Proven personal regenerators drawing on experience for new vision of addiction treatment in Little Falls

A trifecta of care is easing those damaged towards the best versions of themselves.

Addiction is a private battle that rages in homes across all socio-economic spheres. Bringing the addict back from the brink of destruction requires having peered over that precipice only to return with a flame that offers light to others. Recovered addicts Marius Swart and Cheryl Muller have joined a long-standing community anchor to offer sanctuary to the seekers and redemption for the deserving.

Marius has 20 years’ worth of experience at Johannesburg’s best recovery facilities. He began by volunteering a listening ear before qualifying as a counsellor, opening his own halfway house and leading recovery programmes at prominent facilities. Cheryl draws on a youth marred by substance abuse and by dissecting the underlying factors she has developed a programme that addresses the correlations between overlapping and cyclical addictions.

Offering an idyllic setting to rediscover purpose is the third leg of the steady journey. Hennie Schreuder may not have first-hand experience with addiction but has a record of bringing the best out in those around him. After decades of driving community initiatives in Little Falls and Strubens Valley, he has converted his guest house into a newly opened haven, Eagles View Wellness Centre.

Treating addiction is an investment in any community so along with primary, secondary and tertiary care at the wellness centre, volunteer programmes that promote skills development have been established. Here recoverees learn skills through outside organisations that will help them become employable. The recovery specialists are well aware that the family environment is a large contributor to addiction so they have devised a monthly family workshop to assist those closest to those fighting the medically recognised disease of addiction.

Through Eagles View, Marius and Cheryl will adopt a progressive approach to recovery.

“Addiction treatment has evolved since the early days. Some addicts and alcoholics have completed the 12 steps numerous times and still struggle to stay in recovery. With this in mind and the fact that substance use disorders impact all facets of life, we aim to design a treatment plan unique to each individual,” said Marius, stressing the need to address self-esteem, consumption and personal relationships.

The environment of addiction extends far beyond immediate circles but with Marius and Cheryl’s guidance and the dedicated involvement of a variety of supporting professionals, inner transformation is possible. Hennie’s vision is to make Eagles View a flagship of treatment and inspired by the fabled regenerative qualities of the great bird, they have a perch from which to soar.