A Typical Day for Patients at Drug Recovery Centers

A Typical Day for Patients at Drug Recovery Centers

October 3, 2016 | Recovery Connection | Addiction, Treatment

A Typical Day for Patients at Drug Recovery Centers

three woman attending drug recovery centersMany prospective patients eager to begin their journey to sobriety worry about what drug rehab will be like. While drug recovery centers can vary, they usually revolve around structure. This helps patients develop new and healthier routines for life. By taking a look at a typical day in a drug recovery center, prospective patients can better understand what to expect from residential programs.

Wake Up and Breakfast

Patients in drug recovery programs do best in structured environments. For that reason, many centers have a standard time to wake up everyday. This is usually also when programs conduct vitals and conduct a basic physical and medical check in. After some personal time to get ready, patients frequently share breakfast in a cafeteria or restaurant-style dining area.

Personal Activity Time

A typical day in a treatment center might begin by offering patients some personal activity time in the mornings. This could be used to take a walk, hit the gym, participate in a meditation class or sip coffee while reading a book.

Group Therapy Sessions

A staple of many drug recovery programs is group therapy. This might consist of sharing experiences or participating in a team building exercise to help patients learn more about others’ experiences.

Communal Lunch Hour

Meals are shared in many drug recovery centers, and lunch is no exception. In rehab centers where nutrition in a focus, lunch might consist of a salad filled with local produce, roasted vegetables with chicken or a cheese-filled quesadilla.

Individual Treatment or Therapy

After lunch, patients might participate in individual treatment. This is often the backbone of rehab, and the type of treatment each day will depend on the individual needs of the patient. Some of the potential one-on-one treatment options might include:

  • Mental health care as part of dual diagnosis treatment
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Massage therapy

Organized Group Activity

As the day draws to a close, patients in drug recovery programs might participate in an organized group activity. On a typical day, this might be a group hike, a musical therapy class or a yoga class. Lectures or seminars are also possible, as are supervised group outings.

Dinner and 12-Step Meeting

A final communal meal usually rounds out the day in addiction recovery. Over dinner, patients can discuss their day with their peers, share personal stories and develop their social skills in a productive, meaningful way. Many rehab programs offer 12-step meetings in the evenings. These are a good way to reflect on progress and discuss any cravings or setbacks in a safe setting. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, attending 12-step meetings benefits recovery.

Don’t be intimidated by drug recovery centers. Clear schedules and individualized treatment ensures that patients get the care and help they need. Contact Recovery Connection at 866-812-8231 for more information on finding the right center for your personal recovery.

What Are We Looking For?

What Are We Looking For?

October 3, 2016 | Hollis Crittendon, CADC-I | Addiction, Featured Article

What is addiction? Addiction is an attempt to escape from the suffering an individual is going through. It is one’s own effort to escape their current reality. We are looking for peace within the drug. A drive for peace that kills many of us. Much of addiction is searching for that “destination” that will make us ok. “Once I move here then things will be different.” “Once she’s out of my life then it’ll be ok.” We’ve heard them all.

 

As I took my last breath, my soul left my body and it was the first resemblance of peace since I began shooting dope back in my late teens and early 20’s. I continued to chase that feeling for the next 5 years. Hell, heroin was so good that it almost worked. It was one of the few things to cross my path that really came close to doing the job, to numb it all out.  

 

That experience with death, not my first one neither will it be the last, proved to me what our true nature is. What we are underneath it all; peace and love.

 

In recovery, life was miserable for a long time. I thought about not wanting to be around any longer on a daily basis. Addiction had numbed out the current pain. It offered a temporary Band-Aid. Recovery opened up all that good stuff hidden deep down. It was quite the journey early on. Pain pushed me onward. What I didn’t realize was that in order to heal, it was necessary to feel the pain in order to get to the other side; peace.

 

In addition, what we are doing is running from the pain. Running from the darkness.

 

“Even the darkest of nights turns to light” is a motto that eloquently resembles our paths in recovery. Much of me didn’t believe any peace was possible on this side of things. The experience with the after-life reminded me that wasn’t true.

 

After years of healing, I still seek the exact same thing as we do in our addictions; peace. We all have our different ways of finding it. It wasn’t until I uncovered, discovered, and discarded the obstacles that were blocking from that true nature, did the essence present itself. I found the thing I was looking for in the last place one might think to look. Within our very own beings. 

 

Peace and love.