Checking into a rehab is a powerful step in the direction of being free from your addiction. There are those who manage to turn their lives around after rehab, and those who go from rehab to rehab without achieving lasting changes. What can you do to ensure that your rehab stay is a success? Checking into a rehab is only the first step; once you’ve checked in, there are things that you can do to enhance the effectiveness of the program so that you get the best chance of success.
1. Be open-minded.
You may be asked to do things that you are not comfortable doing, such as things that you judge as silly, weird, wacky, ‘out there’ or simplistic. Give everything a chance. Most things take time to yield results, so try not to judge things too quickly. Learning to be more patient will help you move away from addiction since addiction is about seeking instant gratification.
Participate in all the sessions. Something you label as useless may be the very thing that gives you the biggest breakthrough. In fact, this is such an important point that it needs to be elaborated. When you find yourself resisting something, it may point you to a block. Therefore, it’s an opportunity for you to examine your resistance, which may be the same resistance that hold you back in life.
2. Curb the temptation to rebel.
Rebelliousness is part of the dynamics in addiction; when you take an addictive substance, you are rebelling against the voices that say you mustn’t go there. Having rules and regulations enforced in your environment may trigger that part of you to rebel against it. If you give in to this temptation, you are only reinforcing an old pattern of addiction. Trusting and appreciating the safety and protectedness of the environment will go a long way in helping you break old patterns of behaviour.
3. Put 100% into it.
The sessions in the program are only as effective as how much you put into it. If you turn up to every session but give only your half-hearted attention, you’re still not participating fully. Give your best by being as present as you can in the sessions and immersing yourself in the processes you are being guided through.
4. Don’t hold back sharing.
A rehab is an opportunity for you to talk about the things which you don’t feel comfortable talking about with the people in your life. Make use of this opportunity to express all that is going on for you. Not only is it healing for you, it also helps your therapists to give you the best help you need.
5. Be as honest as you can.
If you’ve been struggling with addiction for some time, it may not feel natural for you to show yourself honestly. There’s a lot of hiding going on in addiction, including putting on a mask to hide who you are inside. If you’re in a group setting, your honesty will encourage others to be honest and the whole group benefits from the increased real-ness that promotes deep changes for everyone. Chances are, if you’re dishonest, others will pick it up since you are in the company of those who are skilled at being dishonest at some point in their lives. They will sense that something is amiss, which will leave the group stunted in its movement.
Sometimes, a participant may be deliberately dishonest to test whether they can get away with it. Getting away with it will give them a sense of gaining one-up on those they manage to fool. Be aware that testing the boundary is also a part of the dynamics of addiction. Therefore, even if they think you have gotten away with it, they have only shortchanged themselves.
1. Be open-minded.
You may be asked to do things that you are not comfortable doing, such as things that you judge as silly, weird, wacky, ‘out there’ or simplistic. Give everything a chance. Most things take time to yield results, so try not to judge things too quickly. Learning to be more patient will help you move away from addiction since addiction is about seeking instant gratification.
Participate in all the sessions. Something you label as useless may be the very thing that gives you the biggest breakthrough. In fact, this is such an important point that it needs to be elaborated. When you find yourself resisting something, it may point you to a block. Therefore, it’s an opportunity for you to examine your resistance, which may be the same resistance that hold you back in life.
2. Curb the temptation to rebel.
Rebelliousness is part of the dynamics in addiction; when you take an addictive substance, you are rebelling against the voices that say you mustn’t go there. Having rules and regulations enforced in your environment may trigger that part of you to rebel against it. If you give in to this temptation, you are only reinforcing an old pattern of addiction. Trusting and appreciating the safety and protectedness of the environment will go a long way in helping you break old patterns of behaviour.
3. Put 100% into it.
The sessions in the program are only as effective as how much you put into it. If you turn up to every session but give only your half-hearted attention, you’re still not participating fully. Give your best by being as present as you can in the sessions and immersing yourself in the processes you are being guided through.
4. Don’t hold back sharing.
A rehab is an opportunity for you to talk about the things which you don’t feel comfortable talking about with the people in your life. Make use of this opportunity to express all that is going on for you. Not only is it healing for you, it also helps your therapists to give you the best help you need.
5. Be as honest as you can.
If you’ve been struggling with addiction for some time, it may not feel natural for you to show yourself honestly. There’s a lot of hiding going on in addiction, including putting on a mask to hide who you are inside. If you’re in a group setting, your honesty will encourage others to be honest and the whole group benefits from the increased real-ness that promotes deep changes for everyone. Chances are, if you’re dishonest, others will pick it up since you are in the company of those who are skilled at being dishonest at some point in their lives. They will sense that something is amiss, which will leave the group stunted in its movement.
Sometimes, a participant may be deliberately dishonest to test whether they can get away with it. Getting away with it will give them a sense of gaining one-up on those they manage to fool. Be aware that testing the boundary is also a part of the dynamics of addiction. Therefore, even if they think you have gotten away with it, they have only shortchanged themselves.
