Miramar Health
A Veteran-Focused California Rehab Center
Serving those who have served our nation, and their families. Veteran-owned and managed.
We are a 24/7 withdrawal management (detox) and residential treatment program based in Southern California, treating veterans struggling with military trauma, addiction, and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Our compassionate, comprehensive, and trauma-informed care focuses solely on veterans and active-duty military personnel on the path to recovery from substance abuse and mental health challenges.
Specialized Rehab Programs for Veterans and Military
There is a pressing need for specialized substance use rehabilitation programs for veterans, as these numbers starkly illustrate.
According to SAMHSA’s 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Among the Veteran Population Aged 18 or Older:
Alcohol is the primary substance for 65% of veterans entering treatment centers, nearly twice the civilian rate. More than 80% (nearly 900,000) are estimated to abuse alcohol
Marijuana is the most commonly used drug, with 3.5% of veterans reporting use in the last month and 11.1% (approx. 2.3 million) using in the past year.
Heroin: About 10–11% of veterans admitted to treatment centers reported heroin use.
Cocaine: Over 6% of veterans reported cocaine use at treatment entry.
Prescription Drug Addiction: In 2018, 41,000 veterans were diagnosed with an addiction to painkillers
We treat all of these substances and more. We also treat co-occurring mental health conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Our programs and services include:
- 24/7 withdrawal management (detox)
- Residential treatment program
- Medication-Assisted
- Treatment (MAT)
- Relapse prevention
- The Social Model
- Alumni assistance locating aftercare and transition services
We understand military culture and that no healing journey is the same. We aim to tailor each treatment to our clients’ unique needs and experiences.
Comprehensive Mental Health Care for Veterans
- We treat PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, suicidality, and bipolar disorder among other mental health conditions.
- Many of our team members have personal military experience, so we understand the unique mental health issues veterans and active-duty military face.
- Our treatment programs at Miramar Health are guided by the principles of trauma-informed care.
We provide the following evidence-based therapy approaches:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Group Therapy
- Meditation & Mindfulness
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Artistic Expression on an individual basis (drawing, music, journaling)
- Holistic activities on an individual basis
- Social Model philosophy
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Does Insurance Cover Veteran Rehab?
Miramar Health is a veteran-owned and operated treatment center and an in-network provider through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Community Care Network (CCN) via TriWest Healthcare Alliance.
We are authorized to provide Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment to eligible veterans nationwide, with access granted through referral by VA case managers. We also accept Tricare for active-duty members and their families.
We also accept most major commercial policies
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Why Choose a California Rehab Center Like Miramar?
We have many years experience successfully treating veterans and active-duty military. And we understand the kinds of challenges and issues only veterans face.
Complementing our therapy programs, with many locations in Southern California, we are ideally located to offer recreational experiences that take advantage of the natural beauty surrounding us in the mountains and at the ocean.
Providing the national gold standard programs and treatment for our veterans.

Stories of Hope
Brian Johnson, USMC
So, I’ve been to Miramar twice now. Once for a weeklong detox, and a second time for detox and actual residential rehabilitation. Before coming to Miramar, I was at my lowest point when I came to my drinking career. What initially started out as only drinking on the weekends soon transitioned to drinking every day, before work, on my lunch breaks and as soon as I got home. The first time I came to the detox program, I only wanted to physically detox and when I refused to stay at the request of the staff, I went home and went right back to drinking. Over the next few months, I lost my job and everyone around me was starting to distance themselves. I knew I needed a change and because I knew Miramar existed, I went back. It was the best decision I could have ever made. I admitted I was powerless and followed the guidance of the program best I could. I first found out about the Miramar program from while in the ER at the West LA VA Hospital. I had uber’d to the hospital because I was depressed, heavily drinking, and desperate for help. The hospital offered to send me to this program where I was well taken care of, given all the food, medicine, and help I needed physically and emotionally. Like I said, the first time around I was impatient, overconfident, and thought I could get a handle on my drinking alone. When I finally committed to sobriety, that’s when things inside me and around me started to change for the better. Being the person I am, the structure of the program really helped me focus and take each day as it came in increments. In each class, I learned not only about alcoholism and addiction, but also looking back at my life, all the things that led me to this moment in time. The therapy I received at Miramar also helped me make emotional breakthroughs that I never even knew I was capable of. The staff from top to bottoms focus is veterans’ health, happiness, safety, and recovery through and through. I don’t plan on coming back, but if I ever need help again, I know I have a safe place to call my second home. Shout out to each and every staff member for their selflessness, and continued desire to see us all succeed in life. As veterans, a lot of us struggle with healthcare and disability issues. Miramar made it a top priority to help coordinate and manage my medications, doctors’ appointments, disability ratings, and extended care after leaving. Trust the program, help uplift your fellow veterans and keep fighting the good fight!
Fady F
My life before connecting with Miramar Health could only be described as chaotic. I was like a roaring tornado, destroying everyone’s lives if they ever got close enough to mine. I only cared about using drugs — whichever came my way — and I didn’t care who I had to screw over or manipulate to get my fix. Everything else in life, including my sister and my parents, came second to drugs. I was homeless, broke, selfish, self-centered — a manipulator, a liar, a cheat, and a thief. I couldn’t — or wouldn’t — do anything without first making sure I had enough drugs to complete the task. I was completely dependent on drugs, shackled by the handcuffs of addiction.
My emotional bottom came crashing down when my parents — the very people who had loved and supported me through everything — finally told me I was dead to them. Those words hit harder than any withdrawal, any cold night on the streets, or any betrayal I had ever faced. It was as if the last thread tethering me to the world had been violently cut. I had become a ghost — invisible, unwanted, and utterly alone. The loneliness was suffocating, a dark, endless pit that swallowed me whole.
For the first time, I realized that if I didn’t change, there wouldn’t be anything left of me to save. A part of me — the part that still remembered what love felt like, what family meant — whispered that a different life was possible. That whisper was enough. In that emptiness, in that unbearable silence, the seed of change was planted. I knew something had to give — and this time, it had to be me.
I called the VA, desperate for help. With the support of my social worker, Nathalie, and by constantly advocating for myself, I was able to secure a referral to Miramar Health in just one week — something that normally would have been almost impossible. It was the first real step toward saving my life.
At Miramar Health, I finally felt supported — truly seen for who I was, not just my mistakes. The groups gave me the strength to open up and the courage to start healing. Individual therapy helped me face the wreckage I had caused and begin rebuilding from the inside out.
I’ll always be grateful to the staff who never gave up on me. Special thanks to Emily, Jeff, Christina, Cindy, George, Annalisa, and Gianna — you helped me find hope when I thought there was none left.
Miramar Health helped me stay connected to the VA by making sure I had a plan for after treatment. They worked closely with me to arrange my transition into the VA CORE Program, ensuring I had stable housing and support — so I wouldn’t end up back on the streets. They didn’t just help me get clean; they helped me build a real future.
To any veterans out there who feel lost: There is hope, and there is help. You have fought for your country, now it’s time for you to fight for yourself. It’s never too late to change your story and take your life back — one step at a time.
Johnny Trammell
I should’ve been dead by now… Hold on, I should go back to my life before Miramar. My name is Johnny Trammell, and I was a homeless junkie for many years. Every aspect of my life revolved around using drugs, and individuals to get those drugs. It started with doctor prescribed Vicodin which led to shooting up meth and fentanyl in the same needle. As far as my mental health went, I used drugs to mask all the trauma I went through as a kid and while in combat. Of course, I see now all that the drugs did was deteriorate my mental and physical health.
When I was ready to get clean, I told my family members along with the homeless liaison from my hometown. It took a village all together and by the grace of God, Jen Loa the liaison and her work partner, drove about 10 hours to get me to Miramar Health. Miramar Health has now helped me transfer from Fresno VA to Loma Linda VA.
From the very first day staff didn’t just tell me I had support here but showed me by their actions every day that I had the full support system for someone with such a troubled past would need to be able to get and stay sober. Both individual and group sessions were crucial components in my treatment plan. One-on-one with my therapist was beneficial in learning how to plan out my next steps; while groups were good for me to learn to open up and not be ashamed of my past decisions or myself. Meeting with Dr. Desanto helped me realize I do not have to be on medications for the rest of my life to stay sober or to stop the cravings or the hold opioids had on me and my mind. I can honestly say each and every staff member deserved credit for helping me with my recovery. Due to limitations from the length of my legacy letter, I can’t shout out everyone but a special thanks to the following: Bobby for always driving us around without complaining. Doug for cleaning up my “special mess.” Lisa, for cooking breakfast for me on so many occasions. Chad for always being chill. Felipe for being a fellow devil dog. The twins Anna and Gianna, Anna for baking the best cookies, Gianna for introducing me to the funniest things on tv, and together for all the laughs we shared. Jorge, for getting me back into working out again and trusting me enough to sponsor his brother“ whenever he’s ready. Will, for laughing at all my jokes. Linda, for being the only one who could crack jokes on my level and the only one who could get on my level in basketball “NOICE!” Jeff, for teaching me patience, tolerance, and obedience. Emily, for cracking the whip and helping me gain more tools and insight than I knew existed to help me in all aspects of staying sober. My case manager Cindy, who put up with my laundry list of to do’s and taught me to be a grown man again like a true mom would, which is why I call her mom now. Christina, who since day one, has seen to it that I have not only a goal but also a plan for my future as well as giving me the idea of writing a book one day. To everyone I did not get to, thank you all for being a steppingstone towards a better future in my sobriety. I love you all and will never forget what you’ve done for me here at Miramar.
To all my fellow vets here, remember the determination and strength you used to serve this country. Put that towards your sobriety. If you put ONLY half that energy into your sobriety then you are the only one who could make yourself fail. Give it everything you got, you all got this!
Michael H
Before getting connected with Miramar I was in total darkness and ignorance. I thought I knew about life! I discovered I knew nothing at all. I got in touch with the Loma Linda VA representative, a retired admiral who treated me like a son and helped me get into treatment. I felt supported at Miramar and my counselor saved my life!!! Miramar has helped me by writing letters and taking me to my appointments. Thank God for the VA! I would recommend Miramar to anyone struggling, they saved my life!! God bless Miramar Recovery!
Scott Wolfe
Before I got connected with Miramar Health, my life was stressful. Every minute of every day revolved around getting money by whatever means to get drugs and gamble at the casinos. I had zero hope and was literally killing myself. I developed an unbelievably bad case of Pneumonia and was on a ventilator for 3 weeks. I had a 30% chance of survival. That means that I had a 70% chance of dying at the age of thirty-seven from Pneumonia caused by my drug use. Not a great legacy story. I got in touch with Loma Linda VA and this is my second time at Miramar Health. The time I was here in 2022, I left having reservations to smoke weed and drink wine with my family and friends. That was a bad thing. This led to a relapse shortly after completing my 90 days. Those reservations have left me, and it gives me hope. I am working with a sponsor who is a fellow Vet and Meth/Heroin user in recovery. He resides in San Diego and that is where I will be living after discharging from Miramar. Being able to be a part of my son’s life now is a dream come true. Being grateful and content is my current state. Thank you to Shireen, Kristal, and Kianah. Kianah helped me stay happy and positive while being here at the center. Shireen is by far the easiest therapist to talk with and helped me so much. Kristal helped me with getting important things done and I am moving on feeling complete. Thank you to Annalissa and Giannah for helping me feel like it is OK to be here again, and to not be embarrassed about my relapse. My future will be beyond great. Thank you, Miramar.
Trent M
My drinking career started around the time I was 20 years old. Although I was a heavy drinker, I never considered it a genuine problem. It wasn’t until I was discharged from the army in 2022 that my habitual drinking turned into physical dependency and blacked out isolated nights. The overwhelming transition back into civilian life was a problem and liquor was my solution. Soon, I was having to visit the ER frequently and my addiction became blatantly obvious to my girlfriend. A few months and a DUI later, I decided to give treatment a try. I figured a break from liquor and a reality check might do me some good. On my last hospital visit, a social worker approached my hospital bed and asked if I was willing to go to treatment. I had given the STAR program a brief attempt a few weeks earlier but came to the quick realization that video conference calls with someone who had no “real” experience with alcohol wasn’t going to resonate with me. The social worker told me about a residential treatment program in Laguna Hills called Miramar Health. Fearful of my bad health and quick to prove myself to my family and girlfriend, I accepted the offer.
Reclaim Your Mission. Begin Recovery Today at Miramar Health
Take the courageous first step towards lasting health and well-being. Contact our admissions team today.
- (949) 694-3168
- Located in Laguna Hills, CA
- admissions@miramarhealth.com