What Should I Do Before Entering Drug Rehab?

When you make the decision to participate in drug rehab, you have to make a lot of decisions. You have to think about inpatient options, outpatient options, local rehab, distance, rehab, gender exclusive care, spiritual-based treatment, and a host of other specifics. Once you finally choose a treatment program, you can take a breath. You have decided.

But, as soon as you exhale, you realize that you have to get ready to go and that brings up a whole other series of issues and questions. What do you need to do prior to the start of drug rehab?

The following post will guide you through many of the steps that you will need to take in the time before you begin rehab. You should feel more prepared for the process when you finish.

For other concerns, consult more of our Know Before You Go posts and/or call 800-430-1407Who Answers?. You can speak to an expert and talk with them about preparing to enter drug rehab. You don’t have to do any of this alone. Help is waiting.

Notify Your Job

Make sure to notify your job and tie up any loose ends before leaving for rehab.

If you are going to inpatient rehab, then you will be taking a leave of absence from your daily requirements. If you are entering outpatient care, you may still have to take time away from work. You need to alert the relevant parties to the changes in your schedule before you are missing.

Luckily, you have rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act that allow you to seek addiction treatment without jeopardizing your employment. But you will only be protected if you are upfront and communicate clearly and efficiently with your job. If you qualify for disability leave, you should be granted up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave with job protection in place.

You should know that 76 percent of people with alcohol or drug problems are employed. You aren’t the first person to need time off to recover and you won’t be the last. Don’t let fear cost you your job.

Tie Up Any Self-Employment Loose Ends

It’s a bit easier to take time off of work when you work for yourself. However, in some ways, it may be more difficult if there is no one to pick up your slack. Unfortunately, word travels fast and you don’t want to develop a reputation for rushing work or being uncommunicative.

Take some steps to free yourself up. During times when people will be unable to reach you, make sure that you have detailed messages in place on both your email and phone. You may consider referring people to another business that you respect. You may hire a temp as well.

Communicate with School

If you are a high school student or the parent of one, you can’t call in sick for a month or begin cutting classes. You need to connect with a school counselor and arrange for assignments to be provided. You may get to work on them in inpatient rehab, and you can certainly make progress during outpatient care.

If you are in college, you should seriously consider taking a term off. You can try communicating with your instructors, but absence policies tend to be unyielding for good reason. You need to be there. IF you are still in the middle of the term, you may want to ask for incompletes.

Is Rehab the Right Choice?

Talk to Your Friends and Family

The people close to you won’t just wonder where you disappeared to, they will worry. You need to have a talk with them and let them know you are going to rehab. In addition to relaxing their fears, it will set them up to continue supporting you while you are in rehab. You will need their love when things get tough.

Take Care of Your Finances

If you are doing inpatient rehab, you should leave someone in charge of your household during your absence. You can help them by providing payment due dates and account passwords. If that idea freaks you out, try paying your bills ahead of time or using an automatic bill pay feature at your bank.

This will be especially important if you are entering long-term residential treatment, which the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates can extend for 6 to 12 months. The last thing you want is to have late charges cluttering up your mind when you are meant to be working on recovery.

This should provide you with a start, but there are other things to consider as well. To make sure that you are fully prepared for rehab, call 800-430-1407Who Answers?. Let an expert walk you through every step of the process with insight and helpful tips.