ABOUT

About the AZ House:

The AZ House provides treatment for men who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. After seeing what families and addicts go through just to cover costs of rehab, Eric Levitz realized that there must be another way to receive treatment without the financial destruction. The AZ House budgets their yearly expenses carefully, and raises the amount needed, to provide a treatment center that will help you for the sake of helping you. 

The AZ House is a loving environment with a carefully structured program that has been proven to work for drug addicts and alcoholics from many backgrounds. We have also dealt with some of most severe and difficult cases, of which many are living a happy and productive life today. If you are struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction, you have come to the right place. 

Length of Program: 

The program we offer is 8 months, with half being intensive inpatient, and the other half being an integration into real life, a job etc. 

Cost: 

We don't charge our residents or their families for treatment - we raise money to run our program so that you don't have to. 

Environment: 

The AZ House is located in Pisgat Zev, a rural neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem. We are located in a villa with a porch, garden and workout area. The backgrounds of our residents vary, but many come from the Jewish community in the United States. The environment is repsectful, peaceful and dedicated. A new resident will receive everything he needs from staff and from his fellow residents. 

Our Mission Statement:

There are many treatment centers who help people to overcome alcoholism and drug addiction - there is no monopoly in this industry, as the majority of success is dependent on the residents' commitment and willingness to change. 

AZ House is a Residential Therapeutic Community, offering residents the chance to live in a community, develop self-discipline and become respectful contributors to society, alongside freedom from active addiction. 

Our 12 step based curriculum offers residents the opportunity to disconnect and focus solely on their recovery. Our agenda is that the addict and his family need not experience financial destruction while simultaneously dealing with an addiction, and this is why every resident receives a full scholarship upon entry. 

To begin with, our residents receive room and board at our facility. Our serious yet encouraging program structure and schedule helps residents develop a strong foundation. We see that this opportunity to focus so intensely on their recovery serves them for the rest of their lives.The second stage of the program guides our residents to develop self-sufficiency and to seek employment. Once settled into a job, whilst also reliably maintaining their responsibilities and commitments to the House, residents begin the process of re-establishing themselves into society and become ready to plan the next steps of their new way of life. However, there is no rush to leave the House, and residents are encouraged to stay as long as they need. 

In addition to the staff providing hands-on guidance, the sober community is a huge part of ours, with volunteers who help in many ways, including a number of professionals who run some of our group therapy during our daily structure here at the House. 

As of yet, not many treatment centers provide programs which are sensitive to theJewish community. We offer our frum residents the opportunity to focus on their recovery, while having the freedom to continue living a frum, kosher and shomer shabbos life. On the other hand, we also do not demand any level of religious behavior - we have residents who are not as observant and our sole focus is on a resident's journey to recovery. 

All are welcome.

History: The AZ Backstory

AZ House is based on the successful addiction recovery model and philosophy introduced by Jack Mullhal in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1991.
Jack's driving force was the belief that a chance for sober living should be available to anyone determined to overcome their addiction, regardless of their ability to pay for the help they need. He first opened Freedom House, which has successfully supported addicts to achieve recovery for over 20 years; and several other houses followed thereafter.
Jack's dream was to create a therapeutic community environment, in which addicts and alcoholics could initially focus solely on their recovery, supported by peers and knowledgeable staff; then progress to develop the skills required to successfully live independently. Finding work and participating in household responsibilities were fundamental to the program he developed. Jack, who got sober himself through Alcoholics Anonymous, put the 12 steps at the center of his program, requiring residents not only to attend daily meetings, but also to get a sponsor and work the steps, whilst also attending facilitated groups.

AZ House was opened in 2016 after it was recognized that there was a lack of free residential recovery opportunities available in Israel. Named after Avroham Ze'ev Olive, a 23-year-old young man who sadly never achieved recovery, the AZ House aims to provide a much-needed service, which has been proven successful time and time again.

AZ Values

• Self-Discipline
• Community
• Gratitude
• Willingness

How It Works: The AZ System

Part 1 -Initial Stay
Opportunity to disconnect and focus only on recovery
Contact with outside world extremely limited
All outside activities monitored by staff
Restricted for first 2 weeks, need to be with one other resident or staff member at all times
Develop a foundation first and last time the resident will have the opportunity to focus only on recovery in this way
Time to devote solely to recovery
1-3 months group therapy and activities. Daily AA meetings are a requirement
Residents have to do shores and maintain campus
Learn to live in community, develop self-discipline
Become respectful contributors to society
Group facilitators run majority of groups
No cell phones
No cash if allowed, must provide receipts
residents do not hold onto their own medication

Not a police-type situation but must follow the rules

Part 2 - Looking for work
Time to move forward, they begin next step to become self-sufficient
Begin looking for job and maintain responsibilities and commitment to house
Staff available to help but don't do the work for resident
Help available to become citizen and obtain work permits etc
On days when not looking for work participate in groups and campus upkeep
Access to cell-phone for employment purposes only
Part 2 is considered a privilege, as it requires being invited to stay for the second part of the program
Go through the 12 Steps  no LFW until done with Steps

Part 3 -Three Quarters
Opportunity to re-establish themselves in community ns re-establish new way of life
Earned by being a good example in the house and deemed as a role model to new residents
Earned after they are able to pay 1^st month's rent
6-month commitment, but residents can stay as long as they want
More freedoms: cell phone, TV, laptop
Allowed on own without staff
Not required to go to therapy and group sessions, but encouraged to do so and also facilitate groups.
Encouraged to attend AA and keep contact with sponsor set themselves up to leave the house.
Create exit plan with staff
No rush to leave house, encouraged to stay as long as required to develop foundation