Kicking your drug or alcohol habit with the help of in-house rehabilitation typically requires a 90-day commitment of living in a controlled setting that's designed to teach you how to create a positive future life of sobriety. Temporarily living in a rehab center involves purging old lifestyle habits and opening the door to a slew of changes that while essential, will likely be uncomfortable at the time. Here are a few tips you can use to prepare for your stay in rehab and help ensure that the experience is both successful and comfortable:  

Visit Beforehand

A great way to mentally prepare yourself for life within a treatment center is to visit the facility you'll be staying in before your first official night as a patient. This will give you an opportunity to get to know the facility itself as well as the staff you'll be working with throughout your stay. Take the time to inspect the kitchen, community areas, therapy rooms, bedrooms, and the restrooms so you know exactly what to expect when you're a resident there. It's a good idea to schedule a meeting with the facilitator during your visit to inquire about things like:

• Scheduled daily meeting times.
• Discussion topics to expect at group meetings.
• Types of food that are available on a regular basis.
• Kinds of entertainment that is allowable during your stay.

Spend a few minutes before your visit writing down a list of questions and concerns that you personally have so they can be addressed when you meet with the facilitator. After your visit you can use the knowledge you've gathered to start practicing for success at home. For instance you can follow the facility's meal plan at home so your digestion and taste buds are used to the cuisine that will be served during your stay in rehab.

Check Out a Social Event

Most in-house rehabilitation centers host regular social events so their residents have a chance to invite friends and family to the facility for some quality time together. Chances are that the facility will welcome you to an event prior to your residency so you can get to know others going through the program and gain some insight into what you'll learn and the kinds of resources you can expect to tap into. Other things you should be able to find out about at a social event include:

• The type of leadership that's available at the facility during and after your stay.
• How well the event and facility is protected from negative outside influences.
• How well the residents and staff get along with one another.

Making a phone call to the facility's event coordinator is all it should take to sign up as a guest for an upcoming barbecue, pot luck, or other social event that's on the calendar.

Get a Start on Meetings

By attending some support meetings before your schedule stay in rehab, you'll put yourself in a supportive environment similar to that which you'll experience as a facility patient. Attending meetings on a regular basis during the week or two leading up to your stay in rehab will help you get comfortable speaking in front of groups of others, and should provide you with new communication skills that will help you effectively convey your thoughts and emotions while in rehab.

Online meetings don't offer the same specific preparation benefits that in-person meetings do, but they will give you an idea of what to expect at facility meetings, which makes them worth the time investment if you can't make it to brick and mortar meetings.

With the help of these tips and tricks you should be well prepared for a successful and comfortable stay in rehab, and you'll likely find it easier to maintain a positive frame of mind throughout the experience. For more information, contact a company like Olalla Recovery Centers.