Going to a treatment center is a brave and bold decision and it gives you the best chances at having long-term recovery from a drug addiction problem.
It doesn’t matter what type of center you may be going to, whether it provides traditional substance abuse treatment, uses holistic methods or anything in between, there are going to be things you need to do before you arrive at the facility to get yourself ready. Preparing for residential inpatient treatment involves a number of steps you must consider so you can be sure you are ready to begin your recovery.
Psychological Preparation for Inpatient Residential Treatment
While there are a number of physical aspects that you need to take care of when you are getting ready to go to an inpatient facility, the most important aspect includes how to prepare for rehab psychologically. You already know that this is a very important step for you to take in your attempts to get sober. Yet, many people undergo feelings of fear before they enter a facility. They worry about what will happen, whether or not they will succeed and how their family will deal with it all. To prepare yourself mentally, it is a good idea to distance yourself from those that you know that are continuing to use so that you can help get yourself in the proper mindset for treatment.
Instead, spend your time with those who are more supportive of your decision. Being around loved ones that make you feel the best about yourself can help put you at ease. You also want to try to relax and keep your focus on the task at hand so the thought of failure won’t even occur to you.
How to Prepare for Drug Rehab with your Day-to-Day Affairs
Besides preparing yourself mentally and psychologically, here are a few things that you may want to consider about how to prepare for drug rehab with your day-to-day affairs:
- Have a Checklist – Since you may be in treatment for a long time, you want to make sure that you pack everything that you are going to need for your stay. Having a checklist can help you make sure that the important affairs are taken care of, including any medical records that you may need to bring with you. Many facilities also have specific lists of amenities that are allowed, so you want to check and make sure that the objects you want to bring with you are permitted at the facility.
- Take Care of Financial Issues – Since you are going to be away for several weeks, there are likely to be financial obligations that you need to make arrangements for while you are away. If you have a family member that can assist you, let them know about accounts you have and payments that need to be made while you are away and make them aware of any passwords they may need to know to make payments for you. If you do not have anyone, you may want to think about setting up automatic payments of bills so everything is taken care of properly.
- Dealing with Work or School – Since you will be away for treatment you are likely going to be leaving your job or school for a period of time. Let you employer know that you are taking a medical leave of absence for the time period. You do not need to disclose the nature of the leave and federal law allows you to leave under the Family Leave Act without fearing the loss of your job. If you are self-employed, let your clients know you will be unavailable for a period of time for personal reasons. For school, college students may want to take a semester off to focus on getting well and high school students may be able to get coursework they will miss to work on while at the facility.
