Going to rehab can be a hugely significant step that provides you with the perfect start for a new life in recovery. Taking this step isn’t just about getting help to stay sober for the first few weeks, the real benefit of this type of programme is that it allows you to pick up the tools you will need to build a better life. It also means that you get to dig down to the root of your problems through group therapy, one-to-one therapy, and other interventions.
In order to benefit from rehab, it would be necessary for you to put in some effort. This is not the type of situation where you can just learn from osmosis. You need to take charge of your own recovery and make use of the resources that will be available to you. All these facilities can really do is to provide you with the resources you need, so it will always be up to you to make the most of these resources. If you go into rehab with the wrong attitude, you might not gain very much from the experience at all.
If you want to be sure of getting the most out of your time in an inpatient programme, it is a good idea to do some preparation. You do not have to put a lot of time into getting ready, and it will not require much in the way of effort. The type of steps that you may want to take at this stage have been listed in the below paragraphs.
Eliminating the Obstacles to Recovery
One of the most important things you can do in your preparation for rehab is to remove any obstacles that are likely to hold you back. It is important to keep in mind that with all of this preparation, you are unlikely to get things perfect but anything you can do now to prepare yourself will make things easier. There are some common obstacles that are known to get in the way of recovery and, if you could begin overcoming these, you will really be supercharging your commitment to this new life.
One of the most dangerous obstacles to getting the most out of rehab is ambivalence. This means that you are in two minds about recovery. On the one hand, you do know that getting sober would be a wise thing to do, but on the other, you also hold on to the hope that you will one day be able to safely use alcohol or drugs again. This type of ambivalence could prevent you from ever making a serious attempt to get sober because it takes 100 per cent commitment to be able to make such a major change. If you are ambivalent, you are not really committed and it might not take much to get you back on the path to destruction. You need to be committed to completely remove alcohol and drugs from your life, although you can approach this challenge one day at a time.
One of the other big hurdles to doing well in rehab is unrealistic expectations. It is perfectly understandable that you expect your life to improve by taking this step, and this will happen if you let it, but it is unreasonable to expect these improvements to occur on your schedule. You probably didn’t fall into the misery of addiction overnight, so you can expect your recovery to take a bit of time as well. One of the things you definitely don’t want to do is sabotage your new life by setting unreasonable conditions – a classic example of this would be those going to rehab to get their ex back. You cannot control other people and just because you have stopped harming yourself does not automatically mean that your ex is obliged to take you back; it may happen, but you should not bet your recovery on it.
One of the other hurdles to recovery is entering rehab for the wrong reasons. An example of this would be going there to get others off your back (for example, your boss or your family). There are examples of people entering rehab for all the wrong reasons but were then able to develop the right motivation once there; nonetheless, it is better to be fully committed from the beginning. If you feel pressured into going to get this type of help then you may feel rebellious, but it will be you who suffers if you do not make the most of this great opportunity.
Another possible barrier to making progress in a rehabilitation centre would be demand resistance or closed-mindedness. Demand resistance is the process whereby individuals automatically rebel against any perceived demands put upon them; it is a common behaviour among those falling into addiction. It is believed that demand resistance is a negative coping strategy that many develop as kids in response to growing up in a home where there are unrealistic demands put upon them. It gets to the stage where the person automatically says no to any demands – even their own ones. Closed-mindedness is also bad in rehab because it would mean that you could not learn all the things you need to learn in order to move forward with your new life.
How to Prepare for Rehab
One of the keys to preparing yourself for rehab is to be clear about what you want from the experience. Why do you need to become sober? It is much better if you can have clear answers to this question that involve things you really care about. The problem is that if you are committing to this new life due to some type of vague reason, this might not be enough to keep you motivated long-term. It is also important to have some positive reasons for staying sober because fear is only ever going to get you so far.
Another way you could prepare yourself for rehab is to start feeling excited about the future. This is worth doing because this excitement acts as a type of fuel to power your motivation. You can develop this excitement by mentally picturing your new life in sobriety. Imagine how good it would feel to be free and with so many more potential new opportunities ahead in your life. It does not matter how much you have messed up until this point, here is your second chance, and it is something to feel excited about.
One of the other things that are going to make things easier both now and in the future is to start to develop gratitude for any improvements in your life. It is so easy to take things for granted, but this means that you will always be focused on what you do not have rather than all the great stuff you do have. One good option is to commit to keeping a daily gratitude diary where you write down all the good stuff going on for you. It is often said that as long as you remain grateful for your recovery, you are highly unlikely to relapse. You cannot just rely on feeling grateful when the mood strikes you; this needs to be something you cultivate.
