This past year, Next Step Recovery earned formal accreditation from the Joint Commission, making the Asheville-based program one of the few in the country to earn the gold seal of approval for its intensive outpatient programming (IOP).

According to the most recently published National Survey of Substance Use Treatment Services, only 23 percent of drug and alcohol treatment programs have received accreditation through the Joint Commission, which requires a rigorous on-site evaluation to verify compliance with its stringent quality standards and a commitment to continuous quality improvement.

“This accreditation helps assure our clients and their families that Next Step Recovery meets and exceeds our industry’s standards for best practices,” shared Executive Director Susan Stader, MS, LCMHC, LCAS, CCS. “From day one, we’ve focused on providing high quality, evidence-based programs that help men build successful substance-free lives. Accreditation is just one more way we demonstrate our ongoing commitment to recovery.”

Over the past 15 years, Next Step Recovery has helped thousands of men from across the country to develop a strong foundation through its highly structured addiction recovery programs. Individualized services include an intensive outpatient program and an extended care program with supervised sober housing, 24/7 peer support, relapse prevention education, counseling, individual case management, 12-step support, life skills training, wilderness adventure therapy, and career and transportation assistance. The program even offers ongoing recovery support for alumni and families.

“Next Step Recovery has been a blessing for our son and our entire family. The living arrangements, the way the program is run, the requirements and accountability, the great staff, the attention given to the men – it all works,” shared the parent of a program participant.

About Next Step Recovery, Inc. and NSR of Asheville:

Next Step Recovery is located in Asheville, North Carolina, and offers a fee-based intensive outpatient program (IOP) for young men in early recovery. Supported sober living housing is available through its affiliated nonprofit. Next Step Recovery’s IOP is built on a 12-step recovery framework and provides relapse prevention education, trauma resiliency training, mindfulness and self-regulation tools, stress management techniques, and dialectical behavioral therapy. The sober living program includes three updated and fully furnished homes located in Asheville. Residents are supported by onsite house managers, 12-step meetings, case managers, individual and group counseling, wilderness therapy, and transportation assistance for work, school, and shopping. Next Step Recovery is led by a team of addictions professionals who are certified by the NC Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board, National Board for Certified Counselors, and LegitScript.