Residential Treatment for Alcoholics

Residential treatment centers are homes where people seek treatment over a long period. They live in-house and they commit on a 24/7 basis. Medical care is done within the center, allowing the team to always monitor how the patient is doing. The program is fully catered to the individual, and it can be flexible depending on the day-to-day situation. Treatment centers tend to offer housekeeping services, bedrooms, meals, and numerous places to relax. They also offer support, which can entail nursing care, conferences, medical interviews, spa care, and even counseling sessions. This self-care-focused format allows the patient to improve their mental state. Visits are allowed, as are outings, but a reasonable amount of activities are also carried out in-house.

What is Residential Treatment?

The first step with residential treatment is to stabilize and improve physical health wherever needed. The second phase involves a lot of deep psychological work. The emphasis is put on identifying any addictive patterns while helping the person to develop life skills that will go on to help them later in life. Residential treatment is ideal for recovering addicts, as it helps to drag them out of their daily environment. One way to look at it is as if addiction is bacteria. It is desperately trying to survive. You need to change the environment so it can no longer thrive, but this can take time. If you leave when the slightest bit of bacteria is left, there is a chance it will start to multiply again. Residential treatment is about making sure that you get a fresh start, because sometimes, that’s the only way to kick your addiction for good.

When you go to a residential treatment facility, you will be able to cut yourself off from the toxic triggers. A lot of people who have been addicts for a long time find that their values change when they are sober and that they can love and cherish things on a deeper level. Residential treatment is ideal for helping you to take that next step, as there are workshops and support groups designed to connect you back to your true self.

What Does Residential Treatment for Alcoholics Look Like?

Residential treatment for alcoholics requires you to have an increased level of commitment. You will participate in daily activities that allow you to find yourself again, while also ensuring that you do not fall back into the same vicious cycle. Recovery is like a river. You will have moments of still and calm, but you will also have rough periods that are more difficult to handle. That being said, you will only be able to move forward with your journey, if you are able to stay strong during the more difficult times. Having the right kind of support will help, and that’s exactly what residential treatment offers. You will have access to counseling sessions, meals, a cleaner, and a network of people who are going through the same struggles as you. This will help you to come to terms with your addiction while gaining the clarity you need to make a positive change.

Learning to Live Without Alcohol

Any learning stage begins with you having no conscious awareness of the fact that you need to learn a new skill. This is the time when you are probably happy with the relationship you have with alcohol, and you drink as much as you’d like. The second stage would be where you are aware that you need to kick your habit. You may not be able to make the change yet though, as blissful ignorance will be replaced with feelings of frustration, agony, or discomfort.

Stage three is where you are awakened to the idea of needing to learn a new skill. Your frustration will now be displaced by determination and conscious effort. This is the time when you’re able to make a change to your behavior. At the same time, you may feel like you are being deprived, or that you are missing out. 

The last stage is where the new skill becomes active. It will have a life of its own and it won’t require any conscious effort on your behalf. Not drinking will become second nature to you, and you will have mastered the idea of sobriety. At this point, your freedom will be reclaimed and you will start to feel like your old self.

Benefits of Group Therapy

One major benefit of group therapy is that you can gain comfort in a safe space. You will be able to trust that what happens in the group, stays in the group. You will feel less alone in the struggles you are facing as well. These challenges could include depression, social anxiety, drug addiction, or even a panic disorder. A group setting can make you feel more comfortable knowing that other people understand what you are going through. 

Group therapy also gives you a voice. Finding your voice can be incredibly difficult, and using it is even more of a challenge. Group sessions can give you a place where you can practice. You can be unfiltered, and you can vocalize the stress and anxiety you are experiencing. Knowing how to articulate and how to communicate can empower you, making you feel truly heard.

Lastly, group therapy offers you a sounding board. If you have fought with a loved one or if you are finding it hard to deal with conflict, then the group can fill that void. People in the group may also offer a perspective you can relate to. You might get more out of their advice versus the advice of someone who hasn’t struggled with addiction before.

Group therapy and residential treatment can be invaluable for those who are struggling with alcoholism. If you are struggling with alcohol addiction, then please give us at Jackson House Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers a call at (866) 396-3655. We would be more than happy to talk you through how we can help during this challenging time in your life.