While our patients are at Clearbrook we encourage them to start making changes to their daily routine. The first part of recovery is to put down the alcohol and/or drugs that we are using. That is not going to be enough to achieve a life of sobriety though. We often hear people say that they not only had to stop using but they also had to change everything. As addicts and alcoholics we have to start to construct new habits. What seem like small things make the biggest difference. Here is a list of some of the changes that we recommend people start making in treatment so that when their short, 28-day stay comes to an end, they can transition into mainstream life.
Punctuality | Being on time for groups, meals, and the events that happen in treatment begin to hold people accountable. We have to begin to learn that not only is our time valuable, but so is everyone else’s.
Cleanliness | We ask that our patients keep their rooms clean at all times. Our staff will clean on a regular basis but it is the patient’s job to make their bed, have their clothes put in drawers, and their bathrooms in order. In addiction we do not care what our surroundings look like. In sobriety coming home to a clean room gives us a sense of accomplishment.
12-Steps | Reading AA/NA literature while in treatment is a great beginning. We teach you a lot in treatment as to what you have to do when you leave. We read the books that were written by addicts for addicts. The 12 steps of recovery are in these books. We believe that the 12 steps of recovery are the main ingredient to long term sobriety. When you leave and get a sponsor in the rooms, these are the books that we read and study.
Spirituality |We strongly recommend that you begin to pray. We don’t care who or what you pray to. What prayer is doing is humbling ourselves to ask for help and guidance from something that we cannot explain. When we are in the “real world” and there is no human around to help guide our thoughts and actions, prayer is a great way to ask for help.
Getting Honest | A key component to recovery is honesty. Honesty works in three ways. First, being honest with yourself, next being honest with others, and lastly being honest with what you are doing and how you are living now. Start living the truth at Clearbrook. Tell someone how you feel. Acknowledge these thoughts to yourself and begin to adjust your actions appropriately. — “What does your life look like when no one else is watching…?”
These are just a few of the ways that we ask our patients to begin to change what and how they are living. Practice, practice, practice is the only way we can begin to develop new habits. As human beings we are all creatures of habit, with or without the disease of addiction. For those of us that are afflicted with this disease these changes are imperative to long term sobriety and to becoming “happy, joyous and free.”
