Rehab Pros & Cons

Yes, I have been to several, ranging from Nazi style, to places of sex, drugs and rock & roll!
My first foray into rehab was a 21 day outpatient at Guenster House. Initially, I was a bit skeptical, but I was willing to listen and share my thoughts. I really wasn't ready to give up my party life at that time, and did not complete the program.
During the next 10 years I found myself trying to maintain a semblance of control and normalcy.
It was getting progressively worse. I tried another inpatient center, and was able to amass about 3 months. It was back on the sauce again, until friends and family began to encourage me to get help. Each time in rehab, I would learn something new about addiction and myself. Of course I was still convinced that I could somehow regain control of my problem. The idea of permanence was still a bit foreign to me.
Rehab was becoming a "recharge" for me, rather than a long term solution. Of course the more I learned about addiction, the less fun it was to go back out. A big part of the problem for me was making the connection that rehab is merely an education and an introduction to AA & NA.
The super strict rehab was way over the top, concerning interaction between males and females.
On the other side was the facility that did nothing to curb physical relationships developing between the guys and gals; way too chaotic! The programs that struck a balance between these two, by allowing social interaction, without the intercourse, were the most beneficial.
Rehab centers allow the protected environment most addicts need , in addition to Spiritual guidance, factual knowledge of the mechanism of addiction and the introduction to the rooms of 12 step recovery.