Today, an estimated 48.7 million U.S. adults suffer from a substance use disorder or “addiction”. That means 17.1% of the U.S. population, or almost 1 in 4 of us needs substance abuse treatment. As a result, it should be normal to look for, get, and go to rehab or addiction treatment.
At the same time, for many of us, there are many complications to doing so. Family, triggers, budget, professional reputation, and having time to focus on recovery are all among the problems. Outpatient treatment and staying home are options, but that means we’re still in the environment that led us to use and become addicted in the first place. For that and other reasons, rehab centers offer full-service live-in accommodation during treatment, so you can stay in a safe environment, away from home, during treatment.
While it will cost more, there are many benefits to seeking out addiction treatment far from home. In this article, we’ll go into those benefits, so you can better understand why you might want to go to a rehab center further away from home.
Whether you’re a working professional, are from a small town, or otherwise want or need privacy, you might appreciate that going to a remote rehab center offers you privacy. If you’re potentially facing stigma at home, getting treatment away from home reduces that stigma. That’s important, because potential stigma from neighbors, the workplace, and community can actually prevent people from looking for treatment.
Going to an out-of-town or out of state treatment center means you’ll be completely anonymous. You can tell the people in your life anything you want about where you are going. E.g., you might be going on a month-long business trip, on an extended holiday, or to take care of a dying relative. They don’t have to know.
Many of us also find that being anonymous at treatment improves how we feel. It’s hard to go sit in a room with people you know and talk about your problems, about your mental health, about where you’ve made mistakes. Doing that around new people, who don’t know your history or who you were before substance abuse can relieve much of that pressure and can make it easier to be honest and open.
Most areas will have an addiction treatment center. More often than not, that will be a simple outpatient treatment center, where you can go to treatment at the same time as work, school, or your other responsibilities.
Going to a treatment center further from home means you’ll have more choice of treatment centers. For example, inpatient treatment. Inpatient treatment means you have a dedicated space to recover in, which is proven to contribute to more successful outcomes. Going to a treatment center further from home means you’ll have your pick of treatment options, treatment types, and additional support. That’s true whether you’re looking into a specific therapy, want to work with a specialty program like female-only or LGTBQI+, want an aftercare program, want a program with childcare or pet care, etc.
If you look for treatment locally, you’ll have to accept what’s there. If you look for treatment further away from home, you’ll be able to decide what you want and then find that, wherever it’s at.
Leaving Triggers BehindEveryday life is an important part of who we are, why we abuse substances, and our recovery. Work, social obligations, family, chores, and the stresses, triggers, and constraints that come with are part of life. Yet, they will get in the way of recovery. In addition, your daily life is full of triggers. That can be stress, and it can be routines or habits that sabotage your recovery before you know how to manage them or change them. If you’re home, your access to drugs and alcohol is the same as it always was. If you’re home, the negative behaviors and patterns are still there. If you’re used to drinking when you get home from work, the number of times you will autopilot to doing just that will be a part of your recovery.
If you’re going to a treatment center that’s far from home, you’ll step away from those patterns, triggers, and routines. You’ll be able to learn skills to cope while in a different environment, meaning that when you step back into your own environment and deal with triggers again, you’ll be stronger, you’ll have learned how to recognize them, and you’ll have learned how to change them.
Of course, going back to the same environment that resulted in substance abuse after recovery isn’t always the best idea. Instead, it might be better for you to look into sober living solutions, to moving your apartment, and looking to reduce stress and triggers in your life.
One of the major factors in recovery is committing to and making recovery a choice. Taking the plunge to go to a rehab center far from home is making that commitment and creating independence. Even if you live with family or loved ones, it means being independent and self-sufficient, which will encourage you to rely on yourself and your own coping skills. For many of us, that means building those skills for the first time.
Living in a new place for a month or several months means you’re investing on doing this, you’re taking responsibility for the fact that it’s your job to recover, and you’re taking matters into your own hands. You’ll get motivation boost and daily reminder that you’re putting work into recovery for yourself. But, you’ll also be able to fully commit all of your attention and time to your recovery, because your friends, family, hobbies, habits, and substance abuse are not there.
Whether you’re choosing a destination rehab center, an out-of-state rehab center, or simply a treatment center further from where you live, choosing to go to rehab away from home can be a powerful part of your recovery. That can mean letting go of support from friends and family temporarily, and instead working to build self-reliance, your own coping mechanisms, and your own choices. Eventually, you’ll always want friends and family to be informed of your recovery, to be part of your recovery where possible, and to contribute if they can. That might mean involving them later in therapy, talking to them after you’ve improved skills for emotional regulation and management, and making those choices once you’re stable enough to do so.
At the same time, going to a rehab center far from home means you’ll get privacy, autonomy, and your choice of treatment options.
There are plenty of great reasons to look for inpatient rehab away from home. Here, it often doesn’t matter how far from home you go, you’ll get the benefits of privacy and anonymity. Destination rehab centers can also offer the benefit of a relaxing environment and a vacation-like feel, so you can let go of stress and focus on nothing but treatment. Whatever you choose, good luck with therapy and good luck with your recovery.
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