Evergreen Grove, an animal-assisted longterm addiction rehab in Gardner, Massachusetts, offers a longterm alternative to traditional, 28‑day rehab. Residents commit to six to twelve months in a 16‑bed farmhouse, balancing clinical groups, AA‑style meetings, and community dinners with twice‑daily farm chores among roughly 70 animals. I spent a week there chatting with residents and seeing the program in action.

The program is designed for people with co‑occurring substance use and mental health diagnoses, and is unique in New England for operating entirely on Medicare funding, lowering the barrier to entry for people who could not otherwise afford extended treatment. Days begin with meditation and goal‑setting before residents head out to feed, water, and muck out stalls for horses, donkeys, goats, pigs, chickens, and more—work that anchors recovery in routine, responsibility, and the feedback of living creatures. Over time, those routines become deeply personal. Jack, for instance, four months into the program, described how nothing else had “stuck” like Evergreen Grove—and how he arrived terrified of horses but now has a special bond with Lola, a donkey he walks each morning and afternoon. Another resident, Luke, makes a point to visit the same goat, Travis, every day, while others learn to care for diabetic Newfoundland ponies whose medications and restricted hay mirror the residents’ own journeys toward self‑care. In equine‑assisted learning sessions like the “Building Men” program, small groups lead horses through obstacle courses meant to spark conversations about communication, trust, and life after treatment. This project follows residents like Jack, Luke, and Connor both on the farm and as they step back into the world, tracing how time, animals, and community can reshape what recovery looks like.