If someone you know is in drug or alcohol rehab you must be very careful not to minimize dangerous behavior. Sometimes it is difficult to walk the line between being positive and minimizing behavior that will lead to a full blown relapse. If someone we love and care about is in rehab and has a slip, we may think be being positive and looking at the big picture, we may want to paint it as an isolated event, or a small mistake. For someone struggling with drug addiction this might be a big mistake. Any drug or alcohol usage by someone with a history of addiction is a very very dangerous activity. Rehab is about sobriety and abstinence. Even a small amout of alcohol or drug usage could lead to lowered inhibitions and poor judgement. This could lead to a full blown relapse with disaterous results. Months of hard work in a drug rehab center could evaporate in a few hours.

I believe must always deal in the truth. “I’m glad we have caught this at an early stage, so we can deal with it aggresively and completely” would be a correct and truthful statement about a slip. “It was just a small amount of alcohol and you have been doing so well” would be minimizing in my eyes. Addicition is always about small steps of partial untruths. This then leads to larger and bigger lies. My recommendation is to never go there. Rehab is a place to start with complete truth. If you have any slips it is a real chance to practice it.

At a drug or alcohol rehab center what is the minimum behavior that can be accepted? Does the fact someone is experiencing addiction mean they have an excuse for allowing poor behavior during their treatment at a center? This are tough questions to answer. The possible answers to these questions all come with some drawbacks and there is yet no perfect solution to this issue.

An arguement can be made that in the “intial” phase at a drug rehab the minimum behavior level should be quite low. Give the client time to re-orientate themselves and make changes. Then over time you can raise the behavior expectations as they grow and change. A lot of people would can this approach humane and logical. The problem is that in practice it is unworkable. There are enough rules in rehab the way it is. To have rules that are variable based on time spent or client progress, would lead to chaos, as the rules would never be clear and uniform. Variable rules leads to constant bickering and wasted energy. Every decision becomes an arbitration process. Unfortunately all this leads to is justification of poor behavior. It doesn’t lead to the goal of behavior change. Rehab is not a place to think about change. It is a place to change. People go to rehab centers because their life has become unmanageable and filled with turmoil. They don’t go because they are slightly concerned about their career and think maybe a change would help.

This leaves us with the choice of minimum behavior standards. These standards insure safety and equal opportunity to change for all. The downside of this option comes with the removal of the clients who refuse to meet those minimums. Being removed from the center you came to for help is disheartening and painful for all those involved. However safety always has to come first. People go to rehab deserve to have and enviroment that is safe for everyone. So as always it boils down to choice. Look at the minimum behavior standards for the center you choose. If you cannot meet them, don’t go. If you find a struggle to meet them when you are there, go to the counselors and talk. Go every day if you have to. Go hourly when you have to. If you go discuss the situation before rules are broken, there is always help available. After rules are broken there are only consequences. The choice as always, is yours.

The subject of drug and alcohol rehab came up today while chatting with someone I had just met. After a while they told me about an experience with drug addiction in their family. He first told me how recently a family member had come forth and told them about their addiction. The person needed help. Luckily their employer helped fund a rehab treatment center and so far it looks like the story has a happy ending. What I found interesting was intially they said they were very surprised by the admission of drug use by the family member. They were supportive and helpful, but didn’t have any idea how much trouble the person was in.

Because things have gone quite well so far they spent some time looking back at the history before the admission of drug use. In retrospect they realized they knew something was wrong. They knew the person was having some difficulties and there were some problems. But for whatever reason they never spoke up. They never discussed or confronted behaviors that in hindsight should have triggered something.

Hindsight is always perfect. It’s easy to say later that your “should” have said something. I guess when it comes to family, what do you have to lose by bringing it up? Asking people about their life and showing you care will never hurt. If you bring up difficult subjects with love and compassion it will always make a difference. When it comes to drugs and alcohol don’t be silent, speak up.

Most of the core rules at alcohol and drug rehab are contained in a contract. In today’s world contracts are a neccessity. Rehab involves staying at a center for a extended period of time, and involves many different types of activity and treatment. This leads to liability issues as well a legal aggreements about what is offered at the rehab center and what is not. Please read all contracts, aggreements and releases you are required to sign carefully.

Many times clients are not feeling the best when arriving at rehab, but still you need to take the time to understand what you are signing and why. Most of the things are about safety and what you are getting for your money. Read it. If you don’t understand ask. If you are too tired and confused, take the contract to a friend or seek legal help. Rehab is about changing your life for the better and making better quality decisions. Reading a contract before you sign it is a better decision. The time to stop blaming other people is today. Take responsibility for your actions. When you sign something, understand it. This is just plain good advice, in cars, leases, job offers, and in drug and alcohol rehab.

At drug and alcohol rehab a lot of the programs are compulsory. Lectures, groups, and most scheduled activities are required. There still will be some free time. Some days, usually Sunday, there is even more spare time. In a lot of instances, free time and drug addiction is a recipe for trouble. While you are in a drug rehab program, and safe from outside temptations is the time to develop new habits.

It is during this free time that some clients get in dificulties at rehab. It is during free time, that plans may be made to attempt to smuggle drugs or alcohol into a center. It is during free time that boundary issues with sexual relationships may be violated. A simple solution would be to have a program that is so busy and full, there would be no spare time. This might lead to more success in rehab, but it would most likely lead to a lack of skill developement when you leave the rehab. There has to be some time that is left to be planned by the client. Inside rehab is where you have to practice developing the structure in your days to take care of free time without returning to drug or alcohol use. Again it boils down to the quality of the questions you ask of yourself. “What could I do to improve myself and lower my stress level today?” is an excellent question. Rehabs have to have some free time. It is a necessary risk that must be available. Make the best of your free time today.

Going to drug and alcohol rehab is expensive. It doesn’t matter who is paying for it. Even the “free” programs are supported by governments, taxes, donations and people working very hard for less than they deserve. The drug rehab programs that are charging fees, somebody is paying for it. Usually it is family, friends, or an employer through insurance or some employee benefit program. Sometimes it is the person with the addiction who is footing the bill, but it all costs money, that people worked hard to earn.

I am frequently frustrated when all these resources get wasted because of a lack of respect for the opportunity given someone. I have written on many occasions how the rules in a rehab center are there for safety. The rules are there to allow people to find the right way in their life. Yet still many clients still refuse to honour and respect what is trying to be made. If you do not wish to change, or if you cannot honour the rules presented, don’t waste your’s or someone else’s money. Simply find another rehab program or leave until you can honor the rules.

Bringing drugs into a rehab center is dangerous to yourself and others. You will get caught and thrown out. Starting sexual relationships slows your recovery and most likely damages the chances of sobriety of another person. If you do partake in behaviors that are dangerous to the safety of other people you most likely will be removed, suspended or evicted from the rehab program with little chance of recouping the time and money invested. Repect the chance you are being given. Respect the other clients in the rehab. Respect yourself. You cannot cheat or manipulate your way to sobriety. If you cannot live up to the safety rules of a rehab, leave on your own accord. Do not take someone else’s chance at change away by involving them in your plans to break the safety rules. Go back and read some of my previous entries about courage. Start with doing the right thing.

Arriving at a drug and alcohol rehab most clients would not rate their teamwork and level of trust high on their scale of skills. Almost everyone would think the ability to raise these skills would be essential to helping battle addiction and lead to a more successful stay at rehab. Again these two skills can often be in use but unfortunately not to the benefit of the clients staying in a drug rehab.

The rules against possession and use of drugs or alcohol are universal in the vast majority of rehabs. All rehabs have some form of search and security to prevent contraband of this sort from entering the treatment center. However still drugs and alcohol can still make it into a rehab. The results are often disasterous. Clients slip and may relapse. Often clients are evicted immediately from the rehab. How is this possible?

Most times it involves teamwork and trust, but both used without integrity. One person under most situations cannot get drugs and alcohol into a center. It usually requires 2 or 3 and even sometimes more people to “beat” the security at a rehab. The drugs have to be ordered and dropped somwhere near the center. Security must be distracted or a diversion of some sort has to take place while someone slips through and picks up the drop. It then has to be smuggled into the center. Often when these drugs or alcohol are consumed someone must be the “lookout”. This requires a lot of planning. This requires teamwork. This requires trust between the members of the group. A lot of work to destroy the safety of a rehab.

Many skills and traits, if not coupled with courage and intregrity will actually help to keep and addiction going. Again this is why rehabs must work harder than ever to keep an enviroment safe. Rehabs must work the give the space for the voice or what is right to start to be heard in a client’s heart. Improved skills are a wonderful thing. Skills have to be welded to a strong and unshakeable sense of right and wrong. It is always the best place to start.

Going to alcohol and drug rehab requires great honesty. Being able to look at and describe the truth is an essential step to change. However just honesty, without direction doesn’t lead to the lasting change people hope for when they enter a rehab center. The real change comes from courage and integrity. Many times clients go to meetings or to counseling and are totally honest. They recount the times they continued to use, and all the lies and manipulations they used to continue their addiction. But they continue to use. They go to rehab and tell everything and then go back to the same behavior.

Honesty’s power comes from the courage to do the right thing. Honesty is like finding out where you are on a map when you are lost. Integrity tells you which direction you need to go next. Courage is about overcoming the doubts that you can complete the journey. Honesty is not a goal in itself. It is more of a tool to achieve the goals you really want. When you enter a rehab, total honesty is a great step. Don’t stop there. Use the rehab program to find out where you want to really go with your life. Allow the safety of a rehab to be honest. Find out where you really are in your life. Once you are honest, don’t stay there. Move to a better set of standards. Simply being honest about bad behavior doesn’t lead to change.

You arrive at a drug and alcohol rehab. You are confused and tired. You don’t want to listen to your “inner voice” of right and wrong. You are craving your drug of choice badly, and you don’t trust any of the counselors yet, or any of the other clients. What do you do to survive? How do you build courage? The answer is simply do the program in front of you will all your might. I don’t care what type of program it is. It will take 10 days to 2 weeks to get out of the worst craving stage. Following and learning any new program for two weeks with disipline and forward focus will help you find the right things for you to do and follow. Get up early, go to bed on time, even if you can’t sleep.

Don’t look at what is wrong with the situation. Keep asking questions about what you can learn? What ways can you practice disipline today? What ways can you keep your word today? How can you be helpful to someone today? If you ask good questions you will get good answers. Courage is a skill that can be built and honed like any other. Simply do what is in front of you with caring and focus for one hour, then decide to do another. Don’t let fear of making a mistake let addiction dictate your path. Learning something well and not abusing drugs and alcohol is the right thing to do. This alone will start to build the courage to do other things. Rehabs have structure. Rehabs have timetables. Let this structure be your guide until you start to listen to your inner voice. Once you are at a rehab, don’t worry about whether or not it is the right one. Do the program with all you have. The courage you develop will guide you to the next step.

In drug and alcohol rehab shouldn’t sobriety be the number one goal? Yes, absolutely. Yet you won’t find sobriety without first finding the courage to face the areas in your person that have to change, and then finding the courage to change them. How can a rehab center help you find courage? Simply by firstly making you safe. When you are not feeling safe, your brain is so busy making plans you cannot hear your conscience speeking to you. Fear can seduce and corrupt your plans as your natural tendancy for self preservation will over ride what is likely the best course of action, for the one that will get and keep you out of trouble the fastest.

Courage involves doing the right thing, no matter if the consquences seem fearful or the outcome intially may not be great for you. But when you are in the middle of a tough drug or alcohol addiction, how do you know what is the right thing to do? You have to re-awaken the voice inside you that tells you right from wrong. It’s always there. You probably haven’t listened to it in a long time. But to really start to awaken it and ponder the right path for your life, you must feel safe enough to stop running ang lying. This is what a rehab is for. Safety to stop running and checking over your shoulder. Safety to look ahead and decide where you are headed.

Initially you may not trust the voice inside you. Then ask someone you trust if this is the right action. Courage involves doing the right thing repeatedly. Doing the right thing leads to integrity. This is what counselors in rehab are for. When the voice inside you tells you a course of action and if you are not sure if it is the right thing to do ask a counselor you respect for advice. Pick someone who has some of the qualities you wish to acquire. Learning to follow your heart and do the right thing consistently will lead to sobriety. It will lead to a successful rehab. It will lead to integrity and joy. Do something courageous at rehab today.