BIDDEFORD —  Groups: Recover Together, has brought its mission of helping people struggling with opiate addiction to a new office in downtown Biddeford at a location the organization hopes will be more accessible to those in need.

“This is a dream come true. We hope we can do some great things here,” said Clinical Director Donald Kent on Thursday night as he gave a tour of the new office, which had opened that day.

The 265 Main St., Suite 201 location, was previously the office of architect Caleb Johnson, and has a welcoming feel, with large windows and woodwork accenting the smartly-laid out space.

“This office is fantastic,” said Deputy Director Diane Bertrand, adding that they had received positive feedback about the new location from patients.

Groups: Recover Together, or Groups, was founded about 2 1/2 years ago. The organization has recovery centers in multiple states, and came to Maine in late 2015.

“We knew there was a pretty serious problem in this area and we wanted to help,” he said.

The Biddeford office was previously located on Elm Street, close to the Five Points intersection. The office, which opened in December 2015, has around 50 clients.

Kent said that the Auburn office, which was established after the Biddeford office, has 230 patients and staff. He said he wants the new, local center to better serve the Biddeford area and hopes to help more people at the local office.

Many people drove by the Elm Street office without even knowing it was there, Kent said, and people often got lost trying to find it.

Groups Recovery uses a combination of two of the most successful approaches to opiate dependence — group therapy and medicated treatment with Suboxone, said Kent.

“We really want to help people with the disease,” said Kent. “We’re not a maintenance program. Our goal is to help people to become drug free.” This often takes one to two years, Kent said.

He said many people who seek help from Groups have been to treatment before. 

Kent himself has struggled with addiction, and in 1978, after failing three times to recover, was admitted to a half-way home and through the support of a group setting was able to learn and follow through with the basic skills needed for recovery.

These “basics” have been a blueprint for life for Kent, and he turned to them a few years ago when his daughter died of an overdose.

Kent sees his job as creating opportunities to help others.

Kent said the goal is to keep treatment affordable and readily available. “We hate waiting lists,” he said. People are dying every day on waiting lists, he said.

He said when someone is willing to go to a recovery program, they often are experiencing “a moment of clarity” and it’s critical to act as soon as possible.

Groups is a for-profit company, as officials from the facility say this model helps bring services to the most people possible.

Treatment is $65 a week. The facility does not accept insurance. Kent explained that this choice helps keep costs down, as dealing with insurance companies would require more staffing.

For more information on Groups, go to joingroups.com.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].