Although many people struggling with addiction will have a lot of things in common, no two people with drug or alcohol use disorders are exactly the same. The basics of treatment are generally recognized as effective for everyone, but the environment in which that treatment is administered may impact the overall success of and impact on people looking to make a major change in their lives.

The best rehab centers in California offer top notch treatment, but the way they offer it may vary. 

If you’re planning your wellness journey, there are several important things you’ll want to consider. Choosing the right rehabilitation center for you is crucial in a seamless and comfortable recovery.

1. How Long Will They Let You Stay?

Some rehabilitation centers function almost exclusively as detoxification centers. They will monitor your safe withdrawal from the substances you’re addicted to and send you home. 

There are differences between detoxification centers, rehabilitation centers, and rehabilitation centers that are also certified as detoxification centers. You need to choose the center that will provide all of the assistance you need.

If you’re currently dealing with a substance use disorder, you likely want long term treatment in a rehabilitation facility that offers its own in-house detox program. You’ll enter the program, enter a safe and supervised detoxification process, and begin the rehabilitation work once you’re feeling up to it. These centers typically offer extended stays to assure that you aren’t being discharged before you’re actually ready. 

Be wary of rehabilitation centers that seem to be in a rush to push you through the door. Some people are slower to learn and adapt. Recovery may bring unresolved issues forward, and those issues may take some time to manage. 

Choose a rehab center with an adaptable timeframe. If you wind up feeling like you need a little more time, you’ll be able to take comfort in knowing that you have the option.

2. What is the Resident-to-Staff Ratio?

Detoxification and rehabilitation aren’t processes you’re intended to manage alone. A crowded and understaffed rehab may have you feeling alone a lot more often than you’d like. Many state run facilities are often overcrowded. The staff do their best to see to the needs of everyone who comes through the doors, but there are only so many hours in the day. They may not have the time or resources to appropriately serve everyone.

Rehabilitation facilities are required to list the amount of patients they’re certified to take at any one given time. A very large capacity rehab facility may feel crowded. Rehabilitation is a very personal experience. It’s highly emotional and transformative. You may be in physical and emotional pain for many pivotal moments in this transformative journey, and you’ll want to experience that in a comfortable space.

On the other hand, you don’t want to go through rehab completely alone. You’ll greatly benefit from the sense of empathy achieved by group therapy sessions. It helps to know that there are other people who understand what you’re going through. They aren’t judging you. They want to see you succeed just as they want to see themselves succeed. Removing this empathetic camaraderie may make recovery harder.

That’s why so many people prefer smaller rehab centers. Boutique facilities typically see about a dozen patients at a time. Some of them will take slightly less, and some of them will take slightly more. This assures that everyone can get round the clock help whenever they need it while preventing the feeling of isolation or loneliness that someone might experience detoxing in a private hospital room. 

3. Will You Be Comfortable at the Facility?

Rehab isn’t a place you’re going to visit. You’ll be moving in for at least a few weeks. You might be able to make do with a subpar hotel room for a weekend trip, but rehab is an extensive commitment. You won’t be coming and going, and “sticking it out” is much harder for a month than it is for a night or two.

In order to have a successful experience, you’ll need to be comfortable the whole time. Rehab requires a certain level of emotional vulnerability and a lot of physical healing. If you cannot rest or be at peace, you may be sabotaging your progress.

Before you book your stay, get a good feel for what your room will look like. How much privacy will you have? Will you have your own bathroom? Are the beds comfortable? What about the common areas? When considering the comfort of your rehabilitation facility, treat it like renting a furnished apartment. 

You need to be able to relax and let yourself feel at home during your extended stay. If you’re preoccupied with an eagerness to leave, you won’t be able to give your recovery all of the attention it needs. Ask for a tour of the facility.

4. Do You Have Special Requirements?

Many people with drug use or alcohol use disorders will often have pre-existing mental health conditions. Depression is very common in adults, and some people develop their substance abuse disorders as a means of self medicating that depression.They don’t want to stew in an uncomfortable sadness, so they use the mind altering effects of their substance of choice to help them “escape” from the inside of their own minds. 

Treating the addition is not enough. Treating the depression is also crucial to a successful outcome. If the addiction alone is treated, the only thing that’s really happened is the removal of a crutch. A depressed person with unmanaged depression will still be seeking a solution. If they don’t find that solution in a healthy and productive way, they may feel more inclined to turn back to drugs.

You deserve better than a half-hearted fix. Your depression (or other co-occurring mental health obstacles) requires just as much care as your substance abuse disorder. Both need to be treated simultaneously. The substance will be removed as an improper coping mechanism and healthy strategies can be deployed in their place. You’ll know what to do when you feel sad or lonely. You’ll have something productive and joyful to turn to, rather than abusing your mind and body with substances.

Make the most of your opportunity to achieve wellness by thoroughly addressing everything that’s holding you back. You’re worth the work and you deserve a successful outcome. A rehabilitation program that prioritizes treating you as an entire being instead of treating you as a substance user will give you the best outcome.

 Look for rehabilitation centers that are certified for treating co-occurring conditions. These centers sometimes call their treatment plan a “dual diagnosis” program. 

5. What is the Center’s Approach to Health and Wellness?

People with substance abuse disorders often fail to take care of themselves. Their time and money goes into using or finding more of their substance of choice. They aren’t prioritizing exercise or a healthy diet. Their bodies become weaker and their systems stop functioning properly. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be restoring your physical health as a whole, rather than merely eliminating substances from the equation.

Choose a rehab center that provides you with healthy meals. Some rehabilitation facilities keep a chef on staff to prepare balanced meals from fresh ingredients. You’ll get a daily dose of all the vitamins and minerals that your body has desperately missed, and your system will get to work on using them to repair your muscles, tissues, and organs. 

Although many people feel sluggish and a bit tired after detox, the best thing to do once you’re feeling up to it is to move around a little. Your body needs to keep oxygen pumping and blood flowing in order to properly heal itself. Most rehabilitation facilities do not permit intense exercise, as it’s often too taxing on a recovering patient. Many rehab centers offer valuable, gentle alternatives.

Look for a rehabilitation center with a pool or an area for low intensity water exercise. Some rehab centers will incorporate yoga or other gentle and effective exercise into your recovery plan. 

The combination of nutritious meals and a little light movement will help you feel stronger and healthier while promoting the release of natural endorphins that will boost your mood and elevate your spirit.

The Takeaway

The decision to get help is the most important choice. The second most important choice is where to get that help. 

Do your research and ask plenty of questions. It’s important to feel comfortable with the rehab center you’ve chosen, and you only want to make this choice one time.

Ideally, you’ll find a rehab facility that prepares you to commit to a sober and healthy life and you’ll never need to return. It’s worth being thorough to assure you’re making the right decision. 

Ready to get started with one of the best rehab centers in California? Contact us here at Indah Recovery today.

Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml

https://www.verywellmind.com/forty-healthy-coping-skills-4586742

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-common-nutrient-deficiencies