When a client first shows up at a drug or alcohol rehab, probably one of the first things that happens is going through all the rules. At most rehab centers there are a lot of them. Sometimes people joke that the hardest part of getting sober at a treatment center is remembering all the rules. A lot of rules are easy to understand. No possession or use of any illicit drug or alcohol. No Violence. Curfews so everyone can get a good nights sleep. These are universal rules at most rehabs and they all make sense.

Then are the rules that follow. Most of them pertain to safety in one form or another. Rules about smoking and phone usage. Rules about cleanliness and chores. Rules about program attendance. Heck sometimes there are even rules about rules. While the core safety rules are easy to understand , and hopefully follow, sometimes the other ones don’t seem as valuable and often clients will ask to be exempted for one reason or another.

When asked about exemptions, 99.999999% of the time I say no. Often the rule is about the ultimate safety and fairness for everyone in the rehab so even if it doesn’t affect this particular client the safety of the rehab is our first concern. There is another reason why I also say no. Going to rehab is about re-establishing boundaries. It is about learning about rules and consequences. So many times when an addiction is totally out of control people totally ignore the consequences of their actions. Quite often the are stunned when the fruits of the actions finally catch up with them. Rehab is about re-learning that there are rules in society that if not followed, will lead to a price being paid. So rehab is about rules. Learning to honor them is a big step in your treatment.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 at 10:11 am and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.