When starting a residential treatment program for substance use recovery, some may struggle to accept the highly structured environment they find themselves in. Strict schedules are imposed with the expectation that you will adhere to them. While this might rub you the wrong way at first, you will actually begin to appreciate gaining a renewed sense of order in your life.
Treatment is based upon a two-pronged goal. One prong provides the tools and education to help you sustain sobriety, while the other helps you restore health and wellness. These two prongs are intertwined, as each builds and reinforces the ultimate goal of successful recovery. The routine you follow while in treatment supports both prongs, while also preparing you for a productive and healthy new life in recovery.
Benefits of Treatment
When we consider the many benefits of treatment, we point to the most obvious one first—that a residential treatment program may literally save your life. For so many, entering treatment becomes a pivotal event to change the trajectory of their rapidly deteriorating life while struggling with substance use. Treatment programs also provide the needed psychotherapy, recovery tools, and education to help you achieve long-term sobriety.
But, there is so much more. In addition to the primary benefits of completing residential treatment, there are also intangible or secondary benefits that contribute to recovery success. These include:
- Builds Confidence. As you progress through the rehabilitation process, you will begin to notice an increase in your self-confidence. No longer dependent on a substance, your mind clears and your own self-worth begins to peek through again. As you get stronger with each passing day, your confidence also increases. You begin to believe in yourself again.
- Productive Use of Time. It may have been a while since you last felt like a productive person. The substance use took center stage and valuable energy, time, and treasure were lost. In treatment, you’ll reintroduce yourself to the great feeling of being productive. Every activity, therapy session, and class represents time well spent, and productive efforts that will lead you to a better future.
- Restores Health. Following withdrawal management, you will begin taking proactive steps toward restoring your health and wellness. This is an ongoing process that begins with recognizing the importance of good nutrition, regular exercise, and quality sleep, and then putting these lifestyle choices in motion.
- Provides Support. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” We prosper when we surround ourselves with people who care about us and support us. Treatment provides a team of clinicians and therapists who do exactly that. In addition, group therapy sessions offer an important source of peer support. Leaving substance use behind, and embarking on a sober, healthy journey of recovery, requires ongoing support, which begins in treatment.
Importance of Routine
The concept of routine sometimes gets a bad reputation. Some people might dismiss routine as boring or monotonous, but that is an incorrect assessment. On the contrary, creating a daily routine provides a structure that helps you organize your day, stay on task, and prioritize your recovery.
As we all know, the distractions and demands of daily life can throw us off course. Without a daily routine in place, valuable time is wasted that can result in missing recovery meetings, resorting to fast-food meals, or not getting adequate sleep.
Of course, no routine is ironclad, as unforeseen events can force us to make adjustments. But maintaining a daily routine to the best of your ability has significant benefits for sustaining both your recovery and your wellbeing.
Ashley Addiction Treatment, formerly Father Martin’s Ashley, is a nationally recognized nonprofit leader in integrated, evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders and is accredited by The Joint Commission. We offer both inpatient and outpatient programs, holistic addiction treatment, drug detox, relapse prevention plans, family wellnessprograms and a variety of other services tailored to each patient’s needs. Our driving principle — “everything for recovery” — reinforces our mission to heal each individual with respect and dignity, and reflects on our ongoing commitment to meet new challenges. For information about our comprehensive programs, please call (866) 313-6307.