New Direction's Journey


New housing for those trying to maintain sobriety to be built in McHenry County

A new housing project is in the works for McHenry County that aims to offer affordable living to those struggling with addiction who are trying to stay sober after leaving treatment...read more
- Northwest Herald

McHenry County saw increase in suspected overdose deaths, leading to warnings about fentanyl

McHenry County saw a slight increase in deaths suspected to be related to opioid overdoses during the month of January, according to an alert this week from the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition...read more
- Northwest Herald

Pretty Large Community of Addiction

Less than a half hour after the conclusion of the Jan. 7 ribbon cutting ceremony to
formally open the New Directions Retreat in Woodstock, director of operations Chris
Larsen picked up the phone in his office.

After listening to the caller, Larsen delivered the bad news: “Iʼm sorry. I donʼt have a
bed for you right now.”...read more

- Woodstock Independent

New Directions Retreat Opens With New Approach To Recovery

Construction wrapped up in one of the bathrooms at the New Directions Retreat in Woodstock only minutes before the first guests were due to arrive at noon Jan. 7 for the ribbon-cutting at the group recovery home. Caseworker Dave Ensor grabbed a mop to wipe down the bathroom floor so it would be ready for tours...read more
- Woodstock Independent

New Directions to open sober living retreat in Woodstock, waiting list already more than 70 long

New Directions Addiction Recovery Services is preparing to open a sober living retreat, which will serve as a transition point for those reacclimating to daily, sober life. Located in Woodstock at the former McHenry County PADS Homeless Services building, 14411 Kishwaukee Valley Road, the 35-bed retreat will begin its services about a week from Thursday’s ceremonial ribbon-cutting, New Directions President Chris Reed said. Already, the retreat has garnered a more than 70-person waitlist, he said...read more
- Shaw Media

A new 35-bed, long term recovery retreat opening early next year in Woodstock

A 35-bed sober living retreat is coming to Woodstock early next year, yet another McHenry County location where those in recovery can get the help they need to live life sober.

The New Directions Retreat is a project spearheaded by Chris Reed, 29, who since 2013 has founded several Crystal Lake projects supporting sober, healthy lifestyles. He opened The Other Side, a sober bar, and...read more

- Shaw Media

Crystal Lake sober bar, support system key around New Year's for those recovering during holidays

New Year's, and the weekend after, can be seen for many people as a time to celebrate by drinking. While this can be hard for people recovering from addiction, there are ways to combat this.

Chris Reed, president of New Directions Addiction Recovery Services and The Other Side Sober Bar, said they do tend to see more people during and after the holidays...read more

- Shaw Media

New Directions Addiction Recovery Services looks to open 2nd sober-living home

New Directions Addiction Recovery Services is working to create more sober-living beds – something president Chris Reed said McHenry County greatly lacks.

A five-person women’s recovery home is opening Dec. 15 at 171 Lincoln Parkway, Crystal Lake, and the organization recently was given a grant to help fund another sober-living home...read more

- Shaw Media

Sober Bar In Illinois Provides a Sanctuary for Recovering Addicts

The Other Side provides a safe space for sober people to socialize over non-alcohol beverages and activities like darts, pool, and ping pong.

One of the challenges of sobriety can be figuring out what to do for fun. Bars, where booze is flowing and drunk people have rambling stories to share...read more

- The Fix

From sober bars to clean spring breaks, helping young adults move beyond addiction

You get invited to grab drinks on a first date. Your friend's birthday party is at a bar. Booze is flowing at places like ballparks and summer festivals where you like to hang out with your friends.

Alcohol can be a big part of the social life of a 20-something in Chicago. But what if you're in recovery?...read more

- Chicago Tribune

The Other Side is a brand new alcohol free bar and music venue

Not a lot of notable shit has come out of my hometown of Crystal Lake. I can probably list all of it on one hand, actually: 90s pop-punk band Smoking Popes are from there; I had chemistry class with Scott Olsen, an MLB pitcher who's racked up a number of suspensions and a DUI. A girl who graduated from my high school went on...read more
- Chicago Reader

From sober bars to clean spring breaks, helping young adults move beyond addiction

A suburban Chicago man is opening a bar that will be unlike any other in the Midwest — not because of a wild design or novel drink menu, but because the bar won’t actually serve any booze at all...read more
- HuffPost

Sober Bars Are Breaking Through

In 2011, Bobby Gattone was newly sober and looking for a safe place to connect with other sober people and have a good time. He lived near Crystal Lake, Ill., outside of Chicago, so it was suggested to him that he check out a spot in town called The Other Side, a music venue with a “party sober” atmosphere where folks could see live music, dance and celebrate life in recovery. Gattone describes his experience...read more
- Treatment Magazine