What Is Unique About the Environment at Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers?

One of the reasons that many people struggle with addiction on their own without seeking professional help is that they’re unsure what to expect. They’re often intimidated by the myths they hear about inpatient rehab without ever learning the truth about the recovery experience. Taking the time to understand what rehab will really be like can help you seek out the professional services you need to pursue a successful recovery.

It may help you to think of rehab like any other care facility. It does have rules that are strictly enforced, but those rules have been established to protect the clients seeking treatment. As you participate in the intake process, you will be fully advised of the rules and of your expectations in the facility. You’ll begin to realize that the few rules the facility does have are set up to help you recover from your addiction and to protect your privacy. Over time, most clients come to appreciate the reasons for the rules and find them comforting in that they make it easier to concentrate on the recovery process.

Policies to Help You Recover from Your Addiction

One reason inpatient addiction treatment is often preferred is that it limits your access to alcohol and drugs. While you can buy controlled substances at will in an outpatient program, the availability of those substances is minimized inside a treatment facility. This is because visitations are limited and there are strict rules regarding what items may be brought into the facility. Additionally, your daily activities will be supervised to guard against the possibility of substance abuse.

Other rules are in place to protect your privacy and the privacy of other recovering addicts in the facility. For instance, you may think that the policies against bringing mobile devices in the facility are a means of preventing access to drugs and alcohol. While that may be one reason, personal electronic devices are also prohibited as a means of securing residents against invasions of privacy. Video and voice recordings, as well as still photos, may be taken and posted online, so it’s easier to keep clients from bringing the devices into the facility in the first place.

Start Your Mornings Off Right

You won’t have time to think about those restrictions once you begin your treatment because you’ll be too busy with daily activities. Your days start off very early in the morning with a nutritious breakfast. Treatment facilities recognize that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, providing energy that will keep you focused and productive well into the afternoon.

Immediately after breakfast, you may be required to participate in a peer group support meeting. The goal of the group meeting is always to help you focus on the events, environments, and people that served as triggers for your addiction. By starting out each day discussing these issues, you can get your mind focused on recovery.

You’ll Keep Busy with a Variety of Activities

From this point forward, you’ll spend much of your day involved in different types of therapy. You may have more group meetings later in the day to discuss issues that were brought to your attention, or simply to help strengthen the social support structure in the facility. Additionally, one on one therapy with your counselor will help you focus on your emotional issues in a more private setting. This will help you learn how internal factors, such as stress or mental illness, affected your substance abuse.

There will also be time to help you learn healthier strategies for coping with stress and other substance abuse triggers. You may be able to participate in classes that teach any of the following activities:

  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • High-intensity strength training
  • Art or music therapy
  • Dancing
  • Other physical activities

Pursuing various types of physical activity will help you keep your body healthy, as well as helping you relieve stress. You may also find that these activities can develop into healthy hobbies that can take the place of your substance abuse habits. You’ll be occupying your mind, and the pleasure you get from your new activities can replace the false euphoria you used to derive from drugs or alcohol.

Now that you have a better understanding of what you can expect in a rehab treatment program, you may be more open to pursuing your own recovery. You can learn more from our counselors by calling 844-639-8371 at your own convenience. When you contact us, we can answer your questions and help you get started on the road to recovery.

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