What Happens in Addiction Rehab
At The Haynes Clinic, one of the most frequently asked questions before someone comes in is “what happens in rehab?”
How soon can I go to addiction rehab?
Initially, there is an agreed time to arrive at the clinic to be admitted. Certainly, if we have a bed available then we can admit an individual any day of the week and even at weekends. It is very important to arrange with the clinic an admission time and to not just suddenly turn up unexpectedly.
Consultation with doctor / getting a prescribed detox
Although we will have a degree of information about the individual from telephone conversations before coming in for treatment, it is essential that we take a personal and medical history and for the clinic’s doctor to assess the person on admission. For example, if the individual is on any prescribed medication, then that would have to be considered in terms of health condition for which it is prescribed and any issues this might cause with the alcohol or drug detox and treatment. It will also be discussed at this time if someone will be admitted for 14 or 28 days.
How long is a rehab programme?
The vast majority of clinics in the UK recognise the 12 Step programme of treatment for addiction. The acknowledged treatment period is 28 days, though there could be issues around funding or finding time away from work that means that there would have to be a shorter time in treatment, so a consideration could be 14 days. Also, it is not uncommon for someone to initially be in treatment for 14 days and then to extend it to the full 28 days. There is a further benefit for being in treatment for 28 days, in that, at The Haynes Clinic, if you have completed the 28 day programme, we then offer, at no extra cost, 12 months of Rehab Aftercare.
Aftercare following rehab
Rehab Aftercare is a full day each week to help with ongoing support following completion of the initial 28-day residential treatment period. As we get people coming to us from all over the country then they may decide to attend aftercare once or twice a month rather than each week but it is entirely down to personal choice.
How long is a typical detox?
Having had an assessment by the doctor then a medicated detox can begin. This will consist of prescribed medication being administered by staff on a daily reducing dosage scale. For example, an alcohol detox is usually over a 7- 10 day period and a heroin detox usually completes over around 10 days – but obviously this is down to individual need. A Benzodiapine detox may take up to 6 weeks – or longer. There is no recognised detox for Cocaine but people with a Cocaine addiction normally are addicted to alcohol, so the alcohol detox will help with withdrawal symptoms from Cocaine.
Accommodation in rehab
At The Haynes Clinic, everyone will have their own bedroom, and whilst there are shared bathroom facilities there are bedrooms with ensuite facilities at an additional weekly cost. We also have separate accommodation for males and females.
The rehab programme
Whatever your alcohol or daily drug usage is, most people will be able to start group therapy the day after they are admitted. The detox medication is extremely effective and counters feelings of withdrawal and where alcohol or drugs have become a food substitute, we quickly regain our appetite. As far as food is concerned, The Haynes Clinic will cater for any dietary or individual food requirements.
Every day follows a structured timetable with lectures, group therapy and individuals being set written assignments which will then be shared, discussed and feedback on within a group setting. The written assignments are very important as they will be about ourselves, how our addiction has affected us and the people we love, and also about our understanding of the 12 Steps.
Prior to coming into treatment, we have led a life of dishonesty and denial of the extent of our addiction and how our behaviour has affected our life and the lives of those closest to us. This part of treatment everyone finds challenging as our thinking will be questioned in feedback and some people treat the written work as an educational test rather than it being an open and honest disclosure of our past behaviour and the journey we were on prior to seeking help.
Therapists have also been in treatment and are working a programme of Recovery. The find it easy to spot those, in group, that are not truly engaging or willing to participate with the programme.
Therapists can be challenging with their feedback. But this will be for your benefit – certainly not for their own! Their aim is to get you well so that you never need rehab again. It would be easier for them just to believe everything you say and give you sympathy (and see you in rehab again soon). But that would be cheating you of the chance to get properly well.
Just by going into addiction treatment, it is not a magic wand and will not make you well. It is a place where you go to gain an understanding of what you need to do by changing your thinking and behaviour in order to get well. The key thing is that there are other people with similar problems also trying to get well and a collective bond can be formed in treatment as people recognise that they are not alone with their old behaviour. This in turn creates the feeling of safety, when sharing our past with others.
Attending 12 step fellowship meetings
Also important to treatment is the attending of 12 step fellowship support groups. People may have mixed feelings about what they may have heard about AA, NA, CA and GA, but they are essential for ongoing support and help and regular attendance when we have left treatment. By attending them, possibly for the first time, with other members of your group at the clinic, it makes it easier and more accepting to gain an understanding of how they work.
Is Rehab confidential?
For the duration of the treatment period, you will be under the care of the Clinic’s doctor. All medical notes are confidential and unless we are requested to do so by you, the notes will not be forwarded to your own GP.
Involvement of family in rehab
We actively encourage family members to be involved with your Recovery and will also ask them to write in and let them tell you how your behaviour has affected their lives. This is an important therapeutic process for all and not only helps to break down the denial of the problem but also enables sensitive areas to be openly discussed and to then to start to move forwards emotionally and mentally, from that point. It can also help the family to heal.
A break from the home environment
Being in residential rehab treatment also gives the individual time away from the home environment and places where their addictive behaviour has been actively destructive. This break in the past addictive daily cycle is very important.
Addiction Rehab is basically about the only place to get a medically assisted detox and is coupled with an intensive learning experience on changing thinking and behaviour in order to move away from our addictive behaviour and thinking towards leading a life of Recovery
