Going it alone? Single vs shared rooms in Residential Rehab
When deciding upon the right drug and alcohol clinic for yourself or a loved one, there are many factors to consider: location, urgency, and cost to name a few, but one of the things we have found many people to be concerned about is the idea of sharing a room. Personally, I think it is one of the best things you can do.
Addiction is not a sociable illness; it may start that way, but it never takes long before a person isolates everyone around them. Treatment at a rehab centre represents a fresh start; it is about accepting help and no longer going it alone. Now for many people, when thinking about sharing a room in a residential clinic, they will consider the negatives – What about my privacy? What if I don’t like the person I share with? But what about the positives?
Alcohol and drug rehab is intensive. There are no two ways about it; the person will be involved in the treatment process throughout the day, and will often deal with issues that are longstanding and have been causing them problems. Who better to confide in than someone who is going through the same thing? Many people assume they will just be put wherever there is space. Not true. Rehab centres operate a buddy system, where the people chosen to share rooms are selected based on their age, background, substance of choice etc.
If you speak to someone in recovery you will often hear that whilst the rehabilitation programme helped, it is the group of people they are in treatment with that made the difference and motivated them to achieve recovery. Yes, for some people, a single room is an absolute must, and I respect that choice, all I’m saying is don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – it could turn out to be the path to your recovery.