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One of the deterrents of attending inpatient rehab can be that you will be apart from your loved ones. It is important to remember, however, that inpatient care is generally the best choice for someone attending addiction treatment for the first time.
There are many ways for you to keep in touch with your friends and family members while you attend one of these programs.
Visiting Options for Friends and Family
Most inpatient rehab facilities have regular visiting hours for the friends and family members of patients. It is important to find out when a facility’s hours are and who is allowed to visit in order to know if the program is right for your needs.
Writing letters is a great way to keep in touch with loved ones.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, many programs also offer family behavioral therapy to patients, “which has demonstrated positive results in both adults and adolescents.”
This therapy option involves your family members in your treatment and allows you to heal problems between you and your loved ones with the help of a professional counselor to ensure greater success.
Keeping in Touch While Attending Remote Inpatient Care
But what if you want to attend a program that is not close to home? It may be much harder for your family and/or friends to visit you on a regular basis (or at all), so it is important to know other ways in which you can keep in touch with your loved ones as you attend treatment.
- Writing letters can not only bridge the gap between you and your loved ones, but it can also be therapeutic. Like writing in a journal, actually penning a letter in longhand and getting the thoughts you have onto paper can help you get rid of feelings that may have been bothering you otherwise.
- Your loved ones can send you letters as well as care packages. Make sure they know what is allowed in the facility and what is not so they do not send any prohibited items.
- Most facilities have phones and encourage patients to call their loved ones at certain times of the day. Some more expensive inpatient centers may even provide webcams so patients can see their loved ones face-to-face. This could very well benefit your situation and allow you to feel close to those you care for who may be very far away.
- If you create something in rehab (perhaps in an arts and crafts class or you write a story, etc.) that you think your loved one may like, ask the staff at your facility about ways to send it to them. This can be a nice surprise for them, and it will let them know you are thinking of them.
Keep in Touch, Even Far Away
The NIDA states, “Family and friends can play critical roles in motivating individuals with drug problems to enter and stay in treatment.”
This is one of the reasons why it is so important to stay in touch with your loved ones while in inpatient care.