During my time at Alsana Amare, the staff created a space of safety and solace. From the moment I walked in the door, I went from feeling overwhelmed and alone in my recovery to feeling the deep relief of being supported and cared for. The time I spent there was some of the most healing time of my life, and I will never forget the critical role it played in my recovery. The Alsana staff showed me so much compassion that it gave me permission to being showing myself compassion again too.

I felt more love and support here than I’ve ever felt in my life. This place has become a safe place for me where I feel loved and accepted and like I can be myself. The staff and clients accepted me and supported me for who I was in a nonjudgmental way.

I actually feel that I now have the tools and perhaps even the confidence to recover from my ED—for good this time! Thank you to Alsana for helping me get my life back on the right track again. I will remember this place forever.

Alsana saved and changed my life. It’s the most trauma informed ED center out there and has such incredible, informed clinicians (specifically at the Birmingham location I was at). In my experience, they embraced all genders, sexualities, bodies (HAES informed), etc. Even though I came in angry, confused, and stubborn, they stayed with me and let me heal at my own pace without forcing me to be at a place I simply wasn’t at the time. They gave me the space, with support, I needed to choose my own recovery; I’m now able to continue heading towards it on my own. I highly recommend Alsana to anyone struggling with an eating disorder who wants to receive compassionate, trauma-informed care.

Alsana was truly meaningful and deeply impactful experience. I am so grateful to the entire staff for their unwavering support and I will remember this place and them forever.

I have experienced nothing but great communication and encouragement from Alsana. The treatment center was willing to set up calls with one of my clients to answer questions, address concerns, and bring peace to a difficult situation. Going through the process of seeking out eating disorder treatment can be so confusing and overwhelming. The Alsana team does all they possibly can in order to reduce fears and help clients feel comfortable.

Alsana has been an exceptional program for me and many others, and the staff was phenomenal support. I got the help I needed in a kind and compassionate manner. I have gained so much knowledge and insight into the things I struggle with, and have been able to put those to work in my daily life in recovery!

To anyone out there struggling with an eating disorder I would say you are worth recovery. Stop comparing yourself to the internet versions of “eating disorders” and questioning if you are “sick enough.” There’s so much more to life than your eating disorder. You deserve joy, freedom, hope, and happiness. You deserve a life that’s not ruled by fear or anxiety. It’s ok to be scared; you just have to trust that recovery is possible and that you’re worthy of all the help you need to achieve lasting recovery.

I recommend Alsana to everyone who needs a place to heal because if they can change MY life (I am a hard nut to crack) I know they can help others. I think the most common misconception about eating disorders is that you can “just eat” and you’ll be fine. That is completely inaccurate. Another one is “only skinny people can have eating disorders,” when in fact most people with eating disorders are at or above “normal” weight. There are so many things people get wrong about eating disorders, and I’m glad I’m now able to help raise awareness.

There were times I wanted so badly to quit but I will never forget the people who helped me help myself, the staff that walked alongside me when things were hard. They saved my life, and I’m still in touch with many of them. I’m also still in touch with a friend I met in treatment and we support one another in recovery.

I have always held onto something my Dietitian said to me at the time that got me through recovery – “you can feel your feelings but you still need to eat.” I really liked it when I got to work with the chef to prepare meals for the house. It helped me get over my fear of cooking and being in the kitchen.

Alsana Westlake was extremely different from anywhere else I had been. I was treated like a human being – not a patient. They saw me as a whole person who was trying – just like everyone else – to get through life.