Inpatient Addiction Treatment
Addiction Treatment
Lakeview Health Systems is a safe, secure, and confidential inpatient addiction treatment center. Our medical staff and master’s-level therapists understand the inter-connectedness between the psychological and physiological effects of drug and alcohol abuse. Our highly trained and experienced staff of doctors, nurses, and clinicians allows us to deliver a multidisciplinary approach to detoxification and addiction treatment.
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inpatient treatment?
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To completely address all aspects of addiction (a recognized disease of the brain and body), requires time, consistency, structure, and support. To Inpatient drug rehabilitation (rehab) is considered the most intensive level of care following a successful detoxification. Studies illustrate that the longer a patient remains in inpatient drug and alcohol treatment, the better the chances of maintaining sobriety. A comprehensive inpatient treatment center can build the foundation for recovery. Providing patients with the life skills and recovery tools needed to succeed in the world, teaching them relapse prevention techniques, offering therapeutic individual counseling and groups, and providing a well-developed and individualized aftercare plan can mean the difference between relapse and sustained long-term recovery.
For these inpatient treatment components to work, a patient’s cooperation and commitment to recovery must be solid. Inpatient drug and alcohol treatment offers patients the freedom of distractions and stressors, so that they may absorb the program with a clear, clean, and sober mind.
Inpatient Drug Rehab – The Real Work Begins
According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, comprehensive inpatient substance abuse treatment programs that provide behavioral treatment programs modify the patients’ “attitudes and behaviors related to drug abuse, and increase healthy life skills. These treatments can also enhance the effectiveness of medication and help people stay in treatment longer” (Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction). Longer stays in inpatient treatment directly correlates to longer sobriety.
Inpatient drug treatment addresses:
- The addict’s multiple needs, not just his or her drug addiction
- All substances abused by the patient simultaneously
- Mental health disorders in conjunction with substance abuse
- The need to constantly review and regularly update treatment plans to ensure long-term sobriety
- Length of stay, as longer treatment correlates to more successful sobriety
One goal of intensive, inpatient drug rehab centers is to create an environment where the addict or alcoholic is carefully monitored. An immediate response by doctors, nurses, and clinical therapists to any disturbance in a patient’s emotional or physical state, such as sleep deprivation or increased anxiety, can prevent a downward spiral and stop the addict from destructive behavior, which can include the need to self-medicate or use drugs or alcohol.
The patient’s ability to remain sober, to identify dangerous emotional states, and to learn how to handle physical and emotional triggers is imperative, and is a product of a successful therapeutic environment. Inpatient rehabilitation is the only place that such interventions can occur timely, and the monitoring it offers is far more effective than an addict’s often unreliable self-reporting. Defense mechanisms such as denial, manipulation, and rationalization can lead to errors in patient self-reports.
The staff at Lakeview Health Systems wants every patient to feel comfortable, safe, and secure. To help ease the confusion and fear about what happens in inpatient drug and alcohol rehab, we are providing a general description of a typical day. Of course, day-to-day lectures and special groups will vary, but the day below provides an overview.
A Sample Day in Addiction Treatment
6:30 AM - Good Morning!
We do everything possible to make the morning a pleasant experience. If you are not a morning person, don’t worry. 6:30 AM might sound like an early hour, but when you haven’t been drinking the night before, or are not waking up sick with withdrawal symptoms, you will see it is actually nice to get an early start on the day. Plus, a consistent wake-up time helps develop a routine, which is important in recovery.
There is ample time to shower, shave, get dressed, and feel good about the way you look. Finally, before breakfast, we like to take advantage of Jacksonville’s nice weather and go for a short walk.
7:30 AM - A Hearty Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so we make it a good one with a hot, nutritious meal. This may include eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and other healthy foods that are perfect for a recuperating body. Many patients neglected their bodies while using drugs and alcohol (gourmet meals were hardly a priority!), so it is important to build a foundation of healthy eating. There is also ample time after breakfast for your morning cup of decaf coffee or a cigarette break.
8:45 AM - Groups
We start the morning off with a few different group meetings. A focus group helps you start the day with positive thoughts, goal setting, and an opportunity to discuss anything that may be on your mind. Emotions in these early days can begin to surface. You can air your discomfort around these feelings and/or negative thoughts. This type of sharing provides you with the awareness that you are not the only one experiencing this change. You will learn the value of listening to learn, and the ability to help just by listening and identifying. Knowing others are experiencing similar feelings and thoughts reduces a sense of isolation.
Next, we have a lecture covering health and diet. Learning how to eat well is an important part of recovery. Our program treats the mind, body, and spirit. Eating right helps heal the body, ease emotions, and helps with clarity of thought.
Finally, you go to primary group, a group therapy session. You will be with your primary therapist in this group.
11:45 AM - Lunch
After all the walking, sharing, listening, and appointments, we take a lunch break. Again, we have hot, delicious lunches. If you want to go light, we have a full salad bar everyday so you can create a custom salad. Our patients enjoy the meals here and they love the desserts! And of course, there’s time after lunch for a cigarette or some socializing with new friends.
12:30 PM - More Groups
You’ll get used to sitting in a circle, that’s for sure! We resume our treatment schedule after lunch with more groups, including another primary group and lecture. Topics of discussion can include trauma, boundaries, behaviors, consequences, relationships. These discussion groups are designed to bring awareness about why and when drugs and alcohol are used.
3:15 PM – Ice Cream
We take a break Monday through Friday to enjoy an ice cream snack in the middle of the afternoon. It can get hot in Florida, so this is welcome refreshment on most days. Creative journaling and life skills such as budgeting can occur during this time as well.
3:30 PM - Community Meeting
We conclude the afternoon with a community meeting to “check-in” and see how the community is faring as a whole. Absorbing new information, sharing feelings, and learning to listen to others can be exhausting! If you need to bring anything to the attention of staff about the program or community, you are encouraged to take this time to do so (of course, staff is on hand to help 24 hours a day).
4:30 PM - Mail Call
You can receive mail while in treatment, as well as write and send letters. If anyone has sent you mail or a package, this is when you would receive it. We encourage you to take this opportunity to write letters. It is therapeutic for you, and lets those who care knows you are safe and receiving help.
4:30 PM – Dinner
Once you put down the drugs and alcohol, you will be surprised at how your appetite improves. Our last meal of the day includes tasty, home-cooked dinners and a nice dessert. A benefit to inpatient rehab is that we cook all of your meals; you don’t have to worry about grocery shopping or cooking. These can be anxiety-causing activities if you have not done them in a while. Eating well every day for six weeks will teach you the kinds of foods to include in your diet, help establish a routine for healthy eating, and have a leveling effect upon your mood.
5:15 PM - Evening Walk
After dinner, we start to wind things down. We like to take another walk at the end of the day to enjoy the cooler afternoon temperatures and give your meal some time to digest. You will find that gentle walking, especially in your first days of treatment, is a nice way to flex your muscles and get your endorphins flowing.
5:45 PM - Recreation
Now is the time to play board games, watch television, socialize, do a group activity, etc. We make it an organized time in which everyone can participate. Life in recovery can be fun and include a variety of activities. Leisure time is important to maintaining sobriety. We seek balance in our lives. Recreation time allows you to redefine the meaning of fun without drugs and alcohol.
7:00 PM - 12-Step Meeting
One thing we do every day, no exceptions, is attend a 12-step meeting, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. We try to get you in the habit of attending such meetings daily, so that by the time you finish treatment attendance is automatic. We recommend attending 90 meetings in 90 days after your discharge.
12-step meetings offer an ongoing program for recovery that has proven successful for people around the globe. There are meetings in almost every city, state, and even many countries. You’re surrounded by people that are in the same situation as you, dealing with life’s problems on a daily basis without drinking or drugging.
The 12-step meetings at Lakeview Health Systems are open for anyone in the community to attend. Going to 12-step meetings in a treatment facility allows other recovering addicts the opportunity to not only help the “newcomer,” but also help themselves stay sober. Sharing with others about thoughts and feelings can help the addict stay away from alcohol and drugs.
8:15 PM Free Time/ Homework
Your evenings are relaxed, a time to unwind and reflect on the day. You can socialize with new friends, read recovery-related literature, and do homework assignments. These are followed by meditation and “wrap up groups” and getting ready for bed. Telephone time is designated.
Remember, there is always friendly staff, including a 24-hour nursing team, to help you with anything you need.
11:00 PM Lights Out
We turn in after a long day at 11:00 PM so that you get a good night’s sleep. Rest is an important part of healing your body after addiction. Your room is semi-private, spacious, and comfortable. You’ll have a roommate with whom you can share your experience, strength, and hope from the day. Remember, everyone is in the same boat. We are all far more alike than we are different.
Congratulations, you have just completed a full day in addiction treatment. You’re going to be discussing some serious issues and will be emotionally up and down on any given day. Remember, no matter how difficult it may seem, “this too shall pass.” You can have some of the greatest and worst days in treatment. However, no matter how bad it gets, it will not be as bad as it was using and abusing. We can promise you that.
More Information About Lakeview's Treatment Programs:
If you have any questions about addiction treatment, or if you need help or advice about a drug or alcohol problem, you can call our free Addiction Helpline, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at 1-800-884-1727. You can also reach our Helpline by using Live Chat or through our Contact Us form.
