Northern Light Mercy Hospital - State St.
144 State Street, Portland, Maine, 04092
Addiction can be a terrible thing. It can potentially endanger your life, affect your loved ones, imperil your job and your future. And certainly, it’s a disease that usually can’t be conquered alone. Depending on the type and level of addiction, in-patient treatment may be necessary, along with a long-term plan for recovery. The Mercy Recovery Center offers the largest substance abuse treatment center in Maine for adults that treat the entire spectrum of substance abuse, from alcoholism to drug addiction – one step at a time…one day at a time…one person at a time.
Facility Highlights
- Medication Management
- Relapse Prevention
- Group Therapy
Specialization
12-Step
The term “12 Step Program” describes a way to recover from addiction that is based on the model developed by Alcoholics Anonymous. Many drug and alcohol treatment centers base their treatment on 12 steps – the first three of which are situational, the next four addressing the practical issues created by the addiction, followed by two steps focused on making amends for hurting others. Steps 10 and 11 involve a deeper examination of the previous steps and the final step is focused on helping others avoid and recover from addiction.Medical Detoxification
Drugs and alcohol have widespread effects throughout your body, including but not limited to the addiction and/or physical/psychological dependence that develops with substance abuse over time. Many organ systems are affected by addiction and will react to withdrawal. The term “medical detoxification” means that there is a trained and licensed medical professional onsite to monitor your vital signs and protect your physical and emotional health as your body goes through withdrawal.
Facility Settings
- Hospital
Meet the Staff
Mark R. Publicker, MDDoctorDr. Mark Publicker, former Regional Chief of Addiction Medicine for Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Region (covering the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan region) joined the Recovery Center team on November 17, 2003. Dr. Publicker has directed a multi-disciplinary health center with 80 physicians, 800 staff and more than 40,000 patients. He brings to his position a wealth of experience in motivational interviewing, chronic pain management, and addiction medicine.- Dr. Benjamin GrassoDoctorBenjamin C. Grasso, MD, has been named the Medical Director of Behavioral Health, a department of Mercy Hospital. He will be responsible for clinical and administrative oversight for Mercy’s Recovery Center, Psychiatric Consulting Service and the New England Eating Disorders Program. Dr. Grasso is board certified with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1990). A New Jersey native, he earned his bachelor’s degree at SUNY Binghamton (NY) and received his medical degree from Albany Medical College (NY). Dr. Grasso did his psychiatry residency at the University of Virginia School of Medicine (VA) and completed his fellowship at the National Institutes of Mental Health, Neuropsychiatry Branch in Washington, D.C. Dr. Grasso most recently worked with the Veterans’ Administration.
