When you have a surgical or other medical procedure done, your doctor gives you instructions and a timeline for recovery. Whether or not you follow those instructions determines the outcome of your healing. If you do not take the time to rest and properly rehabilitate from your procedure, you could end up as bad as or worse off than before and potentially need to repeat the procedure again.
This concept is exactly the same as your healing from substance use disorder. You need to take the time to rest and properly rehabilitate from your addiction so that you do not end up relapsing. If you do not invest yourself in your treatment and take full advantage of this time to heal properly, you could end up needing to repeat treatment all over again.
Investing Yourself in Your Treatment
When you are completely committed to your treatment, your experience is entirely different. How will you approach your treatment? Will you show up in body only? Going through the motions and following directions just to get through the program? Or will you truly invest in your treatment process by fully engaging mentally, physically, and spiritually?
The concept of “what you get out of it is what you put into it” is completely true in treatment. If you spend every day completely focused on healing, asking yourself, “What can I get out of this moment?” during each therapy session, meditation, or group, you will reap far more than if you are simply going through the motions. Your desire to heal will determine how much you heal. How badly do you want to recover? How committed are you to finding healing? How much are you willing to invest in yourself?
Taking Full Advantage of This Time of Healing
Residential treatment is perhaps the only time that you can laser focus 100% of the time on your healing. You do not have to worry about work, family, social, or anything else. You are there to heal, and you are there around the clock. Take full advantage of this time. You are likely not going to get another opportunity like this to be able to be so engaged in your healing process.
Take this time to focus on getting your sleep cycle back so that you can try to maintain good habits after treatment. Because you do not have to worry about cooking, make sure you take advantage of eating three meals a day and snacks and teaching your body what that feels like, so it becomes a habit. Use the time spent on yoga or taking walks to help your body learn to move in healthier ways, and take note of how that feels to engage in simple exercise on a regular basis. Above all else, take advantage of this time in therapy, both individual and group, to truly explore why you began using substances and how you can change your thought patterns to create new ways of coping going forward.
Planning for Relapse Prevention
Now is the time to plan for success in your recovery. That means that you learn everything you can about relapse prevention. Learn and practice coping skills and strategies that will help you daily and in crisis moments. Learn about mindfulness meditation, breathing, relaxation techniques, and yoga to use daily to help strengthen your mind against relapse and help you through crisis moments.
Learn about what you can do in your daily routines to be proactive against relapses. Find support meetings that you like and attend them regularly, building the habit so you can also continue that habit after treatment. Begin creating your support network so that you have people to turn to after treatment to help you stay on your recovery path. Invest the time now to plan for success.
Making a Plan for Your Next Steps
You also have the opportunity to plan for your next steps after treatment. That includes aftercare planning. With the help of your residential facility, you can choose an outpatient program that will help you transition from full-time residential treatment back into a normal life with the support of a program designed to help you continue learning and growing in your recovery. Planning for your aftercare will help to strengthen and solidify your recovery while you are still new to sobriety. Women who attend aftercare programs are far less likely to relapse than those who do not.
Take this time to invest in yourself and heal the first time correctly, so you do not need to repeat the process. You are worth taking the time to heal.
You have this opportunity for residential treatment for addiction. You can take this time to heal properly and prevent a relapse by investing yourself completely in your treatment process. Take full advantage of this time for healing by making a plan for relapse prevention and making a plan for your next steps after treatment. You will get out of treatment exactly what you put into it. The Ho Tai Way – Recovery For Women is a detox and residential treatment program for women located in Costa Mesa, California. We offer individualized treatment plans and trauma-informed care for women to give them the best chance of success in their recovery. Our evidence-based and complementary therapies help you find the perfect ways to heal. What questions might you have about our treatment program? Call The Ho Tai Way at (714) 581-3974 today.
