Towson, Maryland is an unincorporated community located in Baltimore County, Maryland. Located between 20 and 30 minutes from the City of Baltimore, Towson is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorporated country seat in the entire United States. It is the home of numerous businesses and commerce, colleges and universities, and community organizations. It is also the home of Maryland Addiction Recovery Center.
Like everywhere in America, the city of Towson and the entire area of Baltimore County have been impacted by addiction, substance use disorder, and the opioid crisis. The need to offer comprehensive substance use disorder and mental health treatment and support services for the local area was one of the reasons that MARC was initially placed in Towson, Maryland. However, another reason, was for the thriving opportunities located in Towson and other surrounding cities and towns within Baltimore County. As MARC was founded, growth and development occurred immediately towards the creation of what has become MARC’s signature treatment program: our long-term extended care Community Living Treatment (CLT) program. This program offers patients a long-term continuum of care, where they stay a minimum of three months (and many much longer, even up to a year’s time) while stepping down through a supportive continuum of care and reintegrating into living a daily life and becoming a productive member of society within a community. This program, and others like it, not only require the highest quality of clinical and medical care to work effectively, but also require the opportunities and support afforded by the surrounding community within which it exists. Towson, Maryland offered just such a community.
Towson and the surrounding areas within Baltimore County offer a thriving community perfect for an individual beginning recovery. Baltimore County is the home to a number of institutions of higher learning, including Towson University, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Goucher College, Stevenson University, and the Community College of Baltimore Country (CCBC), as well located very close to Baltimore-based schools Loyola University, Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and University of Maryland, College Park. The close proximity to colleges and universities offers excellent access for MARC patients in need of academic support working towards higher education initiatives while in the Caron’s College Success program at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center.
For patients that go into the comprehensive MARC Vocational Program, working towards finding employment or reentry into a career, Towson and the surrounding area has a wide array of jobs and employment opportunities to offer. For patients in need of a “recovery job”, there is a large number of retail establishments, restaurants, and entry level opportunities available. Baltimore County is also the home to a number of large employers, including organizations like T. Rowe Price, McCormick and Company, BD Life Sciences, Diagnostic Systems, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Stanley Black and Decker Global Tools and Storage, Lockheed Martin, Textron, Verizon, Coty, as well as many of the universities, hospitals, and health systems. There is also easily accessible public transportation available through bus lines operated by the Maryland Transit Authority (MTA), for patients that do not have their own transportation.
Once patients have transitioned to more freedom in the MARC continuum of care, they also have numerous options to purchase needed items at Towson Town Center, Towson Square, The Shops at Kenilworth, and Hunt Valley Towne Center. Being out on their own and reconstructing their lives in recovery, patients have access to anything they will need within a 10-to-15-minute commute. There are also numerous opportunities for activities and social engagement. Movie theaters, restaurants, arcades, mini golf, art expos, breakout experiential activities, comedy clubs, virtual reality activities, festivals, skate parks, and more are all located within the local area. Baltimore County is also home to many beautiful parks and recreational areas, such as Cromwell Valley Park, Lake Roland Park, Overlook Park, Meadowood Regional Park, the Baltimore County Agricultural Center and Farm Park, Baltimore County Sailing Center, Loch Raven Fishing Center, and Oregon Ridge Park and Nature Center.
One of the biggest areas that MARC patients are supported in getting involved in are volunteer opportunities. Recovery is about helping others and giving back, so MARC patients are encouraged to take part in giving back to the local community and taking part in volunteer efforts with many local organizations and initiatives. Just a small sample of some of the volunteer opportunities afforded MARC patients have been getting involved at The Helping Up Mission, the Maryland Food Bank, Project PLASE, and ShareBaby. In the past, patients have also volunteered at local animal shelters and taken part in fundraisers held by organizations supporting addiction and mental health.
Health and wellness, a major component of MARC’s treatment program, also is offered within Towson and the surrounding communities. This includes physical health, such as the numerous gyms and fitness centers located within the area as well as the many recreation centers and parks, but also mental health and spiritual health. Towson specifically and Baltimore County in general is the home to many excellent mental health and holistic practitioners, whether that is psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health therapists and counselors, or specialized practitioners to help a patient with any area of need. There is a host of holistic healing services, as well as wellness spas, yoga studios, and chiropractors, as well as the excellent medical specialists offered at local hospitals and healthcare systems such as Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland Medical, and Franklin Square, and Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC.) As far as spiritual health, there is no lack of community offerings and connection through religious organizations, churches, and synagogues.
Finally, Towson and the surrounding areas are the home of thriving recovery communities. Every day of the week there are hundreds of recovery meetings, including 12-Step fellowships like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), as well as other recovery-centered support groups like SMART Recovery meetings and Refuge Recovery. Because of the propensity of strong recovery communities within Baltimore County, there is no lack of recovery support through meetings, sponsorships, recovery activities, and recovery holiday events. Locally, there are also many recovery-related events and activities, like recovery softball and basketball leagues, recovery walks and 5K runs, and recovery picnics and cookouts. As patients receive treatment through the MARC continuum of care, they are also encouraged and supported to create a network of people in recovery, as they work on their own personal recovery outside of the treatment received at MARC. This includes recovery friends, sober supports, and sponsors.
All-in-all, Towson, Maryland, and the surrounding Baltimore County area is the perfect place for someone to either find recovery where they live, or to recreate their lives in recovery away from home. Whether it is education, employment, social, or spiritual need and fulfillment, the home of MARC in Towson offers everything a patient needs to be supported as they enter recovery and learn to reconstruct their life as a member of the recovery community and a productive member of society.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at info@marylandaddictionrecovery.com. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.
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