What to Bring to Rehab

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Packing for Your Addiction Treatment Center Stay

Long-term residential treatment for substance abuse and alcoholics is possible through inpatient rehabilitation programs. Clients often live in the rehab center during substance abuse treatment for 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days.

While many inpatient treatment centers offer all of their services at the patient’s temporary home away from home, others move patients to day programs throughout the day and return them in the afternoon. You should bring a suitcase because you will spend at least a month in the facility.

Before you start packing, it’s a good idea to find out what services the center offers. It would be best if you packed some necessities in your suitcase and left unnecessary items behind.

Preparing for What to Bring to Rehab

Feeling nervous and excited about spending the next several weeks in a rehab center is normal, but being well-prepared can make the process much more pleasant.

Packing for your trip may be a daunting task. While there are the essential items you need to carry, like clothing and writing materials, knowing the rehab facility restrictions can help you pack the right things.

You don’t want to be envious of your roommate because she brought everything you wished you had remembered to bring!

What to Expect at a Drug and Alcohol Rehab

Did you learn about the various treatment options available at your inpatient rehab? Familiarizing yourself with the various programs can help you better prepare for your time at a rehabilitation center.

To help patients focus on their recovery, inpatient treatment centers provide a new setting for their care. Your current location is probably not ideal for maintaining your sobriety. It’s likely that you drank alcohol or used drugs in the privacy of your own home, condo, or apartment.

Trying to get sober while remaining in the same environment, especially with alcohol and drugs, decreases the likelihood of successful treatment. Inpatient treatment allows you to get away from the people and places that may trigger your relapse into substance abuse.

What is The Average Day Like at a Treatment Center?

During rehab, individual therapy sessions often take place on a regular schedule at the rehabilitation facility. Individual therapy is necessary, but group therapy is essential for inpatient recovery.

It’s helpful to learn how to interact with others, and working through the process with people who share your goals is excellent. Twelve-step programs are an integral part of the treatment approaches at many facilities. The most common support groups are Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

All 12-step treatment centers will most likely take their clients to these meetings. After leaving inpatient treatment, you can take advantage of AA and NA to ensure long-term sobriety.

How to Plan for Addiction Treatment?

After deciding to enter a rehab facility, the following step is to ensure you’re ready for the experience. It’s normal for first-timers to feel anxious about leaving their jobs, their expenses, and their families behind while they attend treatment. Most people also feel anxious before beginning treatment, but remember that your anxieties will lessen if you take the time to get yourself ready.

For most people, deciding to seek help is the most challenging aspect of recovery. Once you’ve done that, working with addiction specialists and treatment providers becomes much less daunting. Just focus all your energy on getting better and learning post-treatment support skills.

Follow the steps below when preparing for alcohol and drug addiction treatment at an inpatient rehab facility:

• Handle all work and family obligations
• Tie up financial or legal loose ends
• Ensure you pack the essentials
• Prepare yourself psychologically
• Keep a journal
• Ensure to stay relaxed

How to Prepare Mentally for a Stay at a Drug Rehab Center

Addicts come to rehab programs from all walks of life and from various perspectives. Despite the challenges, most people go into treatment intending to be sober finally. Others, especially those who are just there to appease loved ones or to comply with a court order, may not even realize they have a problem.

Drug or alcohol abuse treatment can be successful even if a person is not yet willing to make changes. However, your therapy outcome will significantly influence your openness to change.

Participation and Readiness for Treatment Center Programs

People with substance abuse disorders typically progress through five distinct stages of readiness:

• Precontemplation: You haven’t even begun to consider the importance of altering your current situation, let alone devise a feasible strategy. When substance abuse is brought up, someone with a substance use disorder may become defensive or dismissive. They might also try to shift the blame onto someone else.
• Contemplation: The individual in this phase may have come to terms with their condition and be ready to discuss it freely. They are receptive to a discussion about the topic but haven’t made any promises or concrete plans to alter their behavior.
• Preparation: A person in this phase may be actively formulating practical strategies for bringing about transformation. To be considered part of the “preparation” phase, these steps usually need to be implemented within 30 days. Someone saying things like, “I should go to treatment someday,” may still be on the fence about doing so. If they are actively looking into alternatives, saying things like “I want to enter into rehab this week” may signify that they are getting ready to do so.
• Action: At this point, an individual is making a concerted effort, as seen by their repeated participation in constructive behaviors, to bring about the desired transformation. This phase must endure for at least six months for the modification to be permanent.
• Maintenance: People who successfully make a change typically work to keep it going after the initial six months. On the other hand, a person can regress from this level and progress to lower levels.

Preparing for drug treatment by progressing through the stages of change is highly recommended. You may see faster results if you come to therapy with a positive mental attitude and a plan to get things done. You could even handle difficulties with less anxiety if you keep a cheerful outlook.

What to Bring to Alcohol and Drug Rehab

When entering treatment, there are a lot of things you can’t bring because of the rigorous rules of rehab. Most facilities also include a list of forbidden items and a suggested packing list.

You’ll need to check in upon arrival to start the admissions process at a treatment center and review the allowed and prohibited items. At this point, the admissions staff at your center will check your bags to ensure you haven’t brought any weapons or other contraband.

To provide you don’t leave anything behind when you check out, some facilities will also keep a record of the items you bring.

Recommended Essentials to Pack for Rehab

Most rehab facilities recommend you carry the following items:

• A directory of contacts you’d like informed about your care at various stages of treatment.
• Rehab clothing (comfortable casual pants underwear, etc) and basic clothing items.
• Pieces of jewelry, like a wedding ring or a watch, are worn constantly because they are deemed essential.
• A conventional alarm clock without a radio.
• Your current prescription medication, which are are still in its pharmacy-issued container with all labels intact.
• $50 to $100 in smaller notes for quick trips to the store and vending machines.
• Insurance cards and identification documents.
• Bring your insurance cards and a photo ID (driver’s license if it applies)
• A calling card.
• A notebook or journal.
• Stamps and envelopes if you need to mail letters.
• It’s nice to have photos of loved ones.
• Reading materials and writing materials like a journal can be helpful too.
• Personal hygiene products like a toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, and shaving cream.
• Feminine hygiene products.
• Electronic cigarettes or cigarettes (if this applies to you, of course)

What Clothes to Pack in Your Suitcase

Keep in mind that most rehabilitation facilities have a stringent dress code before you start packing. Pack items that can be layered, such as tees, sweaters, cardigans, and jackets, if you are unsure of what to bring because of the temperature.

You can do laundry at most treatment centers once a week, so packing for a week is enough. If you’re going somewhere without access to dry cleaning, it’s a good idea to bring garments that can be easily washed in a regular washing machine.

Ensure to pack enough warm and dry clothes for seven days, including:

• Have a variety of shoes, including a pair of slip-on, a pair of sneakers, and a pair of flip-flops
• Shirts: if you plan on bringing tank tops, you’ll need to bring cardigans so that you can wear them per the dress code at your center
• Pants
• A dressy outfit for special occasions
• It would be best if you had at least a couple of “dressy” outfits in your closet for occasions like dinner with family members on Family Night
• Socks
• Undergarments
• Bathing suit
• Slippers
• Pajamas
• A bathrobe
• A jacket or coat
• A belt
• A hat

Items Prohibited in an Alcohol Rehab Facility

Rehab centers have various regulations and restrictions. They go to lengths to ensure you’re safe and provide you with a safe and relaxing space to heal.

These are some of the most commonly restricted items at drug rehab facilities:

• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Weapons
• Pornography
• Outside food and drinks (from home)
• Alcohol-based cosmetics and toiletries like mouthwash or perfume
• Unauthorized or already-opened over-the-counter medications
• Nail art supplies like paint, thinner, and artificial alternatives
• Entertainment media such as video games and DVDs
• Revealing clothing
• Aerosols
• Cleaning supplies like bleach
• Electronic appliances
• Incense and candles
• Clothing displaying obscenities or promoting illegal substances, alcohol, or violence

Some of the products on this banned list of what to bring to drug and alcohol rehab, such as board games, card games, video games, DVDs, and sports gear, may surprise you. Addiction treatment facilities often ban them so you can concentrate on getting well without interruption. These things will be made available to you at your facility during specified hours.

Many facilities strive for a minimal sugar and caffeine atmosphere, so bringing your own food and drink is discouraged. You will be served three well-balanced meals plus snacks and beverages. Inform the rehab center about any dietary restrictions you may have.

The Most Important Item to Bring to Rehab: You

If you or your loved one are agonizing over what to pack or how to best prepare for your treatment center stay, please reach out for more specifics and reassurance from our team at Resurgence Texas. We’re more than happy to provide answers and let you know what makes sense for your exact situation.

Reach out today for a confidential discussion on being prepared for treatment and let us ease your mind!