Outpatient drug rehab requires the patient to make daily visits to the rehab facility and then go home at night. Patients in these programs spend their evenings with their families. Many people who participate in rehab programs need support from friends and loved ones in order to be successful. Without adequate support, the difficulty and enormity of rehabilitation can become overwhelming. If your loved one is enrolled in an outpatient rehab facility, knowing how to provide support for your loved one is important. The following tips will help.
Avoid Difficult Conversations
The events that compelled your loved one to enroll in an outpatient drug rehab facility may have been very dramatic, and you may have many emotional things that you want to say to your loved one. Those conversations should wait until a time when your loved one is in a less fragile state.
Keep your conversations polite and avoid difficult or emotional topics. Discuss subjects that your loved one enjoys discussing and knows a lot about. This will keep conversations moving and may prevent conversations from going down a bad path.
Give Your Loved One Positive Feedback
Your loved one will very likely be feeling low at this point. Offering positive feedback to your loved one may help lift his or her spirits and may give your loved one the feeling that rehab is worth doing. Whatever you tell your loved one, be sure that your positive feedback is sincere. Do not offer positive feedback if you have nothing genuine to say. Your loved one will likely see through your statements if what you say does not reflect your true feelings.
Keep Your Loved One Entertained
Your loved one will likely be uncomfortable or in pain during the detox phase. Playing games in the evening will help your loved one keep his or her mind of this discomfort. You may also choose to stock up on movies that your loved one enjoys or has expressed desire to see. Whatever you pick for you and your loved one to do together, avoid activities that require your loved one to engage in physical activity. Limit the entertainment choices to things that can be done sitting down.
For more suggestions and ideas about the ways that you can support your loved one during the outpatient drug rehab program, talk to a medical professional at the rehab facility. He or she can give you ideas and may be able to give you suggestions that apply directly to your loved one. To learn more, visit a website like http://www.olalla.org.
