Residential rehab offers services for clients who live on the premises during their treatment. If your loved one is going into residential rehab, he or she will be gone from 28 days to two years, depending on the program. Center environments range from the very elite, with massages, tennis and five-star food, to bare bones facilities with very few extras, depending on the program's cost. While each center is set up individually, most of them operate in similar ways.
Work: Twenty-eight day programs typically don't encourage residents to hold outside jobs. Instead, they expect chores to be completed at the center. Whether it is keeping a room clean, pitching in with cooking meals, or landscaping the grounds, teamwork is stressed. For long-term centers, residents sometimes work outside jobs at companies contacted by the rehab center. This is especially true in the centers that accept clients who cannot pay for treatment. The jobs provide a way to contribute to the cost of running the center.
Visitation: The majority of rehabilitation centers encourage visits from loved ones. Some places have a 10-30 day blackout period during which no contact is allowed in person, by phone or by mail. This allows time to get cleared-headed and to start connecting with staff and other residents before outside visitors are scheduled to appear. Other centers allow visits from the very first day. Your loved one can let you know what the policy is at his or her particular facility.
Family Involvement: Most residential rehabilitation centers hold periodic family days. You will be invited to attend and take part in group sessions and listen to some guest speakers. Family support is important to recovery. In addition, the center may offer you sessions to learn how to best help your loved one without enabling him or her.
Expectations: Your loved one will be expected to remain drug and alcohol free while living at the center. This or part of recovery and prevents negative influences on other residents. Failing a drug test, being caught with drugs, or coming back from a weekend pass high or drunk are serious infractions. Consequences could include removing weekend passes, additional counseling requirements, or being kicked out of the center.