How do you stay for 5 years?
First you drink the Kool-Aid, this is possible if you actually feel like you fucked your life up before you arrive (I did);
If you feel like you are doing OK when you show up, then this is impossible - either you aquiece or get driven into submission.
At the outset I thought that the folks doing my intake had it together more than I did and they had 5 years in so I decided I could go that long.
Then you start to see the contradictions, the holes, the exceptions, learn the (real) rules, find the boundaries, see where people are really at, who the players are, who is serious and who isn't;
Once you know the lay of the land, it is pretty easy, also cheap;
It becomes a game - how far can you push things before you have to bail out (about 5 years it seems)
I achieved my goals, and learned a lot (maybe not what was on the curriculum, but I learned)
Once you step outside, and become more of an observer, you get a pretty good insight into the how cults, societies, churches, and governments maintain control.
I agree with Antigen, they thought they were doing good.
Their egos got in the way.