5 Tips That Will Make Rehab More Successful

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Every addict thinks about seeking out drug or alcohol rehabilitation at some point. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning.”

However, each person’s outcome depends on a number of factors. Some of the tips that follow can help patients to find appropriate treatment and increase their odds of treatment success.

1. Commit 100 Percent

Making the choice to seek treatment is a big, important step and it is to be commended. But, the hard work doesn’t stop there. Rehab is consistently difficult and at the same time consistently rewarding. To get the reward, you have to do the work. The only way to make it successfully through rehab is to commit to your own sobriety.

That doesn’t mean that relapses or back sliding won’t happen or that if they do you haven’t tried hard enough. Even with a complete commitment, the road to sobriety looks different for each person. Relapses aren’t failure; they just mean that treatment needs to be reinstated, continued, or adjusted. At times, they indicate alternative treatment may be needed.

2. Be Involved

Once you have committed yourself to the treatment, get involved with the program in any way you can. Raise your hand. Speak up. Make it a point to volunteer for optional treatments, classes, and therapies.

Although therapy may only take up a small portion of each day of treatment, make it a point to do homework. Put the lessons learned in therapy into practice. Do additional reading and keep a journal. Discuss what you are learning with friends and family.

3. Find a Program Designed for You

A lot of rehab success depends on how suited to your needs the treatment is. Look for programs that directly address your age, gender, culture, and religious orientation. For example, a teen with a substance abuse disorder will most benefit from a program aimed at teens and the particular issues they face in association with their addiction. In addition, as gender issues are complicated for teenagers, remaining part of a gender specific program will eliminate those pressures. All addicts have unique traits and the more oriented a program is toward those traits, the better served the patient will be; that leads to a better chance of long-term success.

4. Seek Out Assisted Detox

Detoxification is the first step of any treatment plan, but withdrawal symptoms can send patients running back to their substance of choice. When a person with a substance abuse disorder is using, the body has access to the drugs it needs when it wants them, and treatment changes that arrangement. This can alarm the body and initiate withdrawal. Although they symptoms of withdrawal range from unpleasant to excruciating, the urge to use also differs. But, regardless of the degree of withdrawal, any additional support for detoxification helps. When seeking out a treatment facility with supervised detox, contact the experts at Addictions.com; they have the resources you need.

5. Maintain Responsibility

Yes, your drug or alcohol abuse is the result of a brain disorder that you aren’t able to manage. The substance abuse disorder you live with isn’t a failure of willpower on your part. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to let it lead you in your actions and decision making.

One of the most valuable parts of rehab is that it puts you back in the driver’s seat and helps you learn to manage your condition. You regain some of the control you may feel you lost to addiction. Don’t let go of this power and hand it back to your addiction and your triggers. Only you can fully embrace your rehabilitation and recognize the skills that will help you to remain sober.

Every person experiences rehab differently, which means each person will need different tips and tricks to help them succeed. But, all people need to commit themselves and too seek out help where they can find it. As you progress using the tips above, also begin developing a support network made up of family, friends, and support group members. Don’t try to do this in isolation.