Avalon Wellness & Recovery

09/22/2025

Big thank you to Lawrence Journal-World for sharing our story! We’re grateful for the opportunity to highlight the work our team does and the impact we’re making together.

It took a few years for David Hawley’s vision of an alcohol and drug treatment center in Lawrence to open, but only a few months for it to receive a big sign that it’s doing something right. Hawley, the owner of Papa Keno’s pizzeria and someone who has been in recovery for 20 years, and […]

09/19/2025

🏈❤️ Red Friday at Avalon! ❤️🏈

This is just a small part of our amazing team showing off their Chiefs pride. We did find one brave Raiders fan among us… but don’t worry, we covered them up with plenty of red and gold. 😉

All in good fun, and all about team spirit. Therapy is available if that lone Raiders fan needs it. 😂

GO CHIEFS!!! 🔴🟡

09/09/2025

Opioid use disorder doesn’t always look obvious.

Many people show up to work, take care of their families, and silently struggle. But if you’re noticing increased tolerance, emotional volatility, or failed attempts to quit—it may be time to talk about buprenorphine.

This medication isn’t a crutch. It’s a bridge to stability.

🧠 Help clients and loved ones recognize when buprenorphine may be the right next step:
👉 Read the full blog post

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid use, recognizing the signs of dependence can be the first step toward healing. Buprenorphine treatment offers a safe, evidence-based path to recovery—reducing cravings, easing withdrawal, and restoring stability without the high. This post explo...

09/04/2025

The river is full. Our systems are overwhelmed.

It’s time for leadership that serves before the crisis. That builds trust, strengthens systems, and protects the people we may never meet.

This piece from Avalon’s Executive Director, Kenneth Vick, is a call to every behavioral health leader: Lead upstream. Serve beyond your walls.

🌍 Read, reflect, and share if you’re called to lead differently:
👉 Read the full blog post

Leadership isn’t about titles — it’s about impact. Servant leadership taught me to serve first, but over time, I’ve learned to look upstream. At Avalon, we focus on preventing crisis, not just responding to it. Real leadership ripples outward — strengthening people, systems, and communitie...

09/03/2025

Structure. Safety. Belonging.

Avalon’s residential program blends trauma-informed therapy with daily wellness rituals (sauna, cold plunge, steam), chef-prepared meals, and community-centered living. It’s a whole-person model of care built around dignity and regulation.

If you refer clients to treatment, here’s what makes Avalon a different kind of healing space.

🧠 Learn more about the day-to-day experience:
👉 Read the full blog post

At Avalon, healing isn’t just about what you talk through — it’s about what you feel in your body. Our daily wellness ritual blends sauna, cold plunge, and steam therapy to help calm the nervous system, release tension, and restore a sense of inner balance. It’s not just care — it’s comf...

09/02/2025

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is reshaping how we understand addiction—not as a defect, but as a system in distress.

At Avalon, we use IFS-informed care to help clients move from internal conflict to internal leadership. The parts driving addiction aren’t punished or silenced—they’re heard, understood, and supported in stepping out of extreme roles.

If you refer clients navigating trauma or addiction, this is a must-read:

Our minds are not broken—they’re beautifully complex. Each swirling thought, each inner voice, each buried emotion may be a part of us trying to protect, soothe, or survive. This image captures the essence of Internal Family Systems therapy: a compassionate journey inward, where even our most pa...

08/29/2025

Earlier this week, we shared the news that Avalon Wellness & Recovery is now officially accredited by The Joint Commission — one of the most trusted names in health care quality and safety.

But what does that actually mean for the people we serve?

It means:
✅ Our care practices meet nationally recognized standards for behavioral health.
✅ Our staff are trained, supported, and aligned in delivering safe, consistent, trauma-informed treatment.
✅ Our operational systems — from medication management to discharge planning — are built to protect, empower, and heal.
✅ We don’t just meet minimums. We pursue excellence.

The process to earn this accreditation is no small task. It involves hundreds of checkpoints, dozens of policies, and a full-scale, in-person survey.
Avalon completed the entire process — from preparation through corrections and final approval — in just 94 days.

As our Executive Director, Kenneth A. Vick, shared:

“This isn’t a ‘me’ accomplishment. It’s a ‘we’ accomplishment. We did it together, without ever losing focus on the people we serve.”

We’re proud to share this milestone — not just as a badge, but as a promise:
That Avalon will continue to grow, evolve, and deliver the highest quality of care for every person who walks through our doors.

08/28/2025

In too many treatment programs, lived experience is treated like an extra.

At Avalon, we see it differently.

Addiction treatment with lived experience isn’t a bonus—it’s the foundation of trust.

Our staff doesn’t just understand addiction. They’ve survived it.

That’s why our clients feel seen. That’s why they open up. That’s why our care works.

Recovery isn’t just a clinical process. It’s a human one.

👉 Read more about how we do things differently:

At Avalon Wellness & Recovery, lived experience isn’t an add-on—it’s the foundation of how we help people heal. Our Kansas-based team combines clinical expertise with firsthand insight into addiction and recovery, providing care that’s compassionate, personal, and effective. Learn why our ap...

08/27/2025

Why Joy Feels So Far Away in Early Recovery (and Why That’s Normal)

You’re showing up. You’re sober. You’re doing everything “right.”
So why doesn’t it feel better yet?

For many people in early recovery, the emotional fog can be just as hard as detox. Things that used to bring joy—music, food, laughter, connection—feel distant. Muted. Flat.

This isn’t a sign of failure. It’s a sign your brain is healing.

What you’re feeling may be the result of dopamine depletion—a common but overlooked part of the recovery process.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for motivation, pleasure, and drive. It’s what helps you care. But after prolonged substance use, the brain’s dopamine system gets thrown completely out of balance.

Once you stop using, it takes time for your brain to start making and responding to dopamine again.
That’s why early recovery can feel like a chemical drought: low energy, numbness, brain fog, a sense of “why bother?”

At Avalon, we take this seriously. Our approach to recovery is neuro-informed and body-centered, meaning we actively support the return of healthy dopamine function through:

✅ Movement & cold therapy
✅ Nutrition tailored for brain repair
✅ Evidence-based therapy to rewire reward pathways
✅ Real human connection—because community is medicine

If you or someone you love is in this flat, foggy place—know this:
It won’t last. Your brain can heal. And that healing is already underway.

Read our new blog: The Role of Dopamine in Recovery—and How Avalon Supports Its Return - https://hubs.la/Q03yhdFq0

Early recovery can feel surprisingly flat. Even as you stay sober and follow the plan, joy, motivation, and energy may feel out of reach. That emotional numbness isn’t failure—it’s chemistry. This post explores the science of dopamine depletion, why it happens after substance use, and how Aval...

08/26/2025

If someone you love is struggling with opioid use, it’s hard to know how—or when—to step in.

Buprenorphine is a life-saving treatment that helps ease withdrawal, stabilize brain chemistry, and support recovery. But sometimes, the first step is simply saying:

“There’s a medication that could help. Want to learn about it together?”

💬 Learn how to spot the signs of opioid dependence and introduce options with compassion:
👉 Read the full blog post

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid use, recognizing the signs of dependence can be the first step toward healing. Buprenorphine treatment offers a safe, evidence-based path to recovery—reducing cravings, easing withdrawal, and restoring stability without the high. This post explo...

08/25/2025

We did it — and we did it together.

Avalon Wellness & Recovery has officially earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Behavioral Health Care Accreditation.

It’s a nationally recognized mark of quality and safety in behavioral health — and a testament to our team’s commitment to trauma-informed, client-centered care.

We’re proud. We’re grateful. And we’re just getting started.

💛

08/25/2025

Buprenorphine vs Methadone vs Naltrexone: A Clearer Path to Recovery

When it comes to treating opioid use disorder, choosing the right medication can be life-changing—but also confusing. Even highly motivated individuals can struggle to make sense of terms like “partial agonist,” “detox window,” or “ceiling effect.”

That’s why our team at Avalon created a plain-language guide comparing the three FDA-approved options for Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT):

🔹 Buprenorphine – Lower misuse risk, often prescribed in outpatient settings
🔹 Methadone – Strong relief for severe dependence, but highly regulated
🔹 Naltrexone – Zero misuse potential, but requires full detox beforehand

The goal isn’t to find the “best” medication overall—it’s to find the right fit for you (or your client, or your loved one). Factors like withdrawal risk, relapse history, daily structure, and access to care all matter.

At Avalon, we approach MAT with nuance, clinical expertise, and deep respect for the individual’s story. We integrate medication when appropriate—but never as the whole solution. Therapy, community, and wellness practices complete the picture.

Read our full breakdown here: https://hubs.la/Q03yjCPJ0

Trying to decide between buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone for opioid use disorder? This guide breaks down how each medication works, who it’s best for, and what to expect—so you can make informed, confident choices about your recovery path.