DUIL ~ TEWKSBURY, MASS. I was pulled over on the Lowell connector traveling south to my aunts apartment in Southborough, Mass. August 2023. Long story short, I got my second OUI. If you get a second offense operating under the influence, you automatically get a 14 day sentence to DUIL. No ways around it, sorry! So, I want to help you, get through this. First, DUIL stands for Driving Under The Influence of Liquor. You laugh ... It's on ya test! Second, DUIL is located in a weird place. The program you must attend is on the Tewksbury State Hospital grounds. This place is a historically registered property for many reasons. Look it up. The building you'll stay in was originally built and used for the nurses dorms of Tewksbury State Hospital. Walking through it, you'll feel like nostalgia. Moving onto nostalgia, the DUIL building is about 170ish years old. I would tell you a ghost story but that's now why I'm here. Beautifully maintained in historical perspectives. You will arrive on the date and time specified on your entry packet. I can not say this loud enough, read the Middlesex DUIL Program Client Handbook. You'll get this in the mail. Read It! It literally is boring as hell but you'll fall on your own face if you don't read it.( I may write a few stories after this) https://mhsainc.org/programs/duil/ I entered DUIL on October 28, 2024. Yes, I was there on Halloween. It was an usually warm October. Look at your weather forecast when you pack your 13 pound bag of life for fourteen days! Don't overpack. If you do, you'll be forced to toss anything you don't need or go home and start over. At your own cost! *Handbook When I arrived, I was a bit nervous as you will be. The check -in is right outside the basement door of the old nurses quarters. Carlos ( in charge guy) will be there along with a few other staff. I hope when you go, Carlos is there, he is strict but fair. Professional. They will have an event table set up with a sign that says DUIL. It might look like the Girl scouts are selling cookies. I assure you, your in the right place. Get there early!! I'll tell you why later. I walked toward the sign-in table as my sister walked along my side. I handed over my paperwork to Carlos, he allowed me a moment to say Goodbye to my sister, he is kind. He is the assistant director I believe, I could be wrong but, he's the Big Guns. My heart pounding, I entered the building. I was second in line for entry, I was instructed to carry my belongings into the building and place them on a shelf right inside the door. It's a basement and the shelves are metal inventory shelves from like the backroom of a closed K-Mart. Low ceilings, huge plumbing pipes, I can see valves for on and off shut off's. I hope no-one tall drinks and drives. There is a process before you can actually 'enter' the program. I won't give too much away because we have to leave some things to surprise! But DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL at all before going. For God Sake Don't! Not even the day before. You will be breathalyzed. Your BAC will be reported to your PO and You will have to start all over! I do know several guys who smoked a fatty on the way though;) When I went to DUIL, the roster for my sentence started with over 50 people. I was very lucky to be in a small enrollment group, end of October may be your time too! I entered and began my sentence with 25 males and 5 females ( I was one of 5) Yes, thirty drunks. I had my own room because of the enrollment level being so low. Room 5 on the women's unit. I left some prayers behind. When you go through the basement enrollment, as you enter DUIL you will be met with a few people. A nurse, bring ALL your updated current scripts, bring anything over the counter you need !! Bring extra ~Advil PM ~ Melatonin ~ EAR PLUGS! ~ laxatives ~ compression socks and water pills. Bring herbal tea bags in a ziplock baggie if you're a tea drinker like me. If you try to sneak anything in, they will find it and you will be removed and that would suck big for you! They do have coffee and tea but it's not theRritz so expect accordingly:) It is literal hell. If your a princess, I'm already laughing. You'll be given a linen bag to throw all your stuff in! The attendant will even give you a sticker with your name on it. Don't pack heavy unless you're strong. They do NOT help you carry your belongings. You drove drunk, you're not treated any other way. I got my room assignment and was told to 'settle in'. With my sheets / towels etc. You will have one fitted sheet, I could literally see through mine. One top sheet, mine was okay and a blanket! Have you ever been to the ER or Jail? Yep, that's the blanket. Fake crochet and thin from so many rounds of bleach and fast dried. Let's get to the important stuff. You won't sleep, so charge up. You'll swell up, so shrink down. When you arrive, you will be assigned a chore. It's like an orphanage. If I was to read more

I was at Duil in April 2025. The first week kind of dragged. The people in my class were all great. We all got along. You can work in the kitchen as your chore and if you can get it I would advise it. It has it's advantages. The instructors were all good. The head counts were many. I had my own room which was good and the shower was right across the hall. During free time we could get together in and play games or work on puzzles. Sometimes we could go outside if the instructor took you out. Bring Quarters. You will need them. Some of the machines will take cash. It really wasn't all that bad considering we had to be there and made the best of it and my group was good. read more

I found the DUIL PROGRAM to be very educational. The only things I found to be harmful was the water, you can't drink it or cook with it or even wash your dishes and utensils. They said there is manganese in the water, harmful amounts of it. With that being said, I ended up with a broken skin rash on my hands and very dry skin. The town of Tewksbury should make this a top priority for the safety of its residents and visitors. read more

I just completed the two week inpatient program and it wasn't bad at all. Yah the pillows aren't very plush (you can bring your own) and the food isn't the greatest but all in all it was a decent experience The breakfast was probably the worst but I would say the other meals were pretty good. The counselors/instructors were thoroug and professional. You will meet some interesting people and might even make some friends. A calling card works well, like a Boss calling card from CVS, easy to use and easy to reload if need be. Plenty of downtime to read or nap. Definitely bring shower shoes. Overall it was a good life experience, I kinda enjoyed it a little bit. read more

I entered DUIL program in the summer of 2023. Upon entering bldg i was honestly shocked at the conditions of the insides of the bldg to which we were confined for the next 2 weeks. I understand the purpose of the program was to be a learning tool to teach us not to drink & drive. I saw 2 movies that were very disturbing to me and really madecme think about never drinking again. With the understanding that this was not a 5 star hotel.....i was shocked when a counselor announced to the class that the food program was so high in sodium that everyone would have to suffer through with swollen ankles. And....we did!! I was very lucky to be in a group of 8 - 10 ladies who were very nice and we all got along exceptionally well. I was very bothered by all of the continuous head counts. I mean we are adults and didnt need to be treated like criminal children. But for a couple of suggestions.....they need to have a full staff at all times. Esp on the weekends. Having a "Carlos" type staff member on every shift would ensure control over the patients. Not sure the percentage of success of this program has on its members when they exit the program. One specific person in the group was headed to 3 local breweries when his ride came to pick him up. So.....? read more

I was there this summer (2023), and 2 counselors went on vacation, so they appeared to be short-staffed, like a lot of places. They breathalyze and blood pressure you upon admission. You have to blow a 0.0. It was basically a money-grab of $2,000 for 2 weeks. Felt like 2 months! It should really only be 1 week, because the natives started to get restless, the leftover food from the first week gets worse, and there was just too much free time. There were about 35 people total, mostly men. Everyone had their own room, which was a bonus, but the bunk bed was uncomfortable. No cell phones allowed, which sucked. Only pay phones. Everything is supervised and regimented, including outdoor walks on campus. Head counts occur many times daily. Classes and counselors were basically OK. Tons of hand-outs. Movies were only OK, as some were pretty dated. Nightly AA meetings were mandatory, and they should be optional. Too many old white guys regaling us with stories from decades ago. The upside was that I was lucky enough to be on a wing with people with no severe anger or violence issues. I heard some pretty bad stories. It was great to get back home and put it in the rear-view. read more

I just attended the program not that long ago yes it was helpful in some ways but the food there needs to change the cook on the weekends needs to be hired full time not the one on the weekdays that doesn't care about how they make the food the staff there are very nice I can say but some are very strict of they upgraded alot of things in there it would be better as in living conditions they need to get it deep cleaned at least once a month instead of the people attended there do the cleaning I can say I did make me rethink my self to ever drink again but I say they should let people smoke in a smoking section just like every other building has besides that one its just my thinking and everyone has different opinions but this is mine and the pay phone thing make sure to bring over 50$ in quarters or your not going to be able to talk to your family as much as you get to when your able to use the phones I figure I put something about this place sense a couple bad things happened when I was there not even the people but things to keep that program running they way they say they want it to if any questions please ask I can probably give you the answer to it read more

Okay so the other reviews are for the most part spot on. The hardest part about this program is admission day. Make sure you have all your doctors notes for medication. Get a good nights sleep and don't party the night before, they breathalyze at the door. Make sure everything you pack is scent free. They will throw it away. Bring tons of quarters for pay phones ( yes pay phones.) Every room in the building has extreme temperature changes so bring warm and comfy clothes. Food isn't horrible but reminded me of school lunch. Frozen and processed everything. Bring ear plugs to sleep because the clanking from the pipes every night is obnoxious. Wash your hands constantly. Don't swear too loud or too much and remember what you're there for. Eye on the prize. It goes by surprisingly fast.Good luck everyone. read more

attending during Covid penny did not want vaccine so she left! there were some good staff members but overall a big money grab tons of stuff cancelled no one in charge Carlos lol How does he get paid!! Tons of money and they end up saying oh you did nothing classic state funded clown show!! learn from us just Uber because the state and this program is a money grab joke!! read more

Ok - so it wasn't AS BAD as I imagined - but that does not mean good either. Place is a DUMP - wicked creepy - and the food is HORRIBLE!!!! The counselors and staff are in fact very nice though. Just don't plan on sleeping or eating for 2 weeks! read more

I wasn't impressed at all, was actually appalled by the level of care this medical facility provides. Staff was totally disorganized. They required the client to be on time all the time, but the staff couldn't seem to show up where they were suppose to when they were suppose to. A good 25% of the was wasted because of their disorganization. I got the feeling that they were student teachers, and this was the first time they taught the program. I witnessed a client having a seizure, and the staff ran around like idiots, and not medical professionals. I found out later that a good portion of the staff are addicts in various stages of recovery. Thinking maybe this was their first job after leaving a detox facility?? I am not even sure if most of the staff even has any credentials in the field, as when asked to see diplomas or other certificates, they avoided the subject. Clients are all suppose to have individual counselors, but the counselors are never available to answer questions or go over a diagnosis. This is the ONE and ONLY state mandated DUIL program in Massachusetts, so in a way everyone is forces to use them. It is very sad that the Commonwealth allows this substandard level of care to continue. read more