It sits on a tranquil road. It’s peaceful and hard not to take in nature’s beauty while there and for a second, visitors might not even realize they're standing on the property of a rehab center.
“It’s a very nice place but it’s also about the help that we provide here,” Brad Masters said.
The setting is helpful for those in recovery. Brad Masters would know, he’s the Director of Outreach at Serenity Acres Treatment Center in Crownsville.
But that’s not the only role he’s had. Brad was once on the other side of the table.
“I looked at myself in the mirror and I was lost, gone, disconnected," he said. “It’s like your dirty little secret. You protect it."
OxyContin became his drug of choice. At his peak, Brad was using every day.
“When you become addicted especially to a substance like OxyContin or heroin, your whole life pretty much revolves around not getting sick. The withdrawal is horrible," Masters said.
Addiction ran in Brad’s family. His father, a successful entrepreneur, was an alcoholic who never got help.
When Brad was 26, his father committed suicide.
“He had a disease and unfortunately he never got well," Masters said.
But tragedy didn’t end there for Masters and his family. Seven years later, his brother who also struggled with addiction would die by suicide as well.
By the age of 30, Masters was ready to get clean. With the help of his mother, who did her research, Masters spent 60 days at Serenity Acres. The center specializes in dual diagnosis and holistic therapies.
What makes Serenity Acres unique is the amount of one on one time.
“You actually get two therapists. You get a primary and a mental health and you get a minimum an hour a day, five days a week” Masters said.
The facility continues to grow. Today, there are 55 beds. Seventy percent of those are now filled by individuals with an opioid addiction.
“It used to be where alcohol was the number thing that we would see here. Now by far opiates. This isn’t just about junkies who are on the street. This is about doctors, lawyers, politicians,” Masters said. “It’s about finding yourself all over again. I can’t begin to describe how lost you get through the process. The process of addiction. And then how powerful and great of a feeling it is to find yourself again.”
Since opening in 2011, Serenity Acres has treated more than 1500 clients.
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