Deciding to enter inpatient rehab in Missouri is a big deal. That means you’re taking your health seriously, and you’re ready to make some fundamental changes to your life. We know selecting a drug rehab in Missouri isn’t an easy decision, and neither is the inpatient treatment itself.
That’s why we’ve put together nine different pieces of advice on how to get the most out of your experience. Hopefully, you’ll only go through drug rehab in Missouri once. It’s vital that you learn everything you can while you’re there. Our tips here are aimed at making sure you’re going to have a successful, impactful rehab experience. Let’s jump into it.
1. Talk to your loved ones.
The people who care about you need to know what’s going on. Lots of times, they’re the ones urging people with substance use disorders to enter inpatient rehab in Missouri. But it doesn’t always work like that. It can be hard to admit what’s going on to the people in your life, but know that seeking treatment is nothing to be ashamed about. You can disclose as much or as little as you like — some people are more private than others. But the point is that you’re not going to be able to get sober on your own. A drug rehab in Missouri can help, but achieving lasting sobriety takes a big support system. Letting your loved ones know what’s going on can help with that.
How you approach these conversations is going to depend on who you’re talking to. If you’re a young person trying to tell your parents you need help, for example, you’re going to follow a very different script than a parent trying to explain the same situation to their child. The details you share will also differ from person to person. You can always reach out to the drug rehab in Missouri for further tips.
2. Make sure your responsibilities are taken care of.
Entering inpatient rehab in Missouri means that you’ll be leaving your regular life behind for a month or more. There are bound to be some loose ends that you’ll need to take care of before departing. Let’s dive into the different areas of responsibility you need to have under control before you check into inpatient rehab in Missouri.
Home Responsibilities
If you have kids or other people who depend on you in your house, you’ll need to make other arrangements for their care while you’re away. Can another family member step up to the plate? You’ll need to check and see what your options are.
And even if you don’t have any dependents, you’ll still have things at home that need to be taken care of during your stay at a drug rehab in Missouri. Pets will need to stay with a responsible caretaker while you’re in treatment, and if you’re worried about your houseplants dying, see if you can get a neighbor to water them. All the bills still need to get paid. These kinds of things need to be looked to before you can start a stay at an inpatient rehab in Missouri.
Job Responsibilities
You might think it’s an automatic job loss situation to enter inpatient rehab in Missouri, but that’s not the case. There are certain federal laws that protect people from losing their jobs just because they’re seeking treatment. The Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act both have provisions for people in drug treatment programs.
Those regulations are somewhat complex, and there are definitely some exceptions (for example, if you were coming to work high and putting your coworkers in danger). The drug rehab in Missouri that you’re considering should be able to help you navigate where you are and aren’t covered, and they’ll know more about local laws, too.
3. Lean on your support system.
Our first three suggestions are all deeply intertwined. You’ll need to have a solid system of support in order to make sure your responsibilities are taken care of, and you can’t have that if you don’t communicate with your loved ones. It all goes together.
We’ve separated this point out because some people think they should try to go it alone. That’s absolutely not the case. Going through recovery is incredibly difficult, and you’ll need all the people in your corner to reach lasting sobriety.
Your support system includes the professionals at a drug rehab in Missouri. Their job is to help you reach lasting sobriety. So, give them a chance to do their job. You might not click with everyone on your treatment team right away, but try to trust that they know what they’re doing.
4. Be prepared.
This is a huge point. Starting inpatient rehab in Missouri can be really intimidating. You’re leaving your regular life behind and starting a new, difficult journey in an unfamiliar place. Knowing everything you can about the facility and the process ahead of time can help lessen that intimidation factor.
The inpatient rehab in Missouri should communicate with you about the essentials when you’re reserving your spot. Mostly, you’ll need to know what you can and can’t bring to drug rehab in Missouri well in advance so that you can pack properly. We’ve written another post that includes a more detailed list of the things that are usually good to bring here, but the specifics will likely vary depending on the facility’s rules. You’ll want to spend some serious thought on packing. However, you also don’t want to take it too far. The focus will be on you working on yourself and beginning your recovery journey, not on what you’re wearing.
Another aspect of drug rehab in Missouri you need to be prepared for are the rules. Inpatient treatment usually tries to provide a lot of structure to contrast the chaos that often accompanies addiction. As such, they usually have pretty strict rules about most aspects of life inside an inpatient rehab in Missouri — strict schedules, strict expectations, and strict consequences. None of this is to discourage you from seeking treatment; you just need to know what you’re getting yourself into. The intake process should educate you on the specifics at your preferred drug rehab in Missouri.
5. Try to sleep well during inpatient rehab in Missouri.
Obviously, this is easier said than done. You might have difficulties getting to sleep in an unfamiliar place, and there’s not always a whole lot you can do about it. Nevertheless, prioritizing sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Proper sleep can help decrease irritability and impulses, which are both common among people early in recovery. If you can get a good night’s rest, you should be better able to stare down cravings and fully participate in your treatment.
Drugs can disrupt your natural circadian rhythm, decreasing the quality of your sleep. Getting back on a good sleep schedule can be hugely beneficial to getting your life back on track. You should prioritize all aspects of a healthy lifestyle while you’re in drug rehab in Missouri. Sleeping well is part of that, and it’s something you should continue working on throughout your recovery.
6. Cut ties with bad influences.
You need the right people around you during your recovery. Just like you need to lean on your positive support system, you also need to cut out the people who aren’t going to help you on your recovery journey. This can be a difficult step. The first part of it is identifying those toxic people in your life. Obviously, you’ll need space from anyone who is still addicted to substances so that you’re not tempted. But other people you should distance yourself from might not be as obvious.
Watch out for friends and relatives who always have some kind of conflict going on. Drama is not your friend in recovery. You’ll need all your energy to confront your addiction head-on, not deal with somebody’s selfish escapades. On the flip side, you also want to stay clear of enablers. These are people who want to help but end up letting you fall back on negative behaviors and patterns.
It’s easy to tell you to cut ties with bad influences when you enter drug rehab in Missouri. It’s much harder to actually do it. Many people deal with feelings of guilt as they distance themselves from friends and family, and setting boundaries can be difficult to follow through on. Just know that it’s worth it in the end.
7. Stick with the program.
Drug rehab in Missouri is hard. It’s very tempting to leave before the initial course of treatment is over, but you should try your best to stick it out. At least give the program a full chance before you rule out inpatient rehab in Missouri. Plus, if you end up needing another course of treatment later on, your insurance might not cover it if you left your first inpatient program against medical advice.
While you’re there, you should also try to be as open to the program as possible. Keep an open mind about how it might work, and buy into what’s asked of you. This is much easier said than done, we know, but it’s one of the best ways to get the most out of your inpatient rehab in Missouri. Your treatment team is trying to help you — give them a chance to do that.
8. Ask questions.
As stated in a previous section, it’s important to be completely prepared for drug rehab in Missouri. Part of that process likely includes asking questions. You’ll want to know all about their treatment philosophy and methods before you commit to any drug rehab in Missouri.
And the questions shouldn’t stop once you’ve started inpatient rehab in Missouri. Like we talked about in a previous section, you should engage as much as you can with your treatment. Asking questions is part of that. A huge component of recovery is understanding the nature of addiction. Definitely voice any questions you have about what you’re learning — it’ll help you understand what you’re up against. That can help you have a more effective recovery.
This point also wraps back to what we previously talked about regarding communication. Asking questions can help open those lines of communication between you and your loved ones.
9. Make sure there are plans for after your inpatient rehab in Missouri.
It probably sounds like jumping the gun to start worrying about what happens after your inpatient rehab in Missouri. However, it’s really important to make sure your treatment team has a good plan for you to get the support you need after your inpatient experience. It can be incredibly difficult to transition back into the “real” world after spending a month or more in an inpatient rehab in Missouri.
You’ll need the proper support in order to successfully continue your recovery journey. That might mean the drug rehab in Missouri sets you up with a sober living situation, continued outpatient treatment, or connects you with support groups in your area. Whatever your treatment team deems the right kind of ongoing support, you need to make sure that they’re not just leaving you high and dry when your initial inpatient treatment is over. That’s something you can definitely discuss when you’re trying to decide on an inpatient rehab in Missouri.
Start inpatient rehab in Missouri on the right foot.
With all of these tips in mind, you’ve got a better shot of getting the most out of your rehab experience.
We do want to leave you with a couple caveats, though. The first is that going through inpatient rehab is still going to be difficult, even if you’re incredibly prepared. There’s no magic knowledge we can impart on you to spare you from things like withdrawal symptoms.
The other caveat is that even if you follow all of our tips and have the best rehab experience possible, there’s still a possibility that you’ll relapse down the line. If you do relapse, that doesn’t mean your treatment failed or that you have to start from square one again. It just means you’ve still got a ways to go on your recovery journey.
If you’re looking for an inpatient rehab in Missouri, we here at Harris House would like to help. You can contact us here if you’re interested in learning more about our programs.
