The decision to go to rehab is an extremely important one. If you finally feel as though you’re ready to make a change to prioritize your physical and mental health, you’re at an incredible turning point. You’re realizing that you desire more from life. The next step is to find a rehab that will be able to adequately support you on your journey to recovery.
If you choose the wrong rehab, you might feel less inclined to stick to the program. You’ll be spending a lot of time at this facility, and it’s important that you feel your needs are being met while you’re there. You need your rehab to offer you everything you need to feel secure and comfortable throughout your stay.
Choosing the right California rehab for your needs will require you to make many important considerations. Understanding your options and prioritizing your preferred lifestyle will help you choose a rehab that provides everything you need to make the most of your treatment.
Who Benefits From Inpatient Rehab?
Anyone with a drug use disorder or an alcohol use disorder will benefit from inpatient rehabilitation. Inpatient rehabilitation provides constant care. Unlike outpatient treatment, where people struggling to maintain their sobriety are promptly released back into the world and exposed to challenges they may not be prepared to handle, inpatient treatment focuses on readiness.
When you’re receiving residential rehabilitation, all triggers and temptations are removed. You don’t have easy access to drugs, and you’re not in a place where the same outside stressors may be pushing you to use. There are no visual cues or associations with your habit in this completely new environment. It becomes easier to separate your mind and your goals from your addiction.
Another advantage of inpatient rehab is the ability to detox and complete addiction treatment in the same place with the same team. Many inpatient rehabs are certified for on-site detox. You can get comfortable in one place and establish a routine that works for you, all the way up until it’s time to go home. The consistency of care and familiar faces may make it easier to commit to long-term recovery if you’re the kind of person that prefers routine.
Checking Certification
California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) works with its Substance Use Disorder Compliance (SUDC) division to regulate rehabilitation facilities. The state of California has a strict list of requirements a rehabilitation must meet to become licensed. Rehabilitation facilities must periodically reapply for their licenses to assure continued compliance.
DHCS is always investigating rehabilitation facilities and shuttering those that operate without a proper license or those that do not properly comply with the regulations that have been set forth. Before you check into a California rehabilitation facility, make sure it’s properly licensed. That’s the only way you can be sure that the treatment you’re receiving uses the latest scientific research and is held accountable to perform the best and most effective practices.
Staff Qualifications
Once you’ve checked the facility’s license status, you’ll want to check on the qualifications of the staff. You want knowledgeable care providers who are experienced in helping people just like you overcome addiction. These people should have medical, clinical, and therapeutic backgrounds.
Most rehabilitation centers will feature staff bios that list the educational background, qualifications, and experience each member of the staff brings to the table. You’ll be able to get a feel for who you’re working with and how their unique skill sets can help you achieve a healthy, sober lifestyle.
Do You Need Detox?
Some people attend rehab after they’ve detoxed in a hospital or detoxed at home. Detoxing at home is almost never safe. If you haven’t already done so, speak with a rehabilitation professional before making an attempt.
Not all rehabilitation facilities are licensed for inpatient detox. Centers that are recognized as detox centers will have that information listed along with their licensing information. You may want to read up on the center’s approach to detox. Choose a center that is thorough.
Detox centers should be monitoring your heart rate and respiration regularly. They want to check your vitals and monitor you closely for serious side effects that will require immediate medical intervention. You should feel safe, comfortable, and well tended to while you’re going through drug detox.
Rehab Capacity
Some drug rehabilitation centers are very large, serving 50 or more people at one time. This can mean that each patient does not get as much attention from their care providers as they may need. Smaller rehabilitation centers are able to provide more care to their patients, as the staff is not overtaxed with more patients than they can reasonably handle.
If this is your first experience with rehab, you might be nervous. This nervousness is normal. Your nervousness might be made better in a more intimate environment with fewer patients to share the space with, and you might be more comfortable knowing you won’t be waiting for help or rushed through the process.
Diet, Exercise, And Health
An important part of rehabilitation is learning how to take care of yourself. Drugs and alcohol can damage your body, and things like self-care fall to the wayside when people become consumed by addiction. A great rehab will help you tend to all aspects of your health and wellness.
Do they provide you with delicious and wholesome meals? Will you have opportunities for regular low-intensity exercise? Will the facility provide you with everything you need to get restful and restorative sleep? These are questions you should ask a potential rehab facility.
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Therapies Provided By The Facility
One of the most important aspects of a rehab facility is the therapy they provide. After you’ve safely completed the detox portion of the program, you’ll move into the actual treatment for your addiction.
Group therapy gives everyone a chance to speak in a judgement-free environment. Everyone there has a unique understanding of what you’re going through because they are also addicts. You don’t need to feel afraid to share your experiences and stories when most people in the group will be able to relate to them.
Individual therapy helps you to recognize your own problematic patterns of behavior or uncover emotions that have driven you to abuse substances. Individual therapy is a place to discuss deeply personal things. Everyone’s path to addiction recovery is different, and you’ll work with your therapist to create a personalized, actionable plan that prioritizes your wellness.
If you have a mental illness (like depression, post traumatic stress disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder) that comes in conjunction with your addiction, you’ll want to choose a center with a dual diagnosis program. Treating mental illness and addiction simultaneously will ensure that they don’t create a negative feedback loop, setting each other off and driving you to relapse.
People often use drugs as a way of coping with mental illness. If the coping mechanism is taken away and the mental illness is left untreated, you may feel tempted to revert back to drugs or alcohol. They were the only crutch you had. Dual diagnosis programs help to build better coping mechanisms and provide patients with multiple struggles with what they need to feel better.
Aftercare Arrangements
After you leave an inpatient facility, the true tests really begin. You didn’t have access to drugs or alcohol in an inpatient setting. You couldn’t talk to people you used to use drugs with, and you couldn’t go to the places where you used to buy them. The moment you complete the program, you’re entering the same world you put on pause. It’s up to you to make the right decisions.
A thorough aftercare program will help you remain committed to making the right choices. You’ll be able to speak about temptations you face or struggles you meet when rehab is over. Outpatient aftercare will keep you accountable and give you a healthier way to manage cravings for drugs or alcohol that may arise when the world feels tough.
There are always separate outpatient programs and therapies available, but those people weren’t a part of your treatment. When you choose a rehabilitation facility that offers aftercare, you can continue to work with a team that knows you and your unique needs. You’ll keep making progress with familiar people. You’ll spend less time explaining and more time being understood because you won’t need to spend time building comfort and trust with a new care provider.
Conclusion
Recovery is a lifelong journey, and with all journeys, you want to set off on the right foot. When you choose the right California rehab for your needs, you’re setting yourself up for continued success. You definitely want to spend time researching facilities, but don’t dawdle. Every moment you spend deciding pushes your recovery a moment further away. You deserve the best possible care as soon as you can get it.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64115/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/benefits-group-therapy-mental-health-treatment/
