Tommy Recovery Coaching

What to Expect When You Go to Rehab

Many popular culture observers consider the first decade of the 21st century to have been the “Golden Age of Reality Television.” The VH1 series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew aired during the late years of this period. It documented the lives of many showbiz celebrities treated for substance abuse and addiction at the Pasadena Recovery Center in California. As can be expected from a Golden Age series, it was as popular as it was controversial, even for the wild zeitgeist of the late 2000s. Setting aside its flaws, Celebrity Rehab raised awareness about addiction and recovery. It also destigmatized addiction by showing it can affect anyone, even celebrities. With this in mind, let’s review what happens when someone enters a rehabilitation facility these days.

Understanding Rehab Centers

Addiction recovery can be accomplished through various approaches. Detoxification facilities are clinical, rehab centers are residential, sober living homes are transitional, and halfway houses are correctional. Substance abuse is what causes people to check into rehab. Sometimes they go through detox first. This happens when patients need to modulate their ethanol and opioid levels. The Celebrity Rehab facility managed a detox component.

Inpatient & Outpatient Rehab

Most of the celebrities on the VH1 series received inpatient treatment for 21 days. This residential approach is often recommended when patients have a chronic or problematic history of addiction or dangerous binging. Outpatient rehab can be provided at the same facility. It consists of group and individual therapy sessions. On Celebrity Rehab, a few patients transitioned from inpatient to outpatient. They included former NBA star Dennis Rodman and country music singer Mindy McCready.

Structured Inpatient Rehab Schedules

Unlike what’s shown in the Hollywood films and TV productions that preceded Celebrity Rehab, inpatient facilities aren’t dens of boredom. Daily life runs according to a busy therapeutic schedule of meetings, exercise, workshops, meditation, nutrition, visitation, worship, and other activities that will leave patients yearning for a good night’s sleep, which is an important aspect of recovery.

Inpatient Rehab Periods

The typical 28-day residential stay at inpatient rehab facilities was cut down to 21 days for the VH1 series, but it’s not a standard. It used to be a full calendar month until the mid-20th century, but it changed to accommodate some accounting practices of the American health insurance industry. How long patients stay is determined by medical professionals. Some go through integrated detox for binging and transition to outpatient programs. Others may need longer stays, particularly if they’re also dealing with mental health issues.

Life After Rehab

The treatment program determines the desired outcomes. Many patients are discharged after two weeks and never return. Some will relapse and go through the process again, while others will only lapse and stay for a couple of days to get back on track. Others retain sober lifestyle coaches, such as those who provide support for recovery in Carlsbad, CA, to help them work things out on a more personal and specialized level. Many rehab centers double as Alcoholics Anonymous meeting rooms in the early night hours, before lights out, and they always welcome former patients and residents as well as members of the community.

If you’re concerned someone you love needs to go to rehab but don’t know how to approach the subject, seek advice from experienced interventionists. At Sober Lifestyle Coaching, our trained interventionists help groups of family members, friends, or coworkers confront the addicts they love as they motivate them to seek treatment. Guided by love and compassion for the addicts to ensure they don’t feel attacked or judged, our interventions are structured in a way that’s designed to coax them to be willing to change, even if they’re resistant to accepting help such as treatment, detox, or rehab. If they need the services of an interventionist, Carlsbad residents should call us today.