In drug and alcohol rehab programs there is often a conflict.  It is a simple one.  It is the conflict between what a client may want and what they may really need.  The most common one that we run across is the private room issue.  Obviously most clients want a private room.  However most of the research shows this is not in the best interest of the client.  Drug and alcohol addiction is an isolating condition.  Clients with roomates are forced to interact more, and in the long run do better.  There is also an issue of safety.  It is easier to prevent any self-harm issues with a roomate.  So here it is clear that what someone wants is not what they need.

Often there are multiple types of activities in a drug rehab center.  Things like yoga, hiking basketball, weight training, art and music therapies.  Some that may be attractive to someone and some that are not.  Again a client might want to try only those that are attractive to them.  However lack of structure is one of the biggest reasons for failure during the initial period at a rehab.  So again what someone wants is not really what they need.

I guess the simple way to put this is most clients have been doing what they want for the last few years and it hasn't got the results they wished for.  So when you are at a drug and alcohol rehab center you might want to think about what you really need, not what you want.  You'll be further ahead for it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 9:42 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.