, Kolmac's terrible employee training has not conveyed this message to the receptionist that is not Brenda or useless black guy. She was okay sending us into a frenzy by telling us that only Dominion (not covered) was acceptable. Of course, given this was not her expertise, she was wrong. Can't wait for the next 8 weeks. read more

Didn't care for them, don't trust them. For a severe alcoholic, they recommended outpatient group therapry. Why? So the alcoholic can go back home and keep drinking?! STUPID and uneducated. C'mon read more

Kolmac is a rip-off and engages in deceptive business practices. The most egregious is that they will tell a prospective patient that they accept their insurance when, in fact, the do not. This happened to me and, after months of calling to see why my bills weren't going through my insurance, I was told that it was no longer being looked into. This has cost me thousands of dollars and I'm looking into legal action. There are other good recovery centers if you are in need. Avoid Kolmac at all costs. read more

This place didn't help whatsoever. This is just not the place for real addicts. They go to class during the day but then i found my child still drinking at night! Don't be fooled. There's no drug testing. read more

I have been clean and sober for 3 years with the help of Kolmac. My 3 year sobriety anniversary was April 17th of this year! Woot! I never thought I could get here, but here I am, and I did it with the very caring and compassionate help from the whole Kolmac team - especially two very special counselors at the Silver Spring location. Grace and Michelle were there for me every step of the way, and they continue to be to this day. I started with IOP (outpatient program), and that got me to basic sobriety, but that was just the beginning for me. I am now in CC (continuing care) which is a group therapy environment. I resisted the group environment as I was so isolated and disconnected from people, but group is exactly what I needed. My group has been so incredibly supportive and consistent - it has made all the difference in my life. It gave me an opportunity to come out of my isolation and truly connect with others who have the same problem as me - in a safe, supportive environment that focuses on learning about my disease, identifying needs and emotions, setting boundaries, and reframing negative self-image in the context of addiction. In addition to becoming sober and maintaining my sobriety, I have also experienced MAJOR breakthroughs in my understanding of self, my relationships and my family-of-origin issues. There is no way I could have done that without the supportive group environment and the consistent help and support from Michelle and Grace and the whole staff. I have been held accountable, but my personal limitations, fears and boundaries have been so respected along the way, and that has allowed me to open up and bloom as a person. I have watched many others in my group do the same. If you need help with addiction of any kind, then this is the place to go. Hands Down. There is a way out of the insanity of addiction, BUT, you must commit yourself and open yourself up to honesty, accountability, guidance and learning. They will hold you to it, and that is what I needed. I will be forever grateful to these wonderful, professional and caring women at Kolmac who have shown me unconditional support and compassion. It has made all the difference in my life. (Go TH61! ) read more

No compassion. Say they support Dual Disorders but they do not. Discriminate against people with psychiatric disorders and learning disabilities. I have depression, ADHD and Dyslexia. They looked down their noses at me. Made me feel terrible. I am going to the MAT clinic and getting psychotherapy and medication support elsewhere. I have even thought about filing a complaint with the state licensing and still may do so. I have been clean for over 6 months! It is not always easy but I am really trying. No thanks to them. Find a place that cares for you. There are many good providers our there. These people are not. read more

Professional, quick, understanding and they know what to do without complications. I am honored to partner with them.

After plenty of research, it's clear to me that Kolmac is hands-down the most effective, thorough, caring, and scientifically-based recovery center around. A lot of people have their ideas about addiction treatment. But I've found that one of things that is critical in searching for a thoroughly vetted addiction treatment program is Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation. Kolmac is CARF accredited and I personally would be skeptical about any provider who doesn't have it. I always highly recommend Kolmac to everyone who asks me about recovery and treatment options. read more

The Kolmac counselors are good at what they do and know what they're talking about.They challenge when they need to, and they're there for support when you need them. Do they test their patients' desire to recover? Yes, but in a way that helps the patient prepare for the harder tests of temptation, craving and addiction thinking. The center provides a mix of medical support, group therapy, and accountability through testing. With that combination and the good guidance of expert addictions counselors, an addict determined to live a life of recovery has a chance. Remove a component and recovery chances fall. Kolmac covers all the bases. There are more success stories there than you will ever hear about. To live in recovery is to live with humility, and humble people don't like to point to themselves as success stories. read more

This program is different from the usual "group" programs in that it is supported by a medical staff and run by clinicians and trained counselors. read more

Kolmac is the best clinic around. If you have a substance abuse problem, THE KOLMAC CLINIC WILL GET YOU BACK ON TRACK. I know this because they helped me, get my life back in order. read more

You will meet primarily with the "drug counselors";. Kolmac expects you to be open with them if you drink, but then they penalize you for being honest if you relapse. They want you to think that they care, but the trust they build is lost when they abandon you without warning. I wasted seven months and several thousand dollars only to be discharged when I relapsed for one afternoon. This is supposed to be a treatment facility where the staff supports and helps you change, not one that neglects you when you relapse. In my case, they just left a message on my answering machine saying go elsewhere- this was very unprofessional, and did not even follow Kolmac's own review process. I was very disappointed in the way I was treated. read more

I learned about personal accountability here while bristling about it the whole time. I thought I knew better. I bristled a little about what true accountability required once I got out of Kolmac too. One day, I stopped kicking against the concepts that Kolmac had put in place. Ideas useful for health and integrity. Kolmac provides a safe setting to explore these concepts but to an audience who may or may not be ready to consider them in good faith. I was angry there at times (mostly at myself), but from this distance, I'd have to say they likely saved my life. I never had any issue with staff there, they all seem dedicated and well-trained, but it is their job to redirect you..and some people resent that (like I did). I'm glad I got over that massive hump of denial and cockiness and got into Kolmac. I don't know where I would be if I hadn't gone. read more

I have been clean now for 1618 consecutive days. I completed my 8 weeks of intensive treatment and continued with months of weekly sessions in their continuing care program. My doctors, counselors and case manager helped me through every step of my early recovery. Kolmac gave me the tools I needed to stay clean and taught me how to use those tools. Everyone in my program was given the same tools and some of them chose not to use them. Unfortunately, a very real symptom of addiction is to not take responsibility and blame others. Reading some of these reviews makes me very sad. It's very painful seeing family members blame a recovery clinic for the one thing they can't give you. A person MUST posses the desire to get clean. If they don't, it will not work. I was given Suboxone just like many other opiate users and I had no issues mentally or physically when it was time to ween off like Kolmac instructed. If it wasn't for Kolmac, I would not be where I am today. I would more than likely be dead or in jail because that's the real fact of where addiction was ready to take me. Kolmac was recommended to me by a few people who work in the field of recovery (not one of them worked at Kolmac). I will forever be grateful to Kolmac for showing me the way. But I will also give myself credit because I listened and did what they suggested. I hope my very personal, first-hand experience helps you make a wise decision, whether it's for yourself or a family member. read more

I am very unhappy with this place. It's Bait and Switch. Every time they get an experienced counselor there, they boot them when they can get a lower cost "intern" trying to move up the line. It's such a game. Go someplace else where it's not such a money machine and where they really CARE about your recovery. Early recovery is FRAGILE. Most need a place where they can really see you through the first 3-6 months. This is not the place. Use it for what it is. A place to detox for a couple of days. read more

I have nothing but praise for the Kolmac Clinic. When I see negative reviews on here, it bothers me because I know how much the counselors at Kolmac care. Kolmac gives you all the tools needed to overcome addiction. In the end, it is the responsibility of the addict to overcome their addiction. If the individual fails, it is easy to blame the very institution that is trying to help you succeed. I have had 16 back and neck surgeries and was on painkillers for 10 years as prescribed. After those 10 years, I began to abuse painkillers by taking many more than were prescribed. I finally decided that I hated living in the fog that painkillers cause, and I decided to stop taking them. This was not something I could do on my own. I went to a 5 day inpatient detox center to get off of painkillers. When I left, they suggested that I go to Kolmac to continue dealing with the withdrawal symptoms. At Kolmac, I was met with a very caring, kind, and professional staff. In detox, I had been given Suboxone in order to get off of the painkillers. It is true that Suboxone is also very addictive, but it helped me not go through major withdrawal symptoms. Overcoming an addiction is a very difficult thing. That is why it is so hard to do by yourself. By coming to Kolmac, I not only had the staff's help, but also the help of my fellow addicts. It was a very supportive and understanding environment. Getting off of the Suboxone was a very difficult thing to do; however, with the help of Kolmac, it can be done. You just have to really want it and be serious about getting off of your drug of choice. I highly recommend Kolmac if you really want to get rid of your addiction. read more

I went to Kolmac in Silver Spring for treatment in 2005. I attended their intensive out patient group for eight weeks and then went to their continuing care program once a week for over a year. I strongly believe I would not be clean today if it wasn't for the support I received from their very knowledgeable staff. They gave me the tools I needed to get back on my feet, as I started going to 12 step meetings. They also have a free family group which was invaluable to my parents. This a family disease and many times that is not addressed. If you are seeking treatment on an outpatient basis, I highly recommend Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers. read more

Kolmac is an abomination in terms of being a "recovery program." Not only do they not have a clue as to how to properly interact with persons who are struggling with addiction, they set these individuals up for complete failure. They prescribe highly addictive medications to there clients without an obvious plan as to how to detox them from those medications. They tell you that Continued Care ("cc") is optional, however, if a client decides not to participate in "cc" for whatever reason, they leave him or her to fend for themselves while now addicted to the medications they prescribed to you. In other words they don't tell you this upon intake. You find out by what I like to call " medical hostage ." If you don't accept "cc," you're left not only at risk of relapse, you're now addicted to their prescribed medications, i.e. Suboxone among others! They should be investigated by the Health and Human Services office in their perspective areas. read more