Being in alcohol and drug rehab at the beginning is a real chance to put a giant band-aid on your life. So many areas of your life are not working because of your addiction and the problems it creates. Rehab is a place to be safe. Rehab is a place to heal. This is especially true for family relationships that have been damaged by addicition and addictive behaviors.

During the first 2 to 3 weeks, keep the contact to a minimum, from both sides. Any phone calls should be short, and basic. I’m o.k. I’m working hard. I love you, and that’s it. Don’t get into specifics. Don’t bitch about the rehab or people in it. Start a new pattern. Let stuff heal, wait til your head clears and the addiction program starts to talk about how to mend and repair broken realtionships. Mostly, let your actions do all your talking. If you focus on the hard work of rehab and start to get your mind and body back to a healthy state, you won’t have to tell anyone. They will hear it in the clarity of your voice and thinking. They will tell in a single glance when you start to workout and rebuild your strength.

After poeple are noticing the change in you, is a much better time to take relationships to a new healthier plane. Rehab is a break from the real world. Practice and role play with other clients approaching your family in areas that has always resulted in difficulties in the past. Ask for suggestions of some new ways to approach and discuss feelings with family. Use the band-aid that drug rehab can create to the fullest. Fix yourself first, then tackle how you fit in the rest of the world.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 27th, 2006 at 7:22 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.