In 2018, more than 20 million people needed treatment for substance use challenges. A little more than 3.5 million people received the treatment they needed. If you’re fortunate enough to enroll and participate in a drug rehab program, you should make it your mission to get as much out of the treatment program as you can. In many ways, this transition is a step toward a new life.

Simply showing up to therapy, group meetings, counseling, and educational sessions can help you recover from addiction challenges. But you’ll make much more progress if you take an active role in your recovery. You’ll need to have the right mindset, commit to the program, tell the truth, accept the help you need, and prepare for life outside of rehab. You might also want to work on your physical health and social relationships while you’re in rehab as well. After struggling with addiction challenges, spending quality time in a treatment program is your chance to begin again; here’s how you can make the most of your stay in drug rehab.

Have The Right Mindset

Before you step foot into any treatment center, you need to have the right mindset. If you don’t come prepared with the right perspective, you’ll complete rehab but may not see many improvements in your life. If you’re serious about recovering from addiction challenges, you need to begin rehab with the following mindset:

• Be Open. You’re going to learn a lot about yourself in drug rehab. Some of the information may be difficult to hear. At times, you may feel extremely vulnerable. You may even feel like people are against you or being too hard on you at times. Regardless of how you feel in the moment, you must keep an open mind. You need to remain open to the suggestions which counselors, therapists, medical personnel, and mentors give you. If you do, you’ll see yourself honestly and you’ll be much more likely to make new choices that will help improve your life.
• Be Present. When you’re in rehab, it can be easy to focus on the past or get lost in your plans for the future. But it’s important to stay in the moment and focus on what is happening while you’re receiving treatment. You need to be 100% present when you’re in therapy and receiving counseling. Change and growth can happen when you make small, consistent changes day by day.
• Be Patient. Addiction is a chronic condition and recovery takes time. There’s no finish line; recovery is a life-long journey and you can’t rush the process. Grow at your own pace instead. It’s better to take your time and recover well than to rush the process, increasing your chances of relapse later.

Commit to the Program

Once you have the right mindset, you need to commit to the program. Rehab is a wonderful opportunity to get away from everyday life and focus on your health and overall wellbeing. For a brief time, you have a respite from work, financial obligations, relationship issues, or family problems. So make the decision to follow through with rehab even when you’re frustrated by the process. This means you need to follow the treatment center’s rules even if you don’t like them.

Tell The Truth

You might be accustomed to making up false stories to hide your substance use. But if you’re going to make the most of rehab, you have to tell the truth. Rehab is a safe place. You don’t need to hide parts of yourself from your peers or therapists. Take the plunge, trust your therapist, and let go of the need to lie, manipulate, or deceive. Being honest with yourself also means that you need to:

• Accept the help you need. You’re in rehab because you need help. Don’t resist assistance when it’s offered to you. Make sure you ask for help when you need it as well.
• Realize that you won’t want sobriety all the time. As much as you want to change your life and remain sober, you’ll feel down and emotionally detached at times. That’s normal. When you feel this way, speak up in group counseling, talk to your therapist, or attend a peer support group for assistance.
• Prepare for good days and bay days. You’ll have ups and downs in rehab. Some days you’ll feel excited about your progress and future. But on other days, you may feel discouraged and depressed. Get ready for both. Ask for help when you need it and always tell the truth about how you’re feeling.

Make Time For You

Rehab is a great opportunity to take some time for yourself and evaluate your entire wellbeing. Take time out of your daily schedule to journal your thoughts and meditate. This time can help you feel refreshed and relaxed. You might also learn a lot about yourself as well. Rehab is also an ideal time for you to:

• Exercise and take care of your physical health. Addiction can take a toll on your body. In addition to that, exercise benefits the addiction recovery process by reducing stress, increasing energy, improving your mood, and creating a healthy distraction from drug cravings.
• Develop healthy, caring, and supportive relationships. Support is an integral part of your recovery journey and can help you avoid relapse. Connect with others. Speak up in meetings. Attend sobriety events. Don’t miss your chance to build healthy, like-minded relationships.

Prepare for Life Outside of Rehab

If you want to make the most of your stay in drug rehab, you should prepare for life outside of treatment by:

• Learning to practice mindfulness
• Discovering your triggers and developing resources to cope
• Making a plan for addressing triggers without falling victim to relapse
• Building a long-term care and support team

Treatment Programs That Can Change Your Life

Here at Genesis Recovery, we believe that life can begin again. You don’t have to settle for a life that’s been negatively affected by addiction. You can receive treatment and change your life for the better. Our treatment programs can help you do that. Contact us today at 619-797-7319 if you or a loved one are considering or have questions about drug rehab or addiction recovery.