Drug rehab is a place where you will learn about yourself and how to live a meaningful life, rooted in sobriety. Recovering from drugs or alcohol is the most rewarding challenge you will ever come to know. Putting in the work, having the hope, being resilient and persevering will bring you to a point of rebuilding a life that you could have never imagined.
Rehabilitation
Being in drug rehab is part of the addiction recovery process. While you’re in drug rehab, therapeutic work is the focus— this stage of the recovery process is mainly about understanding your addiction, how you act and react, and discovering who you truly are. You will work with therapists to understand and get through any unresolved issues, trauma, grief and loss, etc. At Royal Life Centers, we use intensive therapies to help guests heal in the mind, body, and spirit. Our intensive therapies include: individual therapy sessions, group therapy, behavioral therapies, support groups, adventure therapy, activity therapy, and equine therapy.
Recovery from addiction requires a lot of healing, self-discovery and reflection, and learning. In recovery, guests are essentially learning a new way to live. We teach guests the skills and tools that they need to rebuild lives rooted in happiness, health, meaning, and sobriety. Creating a meaningful life seems overwhelming, but it really just comes down to accumulating happiness but doing things that you love, nurturing meaningful relationships, practicing wellness activities, finding hobbies that bring you joy, and replacing bad habits with healthy ones, among other things. If you are willing to put in the effort, and open to learning better coping mechanisms and other skills, you will be able to transform your life.
A Meaningful Life
Whether you are in a treatment setting, or have completed one, we put together some tips on how to bring meaning into your life. Ideally, you will begin to accumulate meaning while in a treatment setting, as you are beginning to figure out how to navigate sobriety, self-soothe, and learn. Essentially, building a life that brings happiness and confidence that you have the tools and skills to overcome any obstacle. A meaningful life is built on a variety of factors, including doing things that bring you joy, maintaining meaningful relationships with others, having a sense of community, and recognizing the progress you make along the way, among other things.
We have some tips on how to build a meaningful life in drug rehab and beyond:
- First, you CAN still have fun
- Make changes
- Drop toxicity
- Self-awareness
- Build a support network
- Goal-setting
- Practice self-care, daily
- Expand your mind
- Practice activities that bring you joy
- Take a break
- Be grateful
- Spend time outside
- Work on your relationships
- Find your passion
Just because you are sober, does not mean you can never have fun again. There is so much fun to be had in sobriety, and the things that bring you joy will mean more when you are sober than if you were still actively in addiction.
Early sobriety is the time to make and embrace changes. Don’t forget to listen to your support network and any figures of guidance in the early recovery process to help guide you a direction that will serve you now and later. Making changes is the theme of recovery.
You can’t fully submit to the happiness and health brought to you in recovery if you are still harboring toxicity in your life. Toxic people, places, and things will divert you away from recovery and will hold you back in the short and long term. It’s time to drop negativity as you begin to build meaning into your life, meaningful and healthy relationships should be a priority.
We believe in the power of staying aware of yourself. Not only does being self-aware help you learn from every process, but it will help you better yourself daily, notice new things to work on, and recognize any warning signs that speaking up about will protect you from relapse. We suggest keeping a journal to use through out your day, writing down any thoughts/feelings/experiences/reactions to get a better understanding of where you’re at. Journaling is a therapeutic activity that we support and teach in our treatment programs, because we believe in its’ ability to help guests cope, reflect, and learn from themselves.
One of the most important things you can do in early recovery is reach out to other sober people, and build a sober support network. A sober support network will give you a strong foundation that will carry you through the hardships of early sobriety. Having people to reach out to, that have been in your shoes, will give you an endless source of guidance and support.
Setting goals for yourself will not only give you something to work for, but they will motivate you as you begin to achieve them. Even small, achievable goals will build your self-esteem up and give you the push you need to keep going. Try starting out with small daily goals, like “today I will learn something new about myself” to “today I will help one person” and see how completing those goals make you feel. Goal-setting is the key to growth and progressing as a person, to become the best version of yourself. Treatment facilities provide the perfect opportunities to set goals.
Each day and night, there are countless ways that you can practice self-care— which is doing something to take care of yourself. Self-care can include essential routines, like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, washing your face, participating in healthy activities, eating well, etc. Beyond the bare minimum forms of self-care, try doing something extra nice for yourself on a daily basis. You can do this by speaking positive affirmations aloud, doing a face mask, taking a relaxing bath, meditating, doing a hair mask, etc.
Continue to educate yourself in different ways, and open up your scope of perspective. You can do this simply by reading a book, talking to other people who have something interesting to say, considering another person’s perspective in each situation, etc.
Explore your hobbies, try new things, and find what brings you joy! Finding healthy hobbies to participate in will greatly improve your quality of life and bring meaning to it simultaneously. At Royal Life Centers, we encourage guests to find things they are passionate about, which is why we offer therapy and therapeutic processes like adventure therapy, activity therapy, and equine therapy. Guests are able to have fun at a ropes course, find serenity in kayaking, create artwork, journal, make and listen to music, and spend time with beautiful animals. Our therapies are aimed to help guests build meaning, excitement, and joy into their lives.
Take smalls breaks, especially if or when you are feeling overwhelmed, to check in on yourself. Giving yourself the opportunity to feel and think about your mental health, is a key component to a meaningful life. Your mental health is so important, which is why taking moments to check in with yourself is key to living a meaningful life, full of insight and self-awareness. Checking in on yourself is a learned way to maintain the positive state of mind that aids a meaningful life.
Sometimes you may be consumed by emotion, and unable to identify the blessings you have. We know the power in remaining grateful is one of the strongest spiritual principles you can practice. We recommend writing a gratitude list, or five things each day that you are grateful for. Your gratitude list can contain things like my breakfast this morning to the love and support I received today. There are no rules with gratitude, as long as you are counting your blessings, you’ll be able to appreciate this life more— and focus on the things that are meaningful to you.
Nature has powerful healing properties, and promotes mindfulness— or, being present in the moment. Spending time outside is proven to heighten your quality of life and promote health. Some of the most valuable lessons to be learned, can be identified in nature, like going with the flow, adaptation, coexisting, etc. Spending time in nature will help you stay grounded, and the sun will feed your body with vitamins and minerals that you just can’t get from sitting inside.
Often in recovery for drug or alcohol addiction, we realize how many relationships we have damaged in our personal lives. Recovery is the time to work on repairing the important relationships in your life with family members or friends. Repairing relationships with healthy people will bring meaning into your life. Meaningful relationships are an essential part of a meaningful life. We cannot do everything alone, which is why it’s important to have strong and meaningful relationships with people who will lift you up in your recovery.
You can only find your passion by exploring new things. In Royal Life Centers, we strongly encourage self-discovery through a variety of therapeutic activities and gaining insight from the intensive therapies we offer. Knowing what you’re passionate about will give you the freedom to explore and participate in things that give you meaning and purpose.
Our Treatment
At Royal Life Centers, we recommend guests to try new things that lead them to finding what their passion, purpose, and drive is. Our drug rehab centers offer a variety of therapies that aid self-exploration and discovery, like adventure therapy, activity therapy, and equine therapy. People in recovery are constantly looking to better themselves, and bring meaning into their lives in a variety of ways, which ultimately helps them stay sober.
Royal Life Centers has a variety of drug rehab programs, including: medical detox, a residential inpatient program, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an outpatient program (OP), sober living and graduate housing. Our substance abuse and addiction treatment plans are developed with the guest and their case manager and primary therapist collaboratively, making each treatment plan individualized to meet each guest’s personal needs and goals. Our treatment options all support lasting, long term recovery. Our treatment centers offer invaluable opportunities for self-discovery and building a meaningful life. We have rehab facilities in the states of Washington and Arizona.
Reach Out
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, please reach out to us at (877)-RECOVERY or (877)-732-6837. Our addiction specialists are available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Because We Care.
