Lou helped my wife and me through some very dark hours with our son, Matt.
He lifted our burden, and gave Matt the personal as well as the professional care he needed.
Living with Lou, his wife Heather and their daughter, Matt became part of their family.
It was rehab with humanity, not merely an institutionalized experience.
Beyond the rehab, I've been grateful for Lou's continuing care in Matt's case.
He's been helpful and responsive as Matt tries to make a new life for himself with his family.
We know Lou is still there if/when we might need him.
So, thank you, Lou.
Doug and Nancy, parents,
Breezy Point, NY
When I first entered rehab I felt lost and afraid, even more so than when I decided to go into detox in a hospital. Deciding to want to get clean is one thing; deciding to do something about it brings a whole new level of fear, which Lou took care of.
Thank goodness for Lou. Lou welcomed me and took me in as my sobriety coach and eventually became a dear friend. He provided me with the tools and essentials I needed to understand my disease and to start my road to recovery. We would attend two meetings a day where I got to meet people who dealt with the same disease I have. I was still kind of detoxing from a prescription med and still in a lot of pain. The groups were patient, kind, and encouraging. Lou and his wife Heather successfully made me feel comfortable enough to feel their place was a home away from home. I missed my wife and child terribly but at the same time felt cared for and felt safe.
Lou and Heather can show you there is a whole new, wonderful, happy life that we can live sober, which honestly I'd thought was an impossibility. Heather, who also has experience with recovery, is a chiropractor, and was very helpful. She studies natural medicine and knows which vitamins and herbal supplements are naturally best for a patient.
Even though I've completed my time there in rehab, Lou contacts me regularly. I respect him enough to ask about life-changing decisions, and that's what he and Heather did: change my life. Lou is not only my mentor, but a dear friend.
Matt,
Brooklyn, NY
Lou is a beautiful spirit. He is extremely knowledgeable about the Recovery Program. He is calm, in touch with his higher self, and dedicated to helping people with their recovery. He provides an intensive 1-on-1 treatment which I desperately needed to aid my own recovery. He speaks directly and is really good at putting everything into perspective. Through Lou I learned what it means to live a “normal” healthy lifestyle. Through Lou’s family I got to witness and experience what a normal healthy relationship and family looks like. Lou walks-the-walk and practices what he preaches.
During my stay with Lou I had access to a gym to exercise, a nutritionist, a chiropractor, a therapist and spiritual counseling. Every day I had the opportunity to walk in the beautiful countryside that includes an acre pond, goats, ducks, and chickens.
The knowledge I gained from spending 6 weeks with Lou have propelled me into a higher self-awareness. I now have a better understanding of how recovery works and what I need to practice daily to maintain my healthy lifestyle. Thanks to Lou I am now living a better, healthier, and Sober abundant lifestyle.
Boris,
Los Angeles, CA.
Being from the city, I wasn't sure what to expect coming up here. I spent 40 days, and words cannot describe my experience here at Green Acres. I was blown away by the beautiful landscape that surrounds the property. They have a barn with chickens, goats, and a huge pond to swim and fish in. While I was there, I was witness to life being born from one of the 2 goats that where pregnant. To witness new life was nothing short of beauty, grace, and a spiritual experience as well. It had a profound effect on my own life. I have been in numerous rehabs in my life, and have had some periods of sobriety. Grateful for every one of my stays in those rehabs, I realize that I not only have a drug and alcohol problem, but I have a living problem. I don't know how to live outside of a rehab setting and they don't teach you that stuff. So I had enough of going to groups and wanted something different. I found that at Green Acres. Spending time with Louie, his family, and friends, I was able experience my feelings out in the world and had Louie there to walk me through it all by sharing his experience with me as it was happening. This one on one interaction was better than any group could ever do for me.
Brian,
Los Angeles, Ca.
.
As I sit here trying to put into words my experience at Green Acres I’m getting choked up. It’s hard to relive to days..weeks...years leading up to my stay. By the time I arrived at Green Acres it was live or die, I was fully consumed by alcohol addiction physically and emotionally. I knew I wanted to live, but I didn’t know how anymore.
When I arrived I was immediately made to feel like part of an amazing family, when I left I felt like I was leaving truly as a member of their family. First week was very rough, detoxing is not something I ever want to experience again but I was well taken care of by Louie and Heather. I felt safe with their knowledge that I would get through it and I did.
Green Acres is beautiful, peaceful and serene. The perfect place to recover and learn to begin a new way of living. Louis and Heather have both been through this process so they knew what I was going through. Louis coached me daily on the steps of recovery and I’m not easy to coach. He has the most amazing ability to be patient, understanding and kind. I don’t think I would be in the same place today without the personalized care I received.
While I was there I bonded with ALL of the animals on the property. I spent hours daily with the the goats and chickens, Dixie the dog and Max the cat.. I even made friends with an Alpaca. Soon I started laughing again. I had to stop and think about the last time I had truly laughed. It was a great accomplishment.
I had daily workouts in the gym and outdoor hikes in the area and Lake Tahoe, very healthy organic food, regular appointments with addiction counselors, daily meetings, weekly massages, chiropractic and nutritional care. I could go on and on about small details that went into the experience that I had but it would take me 30 days to write it because every day was unique and personalized. Slowly my confidence started coming back, I started looking in the mirror again.
I’m just over 90 days sober at this time thanks to to the care I received. It’s not easy. The most important thing I learned was I really only have to not drink today, It’s easy that way. Just today.
When I arrived all I wanted was for the month to go by as fast and possible and be done, Louis told me every day this was the tiniest sliver of my life and he was right. I don’t remember a lot of the time leading up to the day I showed up but I DO remember every moment of that tiny sliver of time that saved my life. Heather Louis and Gaby are an amazing family who know how to live right, work hard and because of them I have a clear vision of the path I want to walk down. I’m so thankful.
Lisa R.
Menlo Park, Ca.
Some recent visitors at the Ranch..........