Coming to treatment is an incredibly important step in your process in recovery for your addiction, be it alcohol, drugs or behavioral. The act of actually getting to treatment, however, can be scary or create anxiety. You are not alone; the majority of clients report high levels of anxiety leading up to admission into an addiction inpatient treatment facility. This is understandable for many reasons; meeting new people is always a bit exciting, the anticipation of changes an addictive habit can be scary,perhaps you are withdrawing from a substance, or you are just not completely sure yet you want to stop the addiction. This blog highlights what you can expect on that first day of entering our addiction treatment and why we do the things we do.
Welcome, you have arrived at Solace. You’ll be greeted by two of our trusted staff members. Typically, this is a Recovery Support Coach and a Nurse.A Recovery Support Coach (RSC) is a special and highly valued member of our team. This person is not only trained in managing daily aspects of working in a treatment center, they too have a history of addiction. Their experiences with addiction but also with over two years in recovery allows them to uniquely support and understand our clients, they really do know what you are going through. After you have arrived it is first our aim to help you relax. Perhaps a drink or a snack, something to allow you to have a breather.
There are some things that we are required to do on the first day. You will be asked to sign a couple of forms. In these forms, you give us permission to work with you and who we can contact. It is important to know that we take your privacy very seriously and without your consent, we will not even acknowledge you ever been present at our facility. Your physical health is an absolute priority so regardless of your drug of choice or compulsive behavior you will be required to take a drug test. The outcome of this test is also private and will only be shared with you. A drug test also tells us what kind of substances there are in your system, this informs us of what kind of withdrawal we can expect and if needed include medical support.
What also needs to happen is a search of your belongings. We understand addiction and know that people coming into addiction treatment sometimes try to smuggle something in, that is not allowed. We get this, addiction drives people to do these things. Our aim is to create a safe environment for all our guests and staff members, illicit substances are therefore not allowed. We have often found drugs, all sorts of drugs during these checks such as methamphetamine(also known as ice or syabu), cocaine, marijuana, even alcohol. In the case of such a find, we will destroy the substance and consider the issue resolved.
After you have done the necessary paperwork, your belongings have been checked, you are tasked with the most important thing, relax. Get to know your environment, your peers in treatment, the first day or two we understand you need time to settle in. If you are suffering from withdrawals, we too will be supportive of this process and aim to give you the support that you require. Addiction treatment can be a difficult and at times painful process, we at Solace aim to make that process as comfortable as possible.
Welcome to Solace.
