The thought of going into rehab can be really scary, especially when you don’t know anyone who has done it before you and can give you some advice. However, there are a few tips you can keep in mind that will help you integrate into the environment more easily.
First, you need to know what rehab is. Rehab is not a spa where you get daily massages while trying to get over an addiction. It is not a jail either, where you will be chained to the walls and tortured. Rehab is a safe place for those who have a drug problem to work on getting better.
It is like being in a hospital that works on the mind rather than the body.
Know that when you first come into rehab, you will need to go through detox. Whether you are addicted to marijuana, cocaine or even heroin, you have to get all the residual drugs out of your body and this detox process may be both terrifying and painful. This is because your body starts to get used to the drugs you take and when you suddenly stop taking them, it rebels. However, this is essential to recovery.
Your next step will be real rehabilitation in which you will go to individual and group therapy sessions to talk through the reasons you started taking drugs and the kinds of issues that make you want to take them. This is essential if you want to stop the cycle of self-destruction that is addiction.
Once you have gone through these and are ready to leave rehab, understand that you may need to go into continued care or outpatient care. This means that you are not completely set free and left to fend for yourself.
You always have a place to go where you will be reminded of why you went to rehab in the first place and what you are trying to achieve in life. Places such as this help you get past the feelings of dependency and the cravings and help you focus on really sorting out your problems.