Rehab experience?

[Kera109]

Hi friends.

A great friend of mine was given a great opportunity to go to rehab. She has never been there before and I have no experience with being in rehab, as I have never gone that route.

Can I hear from people who have gone, and if this was the route that you would suggest someone go? Thank you in advance!!

[njshar]

Hello Vic,

I am the "Queen of Rehabs".  I must have visited eight to ten out of my 20 addiction.  I must say, overall. that the experience is tolerable.  I had a real hard time giving up all caffeine.  I also was coming off of opiates and the bright lights and loud sounds were especially difficult to deal with.  

There usually was alot of drama, and of course all day everyday you talk addiction.  I forget to mention that I worded as a behavorial tech at a 28 day rehab last Sept to Dec 2012.  There is no fratenizing either and our job was to post on the company software all the fratenizing we saw during our shift.

It is a humbling experience, and for the right person in the right frame of mind, it can be godsent.  I did not have such good recovery until I really wanted it and lost my health insurance and could not afford suboxozone, I quit cold turkey two years ago and have not looked back.  

I got clean when I was ready.  The only problem is that I am not 50 years old, and have done alot of damage to my loved ones.

Best of Luck to you.  I hope I helped.  I am just being superhonest,

Shar

[Clarityrocks]

Good post, Vic! I would love to go back to treatment for a little refresher, too! Lol. (But, really, I would!)

[VICourageous]

Great Advise from above..Yes do your homework. Alot of places do not want you on any meds at all..I tried it once years ago because maybe I wanted it but I did not understand the disease. It was my first time with a w/d even if I have done it all for over 40 years..The opiates got me bad.I was so sick in there I ran back..this was in the 90s..Now I did go to one again far away and This was last Sept..I had to go out from Sun up to Sun Down and I learned all about this disease..It was the first candle on the the cake that got me going strong into my recovery..BUT it is a Safe Place why you are there..When you have to get out into the real World again then this is when it becomes the up most important thing to Keep up the Support in all ways..Meetings, at Home, Cut all sources, Stay away from so called friends that use or drink..The treatment is just the beginning it is not a cure..Heck I would not mine going back for a few weeks now just because I have 9 months going on and I am not so so so sick coming down from 3 meds at once..Just so I could pick up some things I missed out on..Ahhhh Only if it was Free..I will stick to all my Meetings..just wanted a small vacation! Ha!!  
Bless

[Clarityrocks]

Inpatient was the best thing that ever happened to me. Personally, I don't think I would have been successful in getting clean without it. Being removed from the chaos that drugs and alcohol had caused in my life was invaluable. It was like a new start when I got home. I was able to completely focus on my recovery for 28 days, without any outside influences. I think it amazing when people can do it without residential treatment. I do agree it is so important to research treatment centers to find the right one.
Allison

[AboutRehabs]

Going to rehab is a great way to get clean, learn about addiction and get off to a clean start, but there are a lot of caveats involved.  Like the previous posters indicated, the person must have the desire to truly change their life.  If they don't, rehab likely won't work.  

However, each step that is taken is a step closer to a life of sobriety. Sometimes it takes people several attempts before they finally see success.

It's important to not just use the first rehab you see, you have to do research to make sure it's the right facility for your friend.  Success rates don't really matter because comparing them between different facilities is like comparing apples to oranges... each facility measures "success" in a different way.

I would suggest by starting by researching the different features that are generally available in rehabs.  Most people don't really know what they're looking for until they make a decision, go through the program and then realize something important was missing.  Of course, price, insurance, aftercare, individual therapy are among the important features to consider, but there are a lot more things people should consider that they don't know about.

Once you know what options are available, then you can look at the individual and decide what features are "must have's" for them.   At that point you can start looking for possible rehab's that offer all of the "must have's".  

I would also recommend coming up with a list of items to use when you contact each facility.  Remember, you will be speaking with a SALES department though.  Don't settle for the answers that sound like they're coming from a brochure, ask follow up questions to get to the true answers.

Good luck to your friend!

[Kera109]

Thank you both, this is really great stuff to hear. She actually is on suboxone, she was a heroin addict and went to suboxone. Her family has offered her rehab. I was on suboxone for years and it was a great tool in my sobriety and I got off slowly when I was ready. But her family feels that rehab is the Better way to do things, as does she.

I don't know much about rehab but I do know that suboxone isn't something to come off of in a month or so.  I am guessing that with Suboxone, rehab wouldn't be much of an answer since you should taper slowly off of suboxone. Just an opportunity I would hate to see her miss out on.

[OpenMind24hours]

Our daughter has been to 3 treatment centers. The first two were someone else's idea, they didn't work out because she didn't want to get clean at that time. But the last one worked out perfectly. She was ready. She stayed for 28 days. No contact with outside sources. Just visits on Sundays from us. Being cut off from the people she used with is quite a safety net. It's a safe environment and every day she worked on her recovery. She was introduced to NA at treatment.  She's now been clean from crack for 9 years. She sponsors people, she chairs NA meetings... shes doing great.

I've been in AA and now NA since 1982 and have met many many success stories from treatment centers. This is only my personal opinion, but the one prerequisite is: it should be the patient's idea to go there, and they should have the desire to get clean. I've also heard AA and NA friends share that they went directly from treatment to the dope house. Getting clean and then staying requires willingness from the addict.

[ricart70]

If a person has the opportunity to go then this is the best possible option for getting clean. As long as they aren't using suboxone or replacement opiates,the patient is guarantees to get clean if they stay. I went and It is great to be there with people who are all going through the exact same thing you are going through. I was almost afraid to leave.  ;)
I have done it both ways and rehab is by far the easiest route to getting clean,especially if you have a heavy duty addiction.  Hope this helps.