Blog - Beach House Rehab Center
October 25, 2019

What Is Rehab & Is It the Right Treatment For You?

Rehab—short for rehabilitation—refers to drug and alcohol programs that are administered in a residential setting. It may be the right option for you if you are struggling with drug/alcohol addiction and need help.

If you need to know more before you make up your mind, you may find what you’re looking for here. We’ll introduce you to rehab, explain the goals of treating patients in a residential setting and tell you what treatments you’re likely to experience.

Table of Contents

  • What is Rehab?
  • What is a Typical Day of Rehab?
  • What are the Advantages of Rehab?
  • Is Rehab the Right Choice for Me?

What is Rehab?

You know the definition of rehab, but that definition doesn’t tell the whole story if you’ve never stayed with a residential treatment program. What does ‘residential care’ mean when it comes to treating drug addiction? Knowing the answer may help you make up your mind.

Rehab is a type of drug addiction treatment that sets itself apart from other treatments with its comprehensive approach. During rehab, you live in the facility while receiving treatments. You eat, sleep and socialize in the facility, for a period of time that can last weeks or months.

Though all rehab programs are unique, they are often defined by the following features.

A carefully-designed environment

During rehab, you are meant to be separated from the pressures and networks that led you to drugs or alcohol abuse in the first place. For that reason, most rehab facilities are designed to create an environment that encourages reflection and healing.

To enhance these effects, many rehab centers are located in areas surrounded by natural beauty. If you respond to nature, you can choose to stay in a facility where you can enjoy the effects of mountain views, lush forests or sandy beaches.

Structure and schedules

In rehab, you will have a schedule. While your comfort and relaxation are important, you will need to attend the scheduled activities in order to comply with the program. These activities are designed to help you rebuild important skills, and in some cases, just to help you have some fun.

Staff on-site

Your daily schedule may also include counseling. In rehab facilities, there is always a therapist nearby. This means that you can pursue more frequent counseling than is normally possible when you’re living outside of a rehab facility. Rehab facilities also have the medical staff on-site to deal with emergencies.

What is a typical day of rehab?

Your daily experience will change throughout care. Once you’ve completed detox, you’ll settle into a routine where you’ll wake up with a set of goals and appointments. Your schedule could include any of the following activities:

  • Group therapy
  • Personal therapy sessions
  • Doctor’s appointments
  • Homework
  • Exercise or yoga
  • Meditation
  • Sightseeing trips

You may also be assigned custom activities that allow you to explore passions such as journaling, painting or music. While you will have obligations, rehab is a low-pressure environment where you’ll have plenty of time to rest.

What are the Advantages of Rehab?

There are alternatives to rehab. You may be considering detoxing at home. You may be willing to work with a support group. These options are low-cost compared to rehab, but they do not share the same advantages.

It’s a safe way to detox

Rehab facilities are some of the safest places to go through detox. Your condition will be constantly monitored over the course of a week. There will be doctors standing by in case the withdrawal symptoms lead to any medical emergencies. Additional pain and discomfort can be treated as soon as it develops.

A new environment makes recovery easier

Quitting an addiction on your own isn’t easy, even if you’re taking prescriptions and working with a support group. Even if you want to quit, you are surrounded by environmental triggers that can cause you to fall back into old habits.

Rehab gives you an enclave from all of those environmental pressures for a short time. The distance can allow you to take a breath, and decide what it is that you really want. It can be hard to understand what’s harming you or contributing to your addiction until you’ve put some distance between you and your environment.

More comprehensive treatments

Comprehensive treatments are easier to implement in rehab.

It can be difficult for those with addictions to complete behavioral therapy on their own, even when meeting with a therapist regularly. This is because they still spend most of their day in the environment where they first started using. They often know where to find their drug of choice.

The alcohol rehab environment makes it possible to teach and reinforce new habits on a daily basis.

Is it Right for Me?

Rehab is one of the most effective ways to manage drug and alcohol addiction. However, there are some obstacles that can make rehab care difficult, including…

  • Time constraints (unable to commit to staying nights)
  • Believe the addiction is manageable
  • Financial concerns

There are alternative treatments if you are facing any of the obstacles. However, you shouldn’t assume that you can’t afford rehab. If you’d like to know more about how patients cover the costs of rehab, see our complete rehab guide.

Ask yourself the following questions to consider whether it may meet your needs…

  • Is it risky for me to detox on my own?
  • Do I have trouble committing to counseling and therapy?
  • Do I live in an area that makes it easy to feed my addiction?
  • Have I been living with addiction for more than a year?

If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you may benefit from the unique advantages that rehab offers. It may be the right choice for you.