What Happens When a Loved One Goes to Treatment?

Your loved one is finally going to treatment, and you couldn’t be more excited for them. But you’re also scared and have your doubts. It’s totally natural to feel all sorts of ways. Alcohol and drug addictions impact more than just the individual struggling with the addiction. It can impact you as well. But your heart is in the right place, and you want to offer support, so it helps knowing what your loved one will experience during their treatment program.

With Laguna Treatment Center, your family member will be cared for by a compassionate and professional medical staff. Not only will the environment be supportive, but your loved one will have access to medical detox, medically intensive residential treatment, aftercare planning, and an alumni network. Located in the beautiful state of California, Laguna is one of the American Addiction Centers’ facilities, a nationwide leader in addiction treatment.

Upon entering the program, individuals receive a psychiatric assessment within 48 hours of admission. This helps the behavioral health technicians to create a treatment plan tailored specifically for each individual and their needs.

Treatment begins with medical detox, during which individuals are monitored 24/7 over the course of about 5-7 days by our nursing staff. Depending on the individual, medication may also be provided during this withdrawal time, which helps patients taper safely and comfortably from substances they are addicted to.

So how can you show your loved one just how much you support them?

You can find and join a Narc-Anon, Al-Anon, or other family groups that support individuals who have family members battling with substance use disorder (SUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Additionally, if your loved one is open to connecting with you while they’re in treatment, all of you may participate in family therapy in-person, via telephone, or even Skype.

We also work with patients to coordinate communication between patients and their families, contingent on the comfort level of the patients to be able to do this. Under supervised sessions, patients are allowed to check their emails and place phone calls on shared computers and phones.

We understand that connecting with family can help with the success of the recovery process, and we do our best to facilitate this connection. Additionally, with the patient’s consent (via a release of information form), Laguna provides updates to trusted family members within the first 24 hours of admission.

The daily schedule consists of a townhall patient meeting, individual and gender-specific group therapies, 12-step meetings in the evening, reflection time, and an optional meditation/yoga that’s available once a week. Scheduled meals are provided at 7 am, noon, and at 5 pm.

Any individual demonstrating suitable progress within their treatment program may be allowed to go on hiking trails, take trips to the beach, and participate in other activities.

Going to treatment can be a scary step for both the loved one and their family. Knowing what to expect decreases a lot of the fear and helps everyone to focus on what’s important: your loved one achieving long-term sobriety. Laguna Treatment Center can help them to achieve just that.