Catholic Charities of Long Island observed National Recovery Month in September with a celebratory dinner at its Outpatient Clinic in Hampton Bays, based at St. Rosalie parish center. Staff members served 50 clients at a dining room set up to mark their accomplishments in recovery and to remember those who have passed away because of their addictions. Staff members spoke about the great progress clients have made, and several clients shared motivational speeches.

“They give hope to some of the newer clients that have just joined the program, to be able to say I was where you were, and now I am a year sober, or three months sober,” said Jennifer Perciavalle, director of Addiction Treatment Services for CCLI. 

Perciavalle explained that CCLI’s Outpatient Clinic for adults is one of the few treatment providers on Long Island’s East End. Forty percent of clients are Spanish-speaking, including some who are undocumented, so the bilingual services are highly sought after. 

Recovery Month was also the topic of the monthly alumni gathering at Talbot House in Bohemia, where those who have graduated and continuing their journey of recovery return to speak with current clients. Talbot House is named for Matt Talbot, a native of Ireland who struggled before pledging to give up alcohol. From that point on, he lived as a devout Catholic and is now the patron for those who struggle with alcohol and other addictions. 

Talbot House is one of only two stand-alone residential stabilization centers for adults on Long Island, and the only one in Suffolk County, that is not associated with hospitals or other long-term levels of care. The community-based center’s sole purpose, Perciavalle explained, is to stabilize clients’ withdrawal symptoms through medication-assisted treatment and counseling, and bridge them to the next level of care.

Talbot House doesn’t turn away clients, no matter how many times they return for help, or for an inability to pay. “We’ve had clients come back in the double-digit times,” Perciavalle said. “There might be other programs that say, ‘Maybe you should try another program.’ Talbot House never does that, they take them in no matter what.”

Both Talbot House and the Outpatient Clinic are licensed by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.

At Catholic Charities, our service ministries are inspired by the Gospel message that every human life is sacred. For more information, please contact Talbot House, at (631) 589-4144, and the Outpatient Clinic, at (631) 723-3362.