Drug rehabs are very important tools in drug addiction recovery for many reasons. They offer the crucial support and encouragement that may be very difficult to find otherwise. They also can establish lifelong friendships, useful in replacing the drug-centered relationships of the past.
Addiction recovery can also be a difficult time of healing for friends and family members who may have been hurt during the course of the addiction.
It may take these relationships some time to heal, as recovering addicts learn to ask for and accept forgiveness and, more importantly, to forgive themselves. Likewise, they may need to learn to grant forgiveness to friends or family members who have caused pain in the past. This time of change in one’s personal life make it all the more important to establish stable, reliable friendships in drug recovery. It is small wonder these relationships often last a lifetime.
The self-awareness and stress management techniques gained in drug rehab programs also last a lifetime. They will be critical in avoiding relapse in the difficult days ahead, as the recovering addict adjusts to daily life without reliance on substances. Furthermore, the ongoing counseling and therapy services many rehab facilities provide – commonly known as “aftercare” – can help during this adjustment period as well.
It can provide encouragement and accountability to help a recovering addict persevere through the process and successfully achieve that productive, drug-free life of their dreams. Because drug rehab opens up so many new connections and relationships, it can also serve to help a person become physically reestablished after completing the rehab program. Finding a car, home and especially a job can be difficult during this time – particularly for those with any felony convictions on their record. The people met in drug rehab may be able to help open up some doors and make those opportunities possible for all recovering addicts.
Drug rehab programs provide a steady, stable, substance-free environment where a person can focus on their recovery in peace and quiet. If the facility is out of town, it can serve as a buffer from the temptations to join the same crowd and revisit the same old social hangouts where drugs are used. Essentially, the many combined benefits of drug rehab serve to lessen the likelihood of relapse.
Through the intensive therapy and counseling offered in drug rehab detox, a person will learn more about themselves. This self-awareness is critical to a healthy lifestyle, physically, emotionally and mentally. They may learn more about why they began drug abuse and come to terms with any issues from the past that may have been a contributing cause. Therapy and counseling will also help a recovering addict learn more about their personality, their weaknesses and their limits. These realizations can help that person withstand temptation if they are in a setting where drugs are attainable. Furthermore, life skills classes on such topics as parenting and finances are offered by many rehab facilities. These classes can help a recovering addict learn more about their individual abilities, interests and talents, all things they may never have been free enough and healthy enough to explore before.
