Should I Travel for Rehab or Go to a Local Drug Rehabilitation Center?
We often get the question on whether a family member should travel to a drug or alcohol treatment outside their state or area, or go to a local treatment center.
There are pros and cons to both.
Predominantly, we think it’s often a healthier choice for both family members and individuals to travel to treatment farther away from home.
We help people with addictions and substance use disorders recover. Get mindfulness training and learn the 12 Steps for deeper healing.
Too Easy to Leave Treatment When You’re Local
Treatment for drug addiction gets emotional, especially if you have an underlying mental health issue. In most cases, people with substance use disorder and alcoholism have buried their emotions.
They have not dealt with them. When they become sober, those emotions and feelings are all staring them in the face. They must deal with them. Emotional outbursts and feeling pain can happen in treatment.
Most people who come to treatment want to heal from past trauma, mistakes and self-induced pain.
But it gets emotional.
If you are going to treatment locally and you are at the height of an emotional outburst, it’s easy to call a family member or a friend to ask them to pick you up.
When you are at an out of state drug rehab, it’s more difficult to call someone to pick you up. Instead, you’re more likely to work through your emotional outburst.
Space for the Family to Heal from Drug Addiction
Drug addiction and alcoholism affects the entire family.
Younger kids feel unloved from the lack of attention while parents feel guilt and shame and worry about their other child who is addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Addiction is a chronic disease and affects the family as well as the person with substance use disorder. Often families do not understand their role in the addiction.
It can help a family to have space from the person who is addicted so they can treat their own mental health issues.
Get Away from Old “Friends”
The circles of people addicts use with do not have the best interest of the people who are trying to recover.
Actually, the book of Alcoholics Anonymous states that we are without defense against the first drink.
We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago.
Instead, the alcoholic or addict will reminisce about what it was like hanging out with using buddies. They will not think about why they came to drug rehab in the first place.
Outside Comfort Zone
Being able to immediately go back into your environment really gives you an excuse to avoid examining yourself.
Often we have left a path of destruction, harmed relationships and legal problems behind us. It can be scary to face these and to feel the emotional turmoil inside and from others.
If you can just leave treatment and slip back into the old way of living, it will sound like an easier option than cleaning up the past and taking care of your psyche.
About Renewal Lodge
Renewal Lodge is owned by Burning Tree Programs, a family-owned treatment company that provides ethical treatment. Call our admission specialists who will help you find the best program for you and your family.
