Enrolling long-term at an alcohol rehab facilitity requires a lot of preparation. Much of this is physical, such as taking care of registration and making sure you have all the necessary items. However, this can also be a very mentally demanding process.
The more prepared you are for anything, the easier it can be to adapt to it. Alcohol rehab will a new experience, but you don’t need to go in completely ignorant. This is what you need to do to prepare for a stay in alcohol rehab.
Familiarize Yourself With the Facility
It would be pretty jarring to attend a college you’ve never visited or even seen a photo of. Before you come to an alcohol rehab, you need to understand what it’s like. You should first check out their website and then try and schedule a visit. Look around and see if it’s the kind of place you would feel comfortable in.
Look for news about any facility you’re considering. If there’s been a scandal about a facility, you might need to look elsewhere. You need to find an alcohol rehab that lets you focus on your recovery, not one that fills you with additional stress.
Have Comfort Items
Being in a new environment can be scary no matter what. When you’re working towards your sobriety, you need things that remind you of home and help you feel safe. Look over the list of allowed items, and bring ones that would give you any sense of security.
From stuffed animals to notes from family, these are small things that can make a big difference. There are certainly things you wish to move on from, but you don’t need to forget everything. These can be reminders of your strength and how loved you are.
Know the Rules
Rehab facilities require patients to follow their rules, and these rules are put in place for good reason. Patients need to keep themselves and each other safe. Anything that’s going to impede safety, including anyone’s ability to stay sober, should not be tolerated.
However, not all rules are going to be exactly the same, from rehab to rehab. You should pay close attention to the rules before you decide to enroll in a rehab facility. here could be a clause that’s a dealbreaker, such as how rules about outside contact. Many of these rules are going to be obvious, but you should never assume anything about what is and isn’t allowed.
Take Care of Other Responsibilities
The world is not going on hold while you’re in alcohol rehab. If you blow off your responsibilities, you’re going to come home to a big mess. Before you go to rehab, you need to make sure everything is taken care of.
That means you need to notify your job about your absence and make sure your home is being taken care of. If your plants need watering and your pets need feeding, find someone responsible to take care of that. Your bills also need to be paid before you incur late fees and possibile shut-offs. This can be a good display of just how responsible you are.
Be Honest About Your Concerns
It’s normal to be nervous about going to alcohol rehab. You may feel the urge to overcorrect and pretend you’re so excited that you’re beside yourself. That could seem like a good idea at first, but you might start to feel like you’re lying to yourself and start to become frustrated.
You might have trouble figuring out exactly why you’re so worried. Find a moment to just sit and reflect. You could write out your feelings in a stream-of-conscious way or post on an online recovery discussion board. Be mindful of your feeling, and don’t try to put pressure on yourself to feel the “right” way. You’re not any less-deserving of happiness because you have fear and doubt. Talk to yourself as honestly and as supportively as you can. When you accept your negative feelings, they don’t feel quite so negative.
Staying in an alcohol rehab is a very big undertaking. You’re showing that addiction is not what defines you as a person. When you step into a facility, a real change can start to occur.
We hope that you can find the right facility to help you become sober. We want to help you as much as we can. Give us a call at 833-364-0736 and let us know what you need.