Do I Have To Be Sober To Go To An Inpatient Rehab Center?

When you’ve been using drugs or alcohol for a long time, you’ve likely found yourself in situations where you had to pull yourself together fast. Maybe, you needed to sober up to face a police officer, or you might have had to avoid using drugs the morning before your child’s parent-teacher conference at school. Trying to be sober when you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol often feels next to impossible, and you might have even wondered if people fell for your act if you were unable to avoid using your substance of choice.

One of the best things about rehab is that you don’t have to cover up who you are or what you’ve been doing with your time. Instead, rehabs are a true come-as-you-are type of place where your presence will be welcomed by everyone that you meet. Still, you might be wondering if you need to be sober to go to an inpatient rehab when you know that drugs and alcohol aren’t allowed. Although sobriety is encouraged, it isn’t always possible or even the safest way to begin your sober journey.

In an ideal scenario, you would walk into a treatment program completely sober so that you could immediately start focusing on dealing with the underlying reasons for your addiction. However, this could be impossible if you have a severe addiction. Not only might you find it hard to stay sober for that long, but you could also put yourself in danger if you experience severe withdrawal symptoms. When you plan for how sober to be on your inpatient admission date, you can ask yourself these questions to determine the best way to manage your wellbeing.
•How long is it before you are admitted?
•Will you need to travel on public transportation?
•Can someone accompany you to the rehab to help you stay sober?
•Are you able to stay sober without serious withdrawal symptoms?
•What does the admissions team recommend for your situation?

Start Preparing to Get the Most Out of Your Treatment

People with mild to moderate cases of addiction might be able to get sober for the day or two before their admission. If you’re going in on an emergency case basis, then you might still be drunk or high from your last use, which means there’s no way that you’ll enter the program sober. Your treatment team is able to handle both of these scenarios and everything in between. They know that some people are not able to avoid using drugs or alcohol, and they’ll take immediate action to keep you and the other people in the facility safe and comfortable while you get clean.

If you know that you can’t completely avoid drugs and alcohol before you go to the rehab center, you may still have the ability to slowly wean your usage down in the days leading up to your admission date. Using less drugs or lowering your alcohol intake can help to make the process of getting sober easier once you are in the rehab facility. This option might also help you to avoid being completely inebriated if you need to ride on an airplane or be in other public spaces that have no tolerance for potentially troublesome behaviors.

Whether you decide to get fully sober or not, you also have the ability to begin preparing mentally for your stay. Your success in rehab depends greatly upon your decision to take the treatment seriously. If you’re going to treatment under a court order, then try to see the reasoning behind the requirement. Someone clearly cares enough about your wellbeing to believe that treatment is your best option for improving your life. If you’re choosing treatment for yourself, then you may already have the right mindset. Yet, you might need to spend some time reminding yourself of the benefits of going to treatment and pumping yourself up to complete the entire stay. There will be a few tough moments ahead, but you can absolutely do this! You also won’t be alone. Getting sober is always easier when you are surrounded by compassionate people who are eager to give you support.

Do you want to know what else you need to do to get ready for rehab? We’ll help you start preparing when you call us at 833-610-1174 today!