Diamond Crest Assisted Living

Pros

• The staff here is dedicated to helping people.
• They are a serious boon to the community.
• The California location is beautiful and runs the right way.

Cons

• The facility is run down and is described as the worst rehab in Colorado.
• The cafeteria was missing flooring and used old tiles.
• The gym is full of spiders and bugs.
• There are no doctors on staff; none of the staff have medical degrees.
• Jason is controlling and only wants beds filled.
• The sauna towels are old and nasty; it's nothing like the videos.
• The place is nearly empty and resembles a homeless shelter.
• Narconon is Scientology-based and pushes Scientology.
• Residents are locked in a course room for hours with no food or water while staff search rooms.
• The program is not tailored to individuals; they run the same program for everyone.

Review

What emerges from the collection of reviews is a strikingly polarized portrait of Narconon in Colorado. On one end of the spectrum, there are brutal, horror-story accounts of dirty facilities, abusive or negligent staff, and a program that seems more oriented toward control and ideology than toward genuine recovery. On the other end, there are heartfelt testimonies of transformation and gratitude, where former students describe profound personal growth, restored family connection, and life-changing sobriety. The same place is described in almost opposite terms by different people, with complaints about management, safety, and medical oversight coexisting with stories of relief, purpose, and lasting sobriety.

Several reviewers paint a consistently grim scene of the day-to-day environment. They describe a facility that feels run-down and under-resourced: a maintenance guy who also teaches classes, a cafeteria with missing floor tiles, and a gym that is supposedly infested with spiders and bugs. They allege the building is nearly empty and resembles a homeless shelter more than a rehab center. Specific operational failings are repeatedly cited: towels in the sauna that look old and dirty, food handling lapses like cooks not wearing gloves and hair in the food, a kitchen with a non-working stove, and a general sense of neglect in the physical plant (half-remodeled sauna, drywall exposed, no grass outside, weeds everywhere). The social environment is described as coercive in places - rules about being in pairs seeming inconsistent, and an emphasis on beds and numbers over individualized care. There are pointed accusations about how staff and administrators treat residents, including claims that workers or graduates "lay around all day" and that a certain manager (named Jason in some reviews) comes off as controlling and more focused on occupancy than on healing. Several reviewers also quote alarming governance concerns, such as the claim that no one on the staff has a medical degree, the decision to defer or deny medical attention, and the claim that residents were walked through rooms, searched, and subjected to urine tests with little or no food or water during stressful procedures.

A cluster of strongly negative anecdotes centers on safety, medical oversight, and transitional support. Reviewers claim they were denied access to doctors when hurt or injured, that there was no proper medical evaluation or psychiatric care, and that post-program transitions - like job placement or sober living arrangements - were poorly handled or never realized. One account details being left on the street after requesting medical help for sauna-related injuries and relapse, plus having their personal belongings mishandled during an abrupt move-out. Another reviewer describes a fear-inducing, hours-long course-room lock-in with minimal basic necessities, followed by a forced urine analysis and punitive measures that felt more punitive than therapeutic. There are also accusations of misinformation or misrepresentation - grievances filed, allegations that graduation certificates were invented, or that Medicaid funding is being used in ways that prompt broader concerns about compliance and transparency. Some reviewers imply a broader pattern of grievances and lawsuits that have surrounded the facility, alongside warnings to prospective clients to "shop around" and to seek facilities with more credible medical and therapeutic oversight.

Despite the consistent flood of negative detail, a surprising number of reviews assert that Narconon saved their lives. These accounts describe a profound personal transformation: the emergence of resilience, a renewed ability to manage difficulties without turning to drugs or alcohol, and a sense of gratitude toward staff who supported them through unbearable moments. In these stories, the sauna detox therapy is framed as a life-changing element, with claims of regaining life balance, rebuilding relationships with family, and achieving milestones such as completing college, obtaining a promotion, and moving into independent housing. Some write with emotional gratitude about having found a new life perspective, a sense of normalcy, and a lasting sobriety that reshaped their future. A few explicitly credit the program with instilling a spiritual or "higher power" framework, and one reviewer even cites trips and personal achievements after graduation as proof of the program's value.

There is also a persistent thread about the program's ideological underpinnings. A number of reviewers argue that Narconon's approach is Scientology-based, and they accuse the center of downplaying or masking this connection. Several point to the existence of recruitment-style dynamics, the presence of Scientology-associated tactics like brainwashing, and the idea that the program emphasizes a uniform, one-size-fits-all regimen rather than tailoring treatment to individual needs. These critics urge readers to verify the facility's claims about independence from Scientology, noting that other sources (including Scientology-linked materials) identify Narconon as operating within Scientology-adjacent frameworks. In contrast, some supporters insist that the program is effective regardless of any affiliation and focus on the tangible personal outcomes they achieved.

Taken together, the reviews present a complex, conflicting spectrum of experiences. For anyone considering Narconon in Colorado, the message is clear in its contrasts: some people attribute life-saving breakthroughs and lasting sobriety to the program, while others report serious concerns about facility conditions, medical oversight, staff conduct, and the broader philosophical underpinnings of the treatment approach. The most prudent takeaway is to approach with thorough diligence - seek independent verification of medical care provisions, tour the facility with a critical eye, compare with other accredited rehab options, ask pointed questions about patient rights, safety protocols, and transition planning, and verify what actual outcomes look like beyond marketing materials or success statistics. In this landscape of strong opinions, informed personal choice and careful due diligence appear essential.

Pharmacies

• Indica Rx (0.5 miles)
• Joy Organics (1.4 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (1.5 miles)
• P R Pharmaceuticals (1.8 miles)
• Walgreens (2 miles)
• Poudre Valley Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy (2.3 miles)
• Quintiles (2.8 miles)

Cafes

• Wolverine Farm Publick House (0.9 miles)
• Silver Grill Cafe (1.1 miles)
• The Little Bird Bakeshop (1.2 miles)
• Lima Coffee Roasters (1.5 miles)
• Starbucks (2.8 miles)
• Cuppy's Coffee (3.6 miles)

Parks

• Farm At Lee Martinez Park (1 miles)
• City Park (1.8 miles)
• Maple Hill Park (2.1 miles)
• Gateway Natural Area (2.2 miles)
• Horsetooth Reservoir (2.9 miles)
• Rolland Moore Park (3.7 miles)

Restaurants

• CopperMuse Distillery (1 miles)
• Union (1 miles)
• Pueblo Viejo (1.1 miles)
• Illegal Pete's (1.1 miles)
• The Still Whiskey Steaks (1.2 miles)
• Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing (1.2 miles)
• ND streetBAR (1.2 miles)

Physicians

• Ultimate Health & Wellness (2 miles)
• Birnbaum Bernard J Md University Of Colorado Health Medical Group Fort Collins (2 miles)
• Family Medicine Practice (2 miles)
• Family Medicine Center (2 miles)
• Family Medicine Center (2 miles)
• Rocky Mountain Center For Reproductive Medicine (2.1 miles)
• Fort Collins Skin Clinic (2.1 miles)

Hospitals

• Prospect Medical Plaza (2.6 miles)
• Centre Avenue (3.6 miles)