In a previous blog, we explained what happens when you arrive at our addiction treatment center. In this blog edition, we will write what you can expect during your stay in our addiction retreat. Do keep in mind that treatment is highly individual and we aim to meet your unique clinical need. So, while I will describe a weekly addiction recovery program in this blog, this can be somewhat different for each individual person.
Research has overwhelmingly shown that a daily structure is vital for good mental health. We see in our clients that structure is almost always lacking in their life.Therefore, we will help you in developing this healthy habit. The day starts at 8, this is when breakfast is served. You will eat together with all the other clients. We aim for all our clients to start sticking to this structure as quickly as they are able to. Eating together is also a great way to get to know other people who are in treatment and recovering from addiction with you.
After breakfast, we take our clients out for a morning walk around the neighborhood. The benefit of staying in a gated community is that roads are safe to walk on, there is little traffic, and the routes are quite scenic. Morning exercise is also linked with improved mental and physical health. The walks are also a great opportunity for you to practice mindfulness. Once you have returned to the facility and after freshening up, we start with the first group of the day.
The morning program is filled with several group sessions. We start the morning with a “Check-in”. In this group, you are asked several questions that are designed to help you reflect on how you feel and what you are planning for the day. Self-reflection is an incredibly helpful skill in developing relapse prevention. Planning your day supports maintaining a healthy structure and it sets daily goals for you to achieve.
When this group is over you have a short break before the next group starts. The morning group is an interpersonal therapy group or a psycho-educational group. In the interpersonal therapy group, you will be given to opportunity to talk about your difficult experiences in addiction or listen to others share their stories. The group’s aim is to improve your interpersonal relationships and social functioning. A psycho-educational group is a group that focuses on educating you on addiction, be it substance or behavioral and introduce coping skills.
Now it is time for lunch! We offer great home-cooked food buffet style. Our chef is both an expert in making familiar Asian dishes and some popular Western options.
Each client at Solace has a counselor assigned to them. With your counselor, you will have individual sessions in which you explore the mechanisms of your addiction,suitable coping skills, and possibly look at interventions that can be done within your family. Our counselors are trained in a variety of treatment styles; cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion focused therapy, schema therapy, twelve-step facilitation, motivational interviewing, and of course experts in addiction treatment.
In the afternoon we also focus on getting active. Each day you will have the opportunity to physical exercise. The activities range from taking a swim in our pool, to badminton, or visiting a local gym.
After dinner, we offer the opportunity for our clients to take part in an Anonymous group. Each day Solace provides a different group, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous,Co-dependency Anonymous and several others. These groups have a proven track record to support people in their addiction recovery process post-treatment. By offering these groups while you are at Solace, we believe you are able to familiarize yourself with these groups and the concepts of the Twelve Steps.
As we start each day with a “Check-in” we end the day with a “Check out”. In this last group, we review our day and make an inventory of our actions and thoughts. This action supports your growth in mindfulness and is a great skill that supports relapse prevention. After this group, there is time for self-study, to relax or rest.
This short writing hopefully gives you a better idea of what to expect when you come to treatment to recover from your addiction. Certainly, the step of addressing your addiction is difficult and can seem overwhelming. Please rest assured that at Solace we aim to make your treatment process as comfortable as possible.
We hope to greet you soon.
