Can You Visit Someone In Rehab?

Can Friends and Family Visit Someone In Rehab?

The majority of rehab facilities do allow patients to have visitors. This is usually restricted to visits from their immediate family members only. However, there are some rehab centres that may also allow friends and other people who are approved by the patient to come to visit.

It highly depends on the treatment centre that you attend and at Asana visitors are not always permitted, especially if the risk of Covid is present. The staff in rehab will also take into account whether they believe that the people coming to visit you would make a healthy and positive influence on your recovery process.

When you first arrive at our drug or alcohol rehab centre, it’s most likely that visitors will be restricted. This is because the initial phase of your recovery plan is the detox stage. You will need time for your withdrawal symptoms to subside and you will need to start working on further treatments before anyone is allowed to come to visit you.

In many cases, family members may be invited to take part in your treatment through family therapy sessions. This can be very helpful if you want to rebuild your relationships with some of your family members.

It can also help you build a stronger support system and address any underlying issues. These may be things such as anger, resentment, co-dependency, or communication issues.

Can a Child Visit Someone In Rehab?

It can be quite helpful to involve children in the recovery process and let them see what’s happening and allow you to rebuild your relationships with your children. These types of visits can be very helpful for both the addict themselves as well as the child.

When a young child is exposed to someone who is going through a drug or alcohol addiction, this can lead to some very complex emotions for the child. In some cases, the child may need some support to help them cope with these complex emotions.

This is especially true for children who have been living with an addict or who have a parent that is an addict.

The family members and caregivers should ultimately decide on whether a child can visit someone in rehab as they will have a good understanding of the relationship and whether the visit will be helpful or not. However, if a child does want to visit someone in rehab, this is usually quite a positive and healthy experience for everyone involved.

Although it can seem quite natural to want to protect your child from experiencing some of the negative emotions surrounding addiction, it can also often be very good to give them the information they need to understand addiction. When a child visits, this is also a good opportunity for them to express their feelings about the situation.

Children may feel reassured knowing that their loved one is getting the help they need for their drug addiction. They may also feel less worried or anxious about their loved one being in a rehab centre when they see what the centre is like and see that their loved one is in a comfortable place surrounded by friendly people.

Can I Take a Pet To Visit Someone In Rehab?

Animals often become a companion in difficult times and addicts will often miss their pets very much while going through their treatment in alcohol or drug rehab. This can lead to many people wondering if pets are allowed to come and visit an owner in rehab.

Some people can feel quite concerned about being away from their pets for so long while they’re in rehab for recovery. With this in mind, it is important to ensure that you find the appropriate care for your pets before starting your recovery journey.

It is very unlikely that you will be able to take your pet into rehab with you. However, it may be possible for you to arrange for someone to bring your pet into the treatment centre for a visit outdoors.

Rehab Visitation Dos and Don’ts

Below, we will go over some of the dos and don’ts of visiting a rehab centre:

DO

• Do visit your loved one, even if it’s only a short visit. The addict needs to know that you care and support them.
• Always arrive on time as rehabs run a tight schedule. Routine is a part of the recovery process and it’s important to arrive on time to keep a consistent routine.
• Praise your family member’s courage to attend rehab. The addict needs motivation, encouragement, and support.
• Discuss things like the news and the weather. Small talk is the best approach and can help with the healing process.
• Make a point to meet all of the staff who are working with your loved one. Ask them questions so that you understand everything that is going on and what you can expect moving forward.

DONT

• Avoid mentioning weight gain. This is common in recovery and mentioning it may not sit right with the addict. This will most likely lead to passive behaviour that can ruin the visit.
• Don’t use any sarcastic remarks. This may also evoke shame and embarrassment so it is not helpful for your loved one’s recovery.
• Avoid discussing the future. Rehab is very focused on the present and bringing up the future may affect the recovery process.

• Avoid bringing up family drama. The whole process of alcohol or drug detox and recovery is stressful enough for the addict. They don’t need any additional anxiety surrounding the details of family drama. This is never helpful for the recovery process.
• Don’t mention anything to do with money. Rehab can be expensive, this is common knowledge. Reminding the addict about how much rehab is costing can evoke shame and may make them feel like a failure. This may result in relapsing.

Why Do Patients In Rehab Want Visitors?

It is very understandable that patients who enter a drug and alcohol rehab centre will want to see some visitors every now and again.

Family members and close friends can help to provide the patient with some much-needed support, comfort, and encouragement on the darkest days of the recovery period.

However, what most addicts don’t realise is that their addictive behaviours can completely alter their family dynamics. While the addict may see a relationship with a family member as a healthy one, it may actually be a very unhealthy relationship.

The therapists and clinical staff in rehab help to balance out the health of the family unit and relationships against the desires of the addict.

In many cases, having visitors is a very positive and healthy thing in rehab. Although, in some cases, it can lead to arguments and negativity.

This is why the staff members in rehab will think carefully before allowing you to have any visitors and why you must wait until you’ve started your therapies before having anyone come to visit you in rehab.

For any queries, contact us at Asana Lodge. You can also call on 01908 489 421 or email info@asanalodge.com for more information.