Drug Rehab
Pet Friendly Drug RehabPet-friendly drug rehab centers allow you to bring your pet to treatment with you.
Pet-Friendly
Pet-Friendly Drug Rehab
Pet-friendly drug rehab centers allow you to bring your pet to treatment with you. Drug rehab can be life-changing, but it’s also hard work. Having your pet alongside you during this time can boost your spirits, relieve stress, and improve physical health. Pets also help to build a greater sense of responsibility, purpose, and accountability, all of which enhance the therapeutic process.
Pet-Friendly
Pet-Friendly Drug Rehab
Pet-friendly drug rehab centers allow you to bring your pet to treatment with you. Drug rehab can be life-changing, but it’s also hard work. Having your pet alongside you during this time can boost your spirits, relieve stress, and improve physical health. Pets also help to build a greater sense of responsibility, purpose, and accountability, all of which enhance the therapeutic process.
Pet Treatment
Why Would A Person Bring Their Pet To Treatment?
Many people refer to their pets as family. Others as tiny, furred people. However you refer to you pet, one thing is certain: they’re a huge part of your life.
Some individuals are so close to their pet that the thought of being away from them for any length of time is greatly disheartening. Other’s may simply worry who will take care of their pet while they’re away.
Finding pet care while you’re in treatment may seem impossible, especially if you need drug rehab treatment for a significant length of time. These reasons may lead certain people to forestall or even forgo getting treatment.
You may be surprised to learn that certain drug rehabs allow your pet to accompany you to treatment. This can help to create a more supportive and familiar environment, which can enhance both your treatment stay and the benefits you receive while there.
Benefits
What Are The Benefits Of Having Your Pet At Treatment?
When you have a pet your day often begins, and ends, with your pet. Whether it be a cold nose or a warm tongue saying good morning, the simple routines of feeding them, or snuggling into bed with them at night, the interaction and activities surrounding your pet frame and fill your day. During pet-friendly drug rehab treatment, these simple pleasures can help sustain you during treatment.
Here are some additional benefits of attending a pet friendly drug rehab:
Balanced Mood
Substance abuse can lead to mood instability. Quality time and direct physical contact with your pets has been shown to boost the “feel good” hormones serotonin and oxytocin which help to regulate and lift your mood.
Better Physical Health
One scientific survey of 69 studies on the subject reported that interacting with an animal increases overall physical wellness and immune system functioning. Cardiovascular health improved, most notably by lowered blood pressure and a regulated heart rate. It also found a decrease in stress-related hormones.
Consistency And Responsibility
Drug addictions can create a state of constant upheaval and instability within your life. Having a pet with you during treatment helps you to establish structure, routine, and a sense of responsibility and purpose, all of which are foundational within treatment and recovery.
Emotional Support
Whether it be a cat or dog, your pet’s devotion is unwavering in a way which helps to meet your emotional needs during this time, no questions asked. Emotional support is one of the most important elements of treatment and recovery.
Enhanced Social Skills
The aforementioned scientific survey found that oxytocin “increases eye contact, empathy, face memory, trust, social skills, positive self-perception, and generosity.” These elements strengthen interpersonal and communication skills, both of which are hugely important within and after treatment.
Fights Negative Emotions
An addiction ushers in a host of negative emotions and mindsets. Overcoming and replacing these with positive and healthy thoughts and emotions is critical to a balanced recovery.
Interacting with a pet has been shown to boost
- Acceptance
- A desire for change
- Self-actualization
- Self-esteem
- Self-worth
- Trust
And to decrease
- Aggression
- Fear
- Hopelessness
- Loneliness
- Sadness
- Shame
- A sense of isolation
As An Icebreaker
Meeting and connecting to other people who are building a recovery from drugs or alcohol is one of the biggest benefits of an inpatient addiction treatment program. But it can be intimidating. Having a pet with you can make it easier to meet people and to spark up a conversation.
Impact On Co-Occurring Disorders
A co-occurring disorder is a mental health disorder which occurs with addiction. Numerous studies have found that spending time with a pet can reduce both depression and anxiety, as well as reducing other symptoms of mental illness.
Improves Self-Care
Habits of good self-care can quickly slip away beneath the weight of an addicted lifestyle. As you care for your pet’s day-to-day needs, you’ll be reminded of how critical these essentials are to your well-being as well.
Pain Reduction
Anecdotal evidence and scientific studies both point to the potential of time spent with pets as a tool for pain management. For those who stumbled into addiction by self-medicating concerns of pain, this is good news.
Personal Growth
Animals are very sensitive to your emotional and mental condition and can, at times, mirror them back to you. Their reaction to these states can reflect your moods and the ways they change, for better and for worse. This furthers the therapeutic process by helping you to remove or cultivate these states.
Positive Ties To Family
If you’re bringing a family pet to treatment their presence can remind you of your family, good memories, and all that you’re fighting for. This can give you ambition to get sober so you can create more meaningful moments with the people (and animals) you love.
Stress Relief
Spending time with pets, whether it be grooming, petting, or playing with them, has been shown to relieve stress and promote a more calm, relaxed state.
Relapse Prevention
People use drugs to escape, fight boredom, or to distract themselves from weighty things on their mind. Without healthy ways to manage these desires a person may consider relapsing. While it’s never good to avoid issues you need to change, it is good to take a break to recharge. Hanging out with your pet can be a healthy way to channel these impulses so that you protect your sobriety.
Pets
How Do I Know Which Facilities Allow Pets?
The good news is that a growing number of inpatient drug rehab programs will allow you to bring your pet with you to treatment. Even though these offerings may still be somewhat slim compared to other program formats, don’t let this deter you from getting the help you need. Our treatment specialists have information on all the best inpatient drug rehab centers, including those which offer pet-friendly options.
Work
How Does It Work?
First, if you’re traveling to treatment, you have to get your pet to our facility. This may include making flight arrangements if you are traveling out of state. Once there, the exact rules and specifications of each facility vary. For this reason, prior to enrolling you’ll have to double check to make sure the program fits your needs and that the stipulations are something you can reasonably accommodate.
In short, you’ll be responsible for the basic care and feeding of your animal, as well as any costs or equipment associated with these things (food, litter, leashes, etc.). Documentation of your animal’s health and recent vaccinations may be required prior to, or upon, arrival.
Even if the center you’re interested in doesn’t allow for pets to stay on-site full-time, some may permit you brief visits during your stay. We can help you figure out these and other details.
Work
How Does It Work?
First, if you’re traveling to treatment, you have to get your pet to our facility. This may include making flight arrangements if you are traveling out of state. Once there, the exact rules and specifications of each facility vary. For this reason, prior to enrolling you’ll have to double check to make sure the program fits your needs and that the stipulations are something you can reasonably accommodate.
In short, you’ll be responsible for the basic care and feeding of your animal, as well as any costs or equipment associated with these things (food, litter, leashes, etc.). Documentation of your animal’s health and recent vaccinations may be required prior to, or upon, arrival.
Even if the center you’re interested in doesn’t allow for pets to stay on-site full-time, some may permit you brief visits during your stay. We can help you figure out these and other details.
Therapy
What About Pet Therapy?
Even if you’re unable to take your pet, or if you don’t have a furred friend, you can still integrate the healing and hope pets offer into your drug rehab treatment program in Los Angeles, California. Many pet-friendly drug rehabs are beginning to integrate pet therapy, or animal-assisted therapy, into their programs as an evidenced-based practice.
Research has shown that these sessions improve the therapeutic alliance between client and therapist and increase treatment success rates. While your personal pet provides great therapeutic value to your treatment, these sessions typically use animals especially trained for this purpose.
Pet-Friendly Treatment
Find A Pet-Friendly Treatment Center
If you’re interested in learning more about pet-friendly drug rehabs, contact LA Treatment Center today at (888)200-4926. Our addiction specialists will arrange for a free assessment, answer any questions you may have and provide you with the resources to set you on the road to recovery. In most cases, we can admit new patients within 24 hours of the initial contact.
You and your loved ones do not have to keep hurting. Contact us today to start the rest of your life in a positive way.