Alcohol Abuse Advice

Five things to remember about your drug rehabilitation center

So you’ve done the research and think you’ve found a drug rehabilitation center that speaks to you? Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step toward freedom from your addiction. As you begin to prepare for your rehab experience, though, it will be helpful to keep a few points in mind. By doing so, you’ll set more realistic expectations for yourself and the program you’ve chosen, and you’ll avoid the disappointment of realizing that your idea of rehab is, in fact, radically different than the reality of your chosen program.

1. Rehab is not a day spa

It is easy, when researching drug rehabilitation centers, to be taken in by stunning images of the New Mexico countryside, of gleaming, modern facilities, and of happy, excited people. A high quality drug rehabilitation center like Vista Taos does have many pleasant aspects and amenities. And certainly, the confidence you gain as you take back control of your addiction is cause for happiness and excitement. But you shouldn’t let the glamorous mystique of rehab blind you to the real purpose of your stay: you are here to heal, in body and spirit. While these goals can certainly be facilitated by innovative therapies such as massage and horseback riding, you should always understand that the point of these activities is not relaxation or even enjoyment for its own sake. To treat a drug rehabilitation center like a resort is to miss out on the expertise of the addiction treatment specialists who work there, and will not put you in the proper frame of mind to embrace the necessary tasks of self-reflection and personal acceptance of responsibility.

2. You won’t be “cured” overnight

For many people, admitting that they need the services of a high-quality drug rehabilitation center can take nearly all the strength they have. One of the most common ways people have of admitting that they need help is to convince themselves that rehab will be a “miracle cure” — that the act of enrolling in a program will, by itself, cause them to “get better”. While it is important not to underestimate the power of momentum, and realize that taking the first step will make all the other steps that much easier, it is crucial to remember that there will be many more steps. In fact, you are likely to experience intense ups and downs during your stay at a drug rehabilitation center. By understanding at the outset that rehab is a process that continues for years after you leave a dedicated facility, you better prepare yourself for the amount of time and work you’ll need to put in. Never forget that you are worth the effort.

3. Rehab centers tend to specialize

To gain the greatest benefit from your stay at a drug rehabilitation center, you’re going to want to follow the complete course of treatment through to the end. Because of this, many centers will offer a fairly narrow range of options, both to limit distractions to its patients and to concentrate the efforts of its staff. Some of the most established centers out there, like Vista Taos, do provide a varied menu of traditional and alternative therapy options. You must make the determination of what program is likely to be the most personally effective to you, and commit to following that particular center’s methods.

4. Your counselor is a trained professional

Accepting help is hard, especially from someone we may have never met before. But if you’ve picked out a particular drug rehabilitation center, you must know at some level that these people can help you. While final responsibility rests with you (see next point), trained therapists and counselors have access to methods and techniques that can make the addiction treatment process less painful and more likely to succeed. Trust your therapist and go into the recovery relationship willing to accept the help he can provide.

On the other hand, remember also that while these professionals want to see you overcome your addictions, they will not go out of their way to make you comfortable. Rehabilitation and recovery is unavoidably a painful process and it’s important that you neither take your therapist’s assistance for granted nor take advantage of any feelings of friendship. The last thing you need at this point is an enabler. Respect that your counselor will do all he can to help you not only because he’s your friend, but also because he has made it his professional duty to do so.

5. Ultimately, you have to be responsible for your own progress

The psychologist William James once said that we can change our world by changing our attitudes. Nowhere is this more true than at a drug rehabilitation center. Although you will find caring professional counselors and beautiful, cutting-edge facilities at a treatment center like Vista Taos, none of that will make up for your entering the center with a bad attitude. The most toxic attitude to have is the belief that the therapists are being paid to “do your work for you.” Almost as bad, though, is when you believe that you simply don’t have to power within you to change. So leave your self-doubt at the door; when you arrive at a drug rehabilitation center like Vista Taos, look forward to the chance you’re going to have to take back control of your life. And then take advantage of that chance.

Finding a quality rehab program and preparing yourself for it mentally can be very challenging. Hopefully, by keeping a few of the points mentioned here in mind, you’ll find more comfortable and ultimately more successful results.

If you need help now, please call us at 1-877-772-2616 today.

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