Back in the day, rehab used to be thought of as a large and cold place filled with people who are recovering from a certain addiction. Today, it is still a facility that treats patients with substance abuse problems but it no longer feels nor looks scary. In fact, rehab facilities are safe and comfortable places where patients learn to recover.
What Happens in a Rehab Center?
Every rehabilitation center is different. While most of them have the same treatments available, the way they are administered and scheduled are different. These facilities vary in the treatments they offer depending on their capability and their patients’ needs.
There’s a high chance that one rehabilitation facility has group sessions, art lessons, and yoga facilities, and the other would just have group therapy sessions. No rehab center is the same. Hence, you have to thoroughly check which facility would be better suited for your needs and preferences.
Moreover, a patient will have different experiences in a rehab center. Depending on their prescribed medical care and activities, they can attend different sessions and treatments.
5 Ways to Make Most Out of Rehab
Regardless of what you might experience in a rehab facility, the goal stays the same – for you to be able to recover and never go back to the facility again. It seems like a tall order but when you know how to take advantage of your stay in the place, this is possible.
Here are 5 ways you can make the most out of the experience.
1. Take notes of what you’ve learned.
There are a lot of sessions and talks in rehab that you will attend. Taking notes can help you retain the lessons longer. Besides, if you ever find yourself struggling in a relapse, these notes can help you feel better.
When you take notes, you’re making a reference that you can go to when you have a hard time outside of rehab. As you already know, your struggles will not disappear when you go to rehab. You may be tempted to go back to your old habits.
What do you do when you are stressed and tempted? Go look at your notes and remember the things you’ve learned in rehab. This will become your guide when you go back home.
2. Record your progress.
This is a good practice whether you’re in a alcohol rehab center or not. Keeping a journal may sound cliche but this is a good technique in tracking your progress. Knowing the path that you’ve overcome, you’ll be able to say that you are slowly recovering.
The lack of a tracker can make you think that nothing has changed in the past months. People who think this way easily fall into a trap of mental illness or depression. To keep this from happening, look at your journal that indicates that you’ve made progress.
3. Meet new people.
There are a lot of people you will meet in rehab. And no, they are not just doctors, nurses, and therapists. There are also people who are going through the same journey as you.
To make the most out of rehab, try to get to know other people and how they are coping. This way, you do not feel alone. You may also find someone who can be your accountability partner through your journey in rehab.
4. Be present.
Rehab may not be a good thing for you when you are outside looking in but when you are already in the facility, try your best to be present. Be receptive to what the facility has to offer you. Stay in the moment when you are in your group sessions or activities.
By being present, you truly make the most out of it. You notice everything that’s taking place and you won’t be distracted by your own troubles.
5. Give yourself your own time.
There may be a number of activities that will take most of your time but don’t forget that you should also make time for yourself. Do things that you want to do as an individual and reflect in your own thoughts.
Having ‘me time’ might seem a scary situation at first but having the silence with just you and your thoughts may help in absorbing all the things you’ve learned during the day.
While it is true that rehab is a daunting task, it offers a lot of things that you will find useful. Make the most of it with these five tips and you will be able to prevent going back to the facility.