A Typical Day in a Drug Treatment Center

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are a number of elements necessary to successful addiction treatment. Drug treatment centers address all of these elements and greatly improve the chances of successfully recovering from the disease of addiction. That said, many people are not aware of what day to day life in a treatment center consists of.

Wake-up Call

Your day will typically begin around 6:00 A.M. This is when you are woken up and begin your day with a shower or bath, shaving, and the other necessary morning rituals prior to truly beginning your day.

Breakfast

Proper nutrition is essential to repairing the damage caused to your body by substance abuse. Meals in drug treatment centers are prepared by professional culinary experts and designed by nutritionists to meet the dietary needs of patients.

Morning Counseling

Individual counseling often occurs first thing in the morning.

This could be individual counseling, group therapy, or a 12 step meeting depending on your individual needs and treatment plan. Having a counseling session first thing in the morning allows patients to discuss issues, thoughts, or fears that occurred to them overnight, fostering the rehabilitative atmosphere of the treatment center.

Lunch

Lunch is much the same as breakfast, except, of course, for the change in the type of food offered. This is also when medications are typically distributed to patients that need them.

Focused Therapy and Free Time

Afternoons generally involve focused therapy for patients. This can vary depending on the individual needs of the patient, but is usually individual counseling sessions or meetings with your managed care team. This also the period of the day where you get free time to do whatever you need to do to work on your own recovery process, or take advantage of the facility’s amenities.

Dinner

Dinner is pretty much the same as breakfast and lunch, but is usually a little more leisurely, and patients are encouraged to socialize with one another at this time.

How to go through Drug Addiction Treatment Successfully

Evening Group Counseling

This is the period of time when patients discuss their day and share stories, feelings, hopes, and fears. They then discuss these things and provide support to one another in an effort to further everyone’s recovery. This support structure forms the basis of your continued recovery after leaving the treatment facility.

End of Day

After evening counseling sessions, there is a brief period of free time where you can contemplate or meditate on the things you have discussed in therapy sessions, prepare yourself for bed, and relax. Lights out is usually somewhere around 10:00 P.M. This ends your day, and allows you to get the sleep that you need to further your recovery and prepare for your next day.

This is a rather ordinary day in a treatment facility. The strict schedule is designed to help keep you on track with your treatment. Not every day will be like this, however. It is common to have organized group activities, outings, recreation days, and visiting days. All of these things combine to help you get healthy. Call us today at 800-256-3490, and let us help you find the treatment center that is right for you.