What Does a Day in Rehab Look Like?

That’s a question that anyone considering inpatient drug or alcohol treatment can benefit from asking (if they haven’t already). The answer will vary from one rehab facility to another, depending on the various treatment interventions they offer for substance abuse and the philosophy, location and structure of their drug and alcohol programs.

Evidence-Based Treatments for Substance Abuse

At Beach House, our daily schedule revolves around various “evidence-based” group and individual therapies for addiction that have proven effective in clinical trials. Starting on their first day of detox, (which is medically managed withdrawal from one or more drugs), clients can begin to take part in these clinical offerings with a view to building relapse resilience, developing effective coping skills, cultivating a healthy spirituality that enables core changes for recovery, and forging meaningful connections with themselves and one another. These key components to lasting sobriety and a healthy and fulfilled life interweave just about any typical day in rehab at Beach House.

The same points of emphasis are also writ large in the clinical specialties that clients have an opportunity to explore on a daily rotation as small group members:

• Psychodrama – A form of psychotherapy that allows clients to role-play past events or future scenarios in a safe, supportive environment, so they can find healing from inner wounds that may be feeding an addiction, and so they can develop healthy life coping skills.
• Authentic Self ­– Group processing that helps clients connect more deeply with their strengths, values, goals and passions, so they can develop a greater sense of life meaning and purpose.
• Healthy Relationships – A therapy that equips clients with practical interpersonal skills for setting boundaries, expressing emotion, and forging deeper, more meaningful human connections.
• 12-Step Groups – The application of evidence-based recovery principles that support sobriety and connect clients with others on a similar path.
• Spirituality and Core Change – An intervention that helps clients make core life changes necessary to recovery by helping them connect with their own unique spirituality.
  

Other Treatments Effective for Substance Abuse

The following treatments found to be effective for substance abuse can also feature into any given day in rehab at Beach House:

• Expressive and Creative Therapies like art, music, movement, meditation, journaling, and experiential, activity-based therapy
• Touch Therapy in the form of massage by a licensed therapist
• Gender-Specific Groups in which participants may feel more inclined to share about difficult feelings and experiences when those present are all one gender
• Specialized Education Groups ­on topics like physical wellness and nutrition, the biology of addiction, coping, transition and independence skills
• Recreation Therapy/Sober Skill Building that pleasure-packs clients’ free time with game nights, community barbecues, and beach activities, among other forms of recreation, so that clients can begin to appreciate the fun in sobriety

The “Typical Day” in Rehab

There is a sense in which there is no “typical day” in rehab at Beach House. Each new day affords new perspectives, experiences and opportunities for reflection—so the idea that no day in rehab is different from any other can be misleading.

On the other hand, an important aim of inpatient rehab is to help clients come to understand recovery as a daily discipline of holistic self-care. That means having an organized daily structure in place that addresses a wide range of therapeutic needs, keeps clients actively and enthusiastically engaged in treatment, and habituates a whole new way of living. The idea is to help clients reprogram from one way of life to another: whereas drugs and alcohol were once the daily habit, now new everyday rhythms train and condition clients for maintaining a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

What a Day in Rehab Can Look Like

Here’s a breakdown of what that might look like on any given day at Beach House:

• 6:30-8:30 a.m. An early morning start that includes a nutritious breakfast, some time for cardio exercise with a personal trainer, and the administration of medication(s)
• 9-9:30 a.m. A guided morning meditation followed by a break
• 10-11:15 a.m. Group therapy facilitated by a therapist specializing in one of our clinical treatment focus areas, namely Psychodrama, Authentic Self, Healthy Relationships, 12-Step Groups, Spirituality or Core Change
• 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Individual medical appointment (on another day, this window might be filled with other meeting opportunities, like alumnae or community get-togethers).
• 12-1 p.m. A nutritious lunch prepared by our on-site chef and another medication check-in
• 1-2:15 p.m. Music therapy, goal setting, relapse prevention or life skills coaching
• 2-3 p.m. Medications and an afternoon break that may include a therapeutic walk around our scenic campus (which neighbors miles of protected beach preserve)
• 3-4 p.m. More education about self-advocacy, physical fitness, or healthy nutrition, among other recovery-related topics
• 4-5 p.m. Time spent in individual therapy, yoga or meditation
• 5-6 p.m. Dinner and medication
• 6-7:30 p.m. Guest speaker presentation
• 8-9:30 p.m. “Sober Fun” time in the way of socializing and hanging out, and playing ping pong and board games, among other forms of recreation
• 10 p.m. “Lights Out” so clients can get the recommended eight hours of sleep during the week