Once you make the important decision to seek help for your addiction, there are things you can do to make the most of your treatment. Intensive outpatient treatment can have profound impact on your life, so doing what you can to enhance that treatment is sure to help shape your recovery. With the following tips in mind, you can do all you can to reap the benefits of intensive outpatient therapy.
Don’t Minimize or Deny the Nature of the Problem
Some people enter rehab still minimizing the serious nature of their addiction. Perhaps they have entered rehab to please family members or a spouse. It’s vital that people suffering from addiction recognize the full measure of their substance abuse problem so they can prepare themselves for what may be life-long management of the disease. When you don’t deny the seriousness of your issues, you’ll be more likely to take all aspects of treatment serious too.
Express Yourself
During your intensive outpatient therapy, you’ll likely be asked to participate in both individual and group counseling sessions. During these sessions, do your utmost to express yourself. By engaging with your therapists and other recovering individuals, you can “do the work” that can form the bedrock of your recovery. If you have questions or concerns, be sure to get them out in the open; you may not be the only one who needs these questions addressed.
Follow the Rules
When you’re used to living your life anyway you like, it can be a considerable culture shock to experience rehab with its various rules. You might be instructed to embrace a certain type of etiquette or to eat and even sleep when asked. Although you may not like or agree with these rules, try to accept and follow them for the sake of the bigger picture–your recovery. If nothing else, the self discipline required to follow new rules can foster your own self discipline, which will serve you throughout your long-term recovery.
Prepare for Ups and Downs
In any type of disease, there are going to be positive days and negative days. By accepting that you will experience ups and downs right from the start, you can emotionally prepare yourself for this dynamic. In fact, improving your ability to cope with recovery’s ups and downs will also support your ability to deal in healthy ways with the ups and downs that will inevitably occur throughout your life.
Never Give Up
Whether you choose inpatient rehab treatment or intensive outpatient treatment, it’s essential that you stick with the plan; don’t give up on your treatment program just because it’s not working as quickly as you’d like it to. Recovery can take a long time. Do your utmost to commit to treatment–and keep showing up to treatment sessions even if you suffer a relapse. A relapse isn’t an indication that treatment has failed; on the contrary, it’s proof that more treatment is needed.
With these tips in mind, you can make the most of your rehab experience. A positive addiction treatment experience can help shape your recovery and enhance your long-term sobriety.