Seeing a loved one enter rehab can be tough to cope with. Knowing they’ll be away at a rehab facility for some time can bring about a series of thoughts and emotions consisting of worrying, anxiousness, impatience, fear and more. It’s important for you to know that you’re not alone in experiencing this, and that there are some ways to cope while your loved one begins their road to recovery.
Educate yourself on addiction
Becoming more educated on addiction can help in several ways. First, it will allow you to get a better sense for what your addicted loved one is feeling and going through. It’ll not only strengthen your bond to your loved one, but you’ll also acquire further insight into your current circumstances. Educating yourself on addiction will also lend you valuable knowledge on rehab and what transpires at the facility, which should ease your emotions of fear and worrying. Finally, the time you spend researching and reading will help pass the time while your loved one is away.
Go talk to someone
Expressing yourself is important in any situation, but it’s imperative that you do so in this one. Find a support group where you can talk about what you’re feeling and thinking while your loved one is in rehab, and it’ll help to do so around others experiencing the same. The anxiety you may feel while your loved one is in rehab can be relieved by getting things off your chest and expressed in support groups, which can be general or for various specifics.
Recognize they’re safe at the treatment center
Realize your loved one is not going to prison. They’re not being committed to an asylum. The staff at the rehab facility will not be torturing or hurting them in any way, shape or form. Your loved one will be safe while in rehab, so that feeling of worrying can subside a bit. Rehab facilities and staffers place a remarkably large emphasis on professional protection and treatment, as it is their job to foster the safest environment possible in order for your loved one to heal and recover from their addiction. Frankly, your loved one is going to be ok!
Be Patient & don’t interfere with treatment
Ah, patience, grasshopper. It will not be smart to let your emotions get the best of you and start calling the rehab treatment center. Don’t even think about going there. Be patient, because more than likely you may be asked to come participate in one of your loved one’s rehab sessions after a while. Then and there, you’ll get to see things for yourself, provide encouragement and express yourself to your loved one.
Don’t make it personal
Finally, don’t be selfish and take things personally. Yes, initially your loved one will have very tight restrictions on outside communication. Yes, Federal Privacy Laws prohibit the professionals at the rehab center to disclose information. Do not make this about you and as if it is a personal indictment. Respect your loved one enough to allow them to focus on their rehabilitation treatment and recovery, and let the staff focus on doing their jobs and providing care.
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