Why Residential Treatment Centers Are Ideal For Addiction Recovery

I went into a drug rehab center on the back of an accidental overdose. Until then, I had always resisted the idea of a residential treatment center. It seemed like little more than a prison where I’d be kept away from drugs while going through a program. Otherwise, why couldn’t I just stay at home?

I left the hospital to detox in rehab, and at that point I had little choice but to accept that I needed to be there, even if I didn’t like the idea of an extended stay. But during my time in drug rehab, I learned that there are many other reasons residential treatment centers are considered the first port of call for addiction recovery.

Yes, one of the reasons rehab centers are closed off to the outside world is to keep residents away from substances. However, even if that wasn’t an issue, they would be the perfect environment.

Here’s why.

Recovery: the great equalizer

One thing that addicts are known for is our capacity for denial. We can convince ourselves that everything is fine even as our lives collapse around us. Maybe the biggest lie we believe is that we are not addicts. I may be addicted to drugs, but I am not an addict – not like those people.

In a residential treatment center, this lie is debunked once and for all. It is in this context that we become acquainted with people who we can relate to better than anyone else: our fellow addicts. Through this process, we learn that we are no better or worse than them. Rather we are all battling an illness.

By putting us in this environment, the rehab center takes us away from the judgment we all indulge in on the outside. There, addiction is often seen as a weakness and addicts are looked down upon. In a residential treatment center, we see that addiction can affect anyone, and that recovering addicts are some of the strongest people on Earth.

What matters in rehab?

But residential rehab is not only about being in a context of non-judgment with fellow addicts. Residential rehab makes us focus on what really matters in life. While in the outside world, success in work and social standing can seem like the be-all and end-all. In rehab, we get the chance to focus on something far more significant.

In a residential rehab center, importance is placed on happiness and meaning. We introspect on our purpose in life. We search for value in a meaningful lifestyle that incorporates the people we love and the values we hold sacred.

Only in this context are we able to recover without the burden of the expectations of modern life. Residential rehab is the perfect environment to meet people who we can relate to on a deep level while following a path towards true fulfilment.