Residential Rehab: Vacation or Lifesaver?

Addiction is a serious illness that affects both the body and the mind. It can be very difficult to treat, especially since it presents in a unique way for each person. As such, treatment centers should be expected to provide care that is practical and effective.

With this in mind, many people are uncomfortable with how residential rehab is often described. Residential rehab programs usually last around a month, during which time all the person’s needs are taken care of and they can let go of their responsibilities.

To some, this sounds more like a vacation than medical treatment. When the center is a luxury rehab, this perception can be particularly strong.

However, residential rehabs actually prove lifesaving to most clients, providing evidence-based treatments in a healing environment. Let’s take a look at why people are skeptical, and how residential rehab works very differently to how they imagine.

The Damage of the ‘Just Say No’ Approach

When a person is in an accident or contracts a physical illness that throws their life into a state of upheaval, no one questions whether they deserve time off to recover. The individual should have the option to spend weeks or months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers if necessary.

So what makes residential addiction rehab different?

You can probably answer the question yourself, as an inaccurate perception of addiction has been ingrained in us. We have learned to see addiction as a weakness at best, and a form of moral degeneration at worst.

This approach was formalized in the ‘Just Say No’ campaign of the eighties and nineties. It spread the perception that people who were addicted to drugs could just say no… but chose not to. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, most addicts desperately want to stop using drugs, but doing so alone has proven too difficult. Addiction is a disease, and diseases don’t listen to commands.

You Deserve to Get Help

Since addiction is a complex mental illness, the individual should not be punished for it. They deserve compassion and help from those who can provide it.

Residential rehab is the ideal place to get better. It offers an environment of healing, where you live throughout the program. You are surrounded by other people recovering from addiction, and have access to professionals who have all the tools to help you get better.

In residential rehab, all your basic needs are taken care of and your responsibilities can be put aside. But it’s certainly not a vacation. You don’t spend your time in rehab doing whatever you feel like. Rather, you attend different kinds of therapy and groups, and work hard at leaving addiction in the past.

Luxury rehab is no different. Many luxury rehabs are located in tranquil surroundings, providing the perfect opportunity to focus on healing while connecting with nature. The meals are prepared to be as nutritious as possible, helping to get your body back in good shape after months or years of illness.

Luxury rehabs are also able to offer supplementary – or holistic – treatments. These additional treatments can make all the difference, even if some people are skeptical.

The Importance of Holistic Treatments

When people hear about treatments like mindfulness and art therapy, it may increase their perception that rehab is nothing more than a vacation. After all, these are pleasant activities that, at first glance, don’t seem to be based in science.

But this is far from the truth. There are many research papers proving the effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation at treating mental illness, including addiction. It offers a new perspective to life, while also providing tools that help manage emotions and resist urges.

Art therapy is another evidence-based treatment that provides specific benefits to recovering addicts. It is particularly helpful to those who are struggling to express their feelings and thoughts verbally. It offers an alternative route to an understanding of themselves that they might not have achieved in talk therapy.

Many other holistic treatments offer their own unique path to recovery. Addiction is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. These holistic treatments ensure that the illness is approached in multiple effective ways.

Where Does Recreation Fit In?

It’s not just the various types of therapies and the environment of healing that make some people skeptical of residential rehab. Patients in rehab also get to engage in recreational activities on a daily basis. These may include hikes, exercise classes, sports, spa treatments, and more.

Does this really achieve anything in the realm of recovery?

Recreation is definitely important in addiction treatment. But even if it wasn’t, there should be nothing wrong with a person engaging in recreational activities while healing from an illness.

It is important to remember that addiction affects a person in every area of their life. They enter rehab with a lack of balance, often struggling with questions of meaning. They need to learn to live in a way that satiates their physical, mental, and spiritual needs.

Recreational activities give people the chance to enjoy themselves again without the use of substances. They are opportunities to get in touch with oneself and to access creative energy.

This is worthwhile even for people who have not struggled with addiction. We all too often let work get in the way of experiencing the fullness of life. Taking time to do the things we enjoy is crucial for balance and wellness.

Conclusion

Residential rehab saves lives. Since addiction is a disease and not a mere lack of willpower, addicts deserve to get the best possible help. Inpatient treatment has the best outcomes and should not be seen as anything other than the ideal road to recovery.