I started listening to this podcast because of the story from season 3. I was living in a nearby area in Mexico at the time and wanted to follow up on what had been discovered about the 43 missing students since then. What I came across was this beautiful work of investigation and storytelling by a team that has real heart. They dove deep and shared the perspectives of their surviving family members. It’s heartbreaking, but thorough and respectful. These stories needed to be told and now they need to be listened to. I’m sharing with everyone I can and you should too.

Unbelievable storytelling and reporting. Could not stop listening! I felt educated and enlightened listening to all three seasons. Can’t wait for the next season to begin! Thank you Reveal!

Excellent investigative reporting alongside exploration of the past that shapes our present. Grateful to Reveal for telling Billie Joe’s story. Holding hope that this helps reopen his case.

Just finished all seven episodes of the Mississippi Goddamn series and the story was so good that I was talking to myself while listening. I experienced a range of emotions and I could feel the hurt and pain of the family throughout the series. May they one day get the answers they deserve.

I have only listened to the first episode of Mississippi g-dammed, and so far I love it! I love how this host is keeping it real and honest and deeply personal. As a black person born and raised in the south, this too for me is personal. I can’t wait to continue listening and find out what they uncovered and I am praying that justice was served for this young man and his family. May Almighty God bless and keep you all. Keep up the good work.

Great podcast, love reveal!! Will keep listening to them! Great reporting, super interesting, cant get enough!

Shoot, the place I was in, called integrity House, in Seacaucus, NJ, 2006-07,Was equally as bad, if not worse. I was there for an entire year, before I finally escaped by jumping out the window and running. One time I got in trouble for cutting my hair without permission (we had to have permanent slips signed by our counselors) and I had to stand in a corner for 14 days straight, from 4:45 in the morning, until 10 PM at night, only bathroom breaks allowed. Anytime that I was out of a corner I would have to ask my “contract Mom” (another member of the rehab who had to watch over me and tell me what I could and couldn’t do) if I was allowed to walk through doorways, drink water, sit down, stand up, eat food, speak, etc. this was not an unusual occurrence for members of the rehab center. We were put on some thing called a “contract” for an indeterminate period of time. The contract started by having the person who got in trouble stand outside of a doorway, and then walk into the room when the entire rehab was circled up. The person on contract would have to stand in the middle of the room with her arms down, and then anytime somebody yelled at them, (which was done by between 30-50 men/women for anywhere up to two hours or so) the person would have to be silent and not have any facial expression while that other rehab member screamed and yelled and bullied them. This was called “breaking you down until you could build back up.” The rehab members would have to dig their own grave in the backyard of the rehab center with a tablespoon and then lay in the grave. They would have to “sweep the sun off the sidewalks” or “dry the vans in the rain.” Which basically means doing something pointless for hours and hours at a time so you could think about why you were in trouble in the first place. I’m not positive of the outcome of a certain complaint but I know that at some point in the mid 2000s that rehab got in trouble for cruel and unusual punishment by the drug court program in New Jersey and had to stop performing certain acts on members of the rehab who were in drug court. I can tell you after nine months of that place I had severe PTSD and had to go jump out of a second-story window to escape. After all these years I still remember everything that I was put through there. A person who is an addict should not be put through that type of torture. There were periods when a person left toilet paper on the ground in the women’s bathroom and the counselors would have all 40 to 50 women stand up inside of a two stall public bathroom information for give or take an hour at a time, even in the summer, with no air-conditioning. We would have to stand in formation in the morning and then at night after medication also. I was given medication that sometimes drops my blood pressure and so anywhere between two and three times during the week I would faint. The first time they brought me to the hospital, but after that when I fainted they would just drag me to the side of the room and put me on the couch. Yet every night they would still make me stand in formation before I got my medication, and if I didn’t, I would be put on that contract again, which I feared. When I was there, one of the girls in my rehab group left of the program with an older counselor because they had formed a relationship while they were there. They moved in together and about six months later he shot her in the face and killed her. Her name was Jen J. and his name was Mark. These are the type of things that happened at integrity house. Somebody should absolutely look into this program for sure and I’d be willing to give more information if needed.

What an interesting narrative from the seventies to now. A lot to mull over.

I was not expecting it to go the places it went. This podcast was a gem.

This was such an interesting podcast about a world I (and I’m sure many of us) had no idea was going on all around us. Thank you for taking the time to do the nitty gritty reporting. Wish we could have heard more from the people running the machine but as usual they refuse to talk. Great work Reveal Team

As a former addict who only recovered by rejecting the shady rehab route I am glad that this one clarifies what DOES work in recovery. Also -excellent journalism.

This podcast was amazing!! Great work. This was very eye opening, I had absolutely no idea this kind of stuff went on at Rehabs. I binged this entire series, thank you!!

I can’t recommend this highly enough. What an amazing series. This is why good investigative journalism takes so much time and so much effort.

Every fact is backed up with so many interviews, testimonials, and research.

Wow, just wow

Best reporting in podcasts.

This podcast takes you down a rabbit hole you didn’t know existed! I listened to it all in a few days

This is a fascinating podcast. If someone you know has struggled with addiction, this is essential listening

The reporting that this crew does is so underrated. I can’t wait to see more from reveal !

Al Letson is a genius. Addiction treatment has been such a struggle for this country. The history, cast of characters and personal stories in American Rehab are fascinating and I can’t stop listening!

Great content! I attended one of these therapeutic communities in the mountains of NC. I have been a sober helpful member of society for many years but do not credit that place for my success. Eye-opening podcast....

The show sheds light on hidden worlds of inhumane exploitation passing for legitimate, effective substance abuse recovery programs. The poignant stories which the interviewers capture put the listener into the shoes and perspectives of people whose stories have been ignored until now. Binge-worthy listening.