If you’ve been struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, fear of the unknown could be keeping you from pursuing treatment. For many people, even the very idea of attending rehab causes discomfort. Abstinence, withdrawal, and the prospect of learning how to get by without current crutches could be terrifying. In reality, however, attending rehab is an incredibly positive and empowering experience overall. With each day that passes in treatment, you’ll gain increasing control over your health, your life, and your future. Rehab provides an invaluable opportunity to reclaim all that addiction has stolen from you. It offers a chance to reestablish lost relationships, achieve financial stability, and regain your confidence among many other things. More importantly, rehab makes it possible for recovering addicts to address the causes of their substance use disorder head-on. Whether you’ve been living with an untreated mental health disorder, burdened by unresolved guilt or grief, or making unhealthy choices to appease others, you can achieve lasting balance and wellness, and vast improvements in your self-esteem.
When you enter rehab, the first and most important step that you’ll take is to rid your body of drugs or alcohol, and all the residual toxins that substance use has left behind. Detoxing in a professional and medically supervised environment is infinitely easier and far more comfortable than doing it on your own at home. You’ll have access to various forms of needs-specific support for alleviating the physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal, as well as different options in therapy for managing your stress, and achieving general mood balance. Although detoxing can be hard, in the right rehab environment it is far from impossible. Once this essential portion of your treatment is complete, you’ll be drug- and alcohol-free. You’ll then be able to move on to therapies and treatments that will teach you how to maintain your sobriety long-term.
Taking Part in Therapy While in Rehab
Much like detoxing, going to therapy is always an important part of rehab. Therapy gives patients an opportunity to learn more about why they’ve started using drugs or alcohol to relieve their discomfort, boost their self-confidence, or mute unpleasant or overwhelming emotions. While many people with substance use disorder attribute their addictions to personal weakness or lack of willpower, drug and alcohol abuse tend to have far more complex origins. Some of the most common causes of substance use disorder include:
- Comorbidities or simultaneous struggles with chronic depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health issues
- Feelings of low self-worth
- Negative behavioral conditioning
- Family histories of addiction
Finding out why you’ve been using substances as a coping mechanism allows you to address the underlying problem directly. If you’ve got an undiagnosed mental health disorder, having this properly managed or treated will eliminate your need to self-medicate. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to help patients redirect negative thinking patterns through positive affirmations so that they can value and feel good about themselves. Counselors can assist patients in moving through the stages of grief, addressing past or current traumas, and overcoming problems with peer pressure among many other things.
When you attend rehab, you’ll likely take part in both group and private therapy. Group therapy allows patients to share their feelings, practice socializing in a controlled setting, improve their communication skills, and learn about boundary-setting. Both individual and group therapy get patients ready for dealing with the social stresses that they’ll invariably face after exiting treatment. It does so by introducing new, healthier coping strategies, and helping people gain a better understanding of themselves.
Therapeutic Activities
Learning effective stress management techniques is also a key part of the recovery process. Although you’ll be taught to identify triggers that commonly cause relapse, you may not be able to avoid these your entire life. From unhealthy relationships and toxic environments, to feelings of depression and fatigue, you’ll have to know how to effectively balance and calm your emotions to avoid being driven to use. Therapeutic activities like painting, yoga, meditation, puzzles, and crafting give people creative ways to fill their time and take their minds off of outside stressors. When paired with diligent self-care, relaxing activities can make people less likely to negatively respond to circumstances and challenges that lie outside of their control.
Life-Planning
People in rehab also take part in a number of life-planning and goal-setting activities. These services are designed to help patients establish stable, comfortable lives post-treatment. Clients can learn how to identify important resources for housing, job hunting, and ensuring adequate post-treatment support. Before exiting treatment, all participants are encouraged to have solid plans for relapse prevention, continued mood balance, and general self-sufficiency. If you want to know more about attending rehab or want to find the best drug or alcohol treatment program for your needs, we can help. Call us today at 833-285-1315.
