Understanding Life Skills Rehab
True recovery from addiction is more than maintaining sobriety. It’s about taking control of your life and your future. At our facility, life skills rehab is a big part of the recovery process. Learning skills and creating healthy habits can transform your life. From managing money to different coping mechanisms, there’s a lot you can do to ensure long-term sobriety.
Even small incremental changes every day can make a huge difference. No matter how lost you or a loved one may feel, there are brighter days ahead. We encourage you to learn more about how life skills rehab can transform your life today.
The tools you’ll learn gives you the power to tackle your problems head-on. From pain, comes a whole lot of growth. Keep reading to learn more about what life skills rehab consists of and how it can improve patients’ lives.
Life Skills You Learn During Rehabilitation
Learning life skills at rehab is one of the best benefits of a treatment program. Our goal is for you to continue long-term sobriety after you leave our facility. We want to give you the tools necessary to live a fulfilling and sober life on your own. These tools are otherwise known as healthy habits.
Life skills at rehab range from skills like hygiene to how to manage social situations. All of these new habits are an exciting part of getting better. We’re really excited to teach you these new life skills and watch all the growth that happens from it.
Remember that consistency is crucial. Hold yourself accountable for staying on top of things. It may also help to have a friend you can incorporate into some of these new habits. Below, we’ve listed a handful of the life skills you’ll obtain during rehab.
Guidance for Financial Stability
Many patients struggling with addiction also have financial problems. While under the influence of addictive substances, saving responsibly is rare. Fortunately, life skills training gives patients tips for remaining financially stable.
Additionally, this includes creating a budget or setting up an online bank account. Overall, preparation helps patients find financial security once they start living independently. Once you have your finances organized, you’ll feel much more prepared for life in general.
This habit builds upon the next and so forth until you’ve realized how much things have changed…For the better!
Health Through Nutrition and Hygiene
Addiction leads to a number of health problems, some of which include malnutrition, weight loss, or weight gain. Additionally, dental hygiene may become more serious with gum disease or worse. Fortunately, life skills rehab is a refresher course on maintaining nutritional and hygienical health.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as creating a routine for brushing teeth and flossing daily. However, it can also be more intensive. For example, helping patients create a grocery list and meal plan is a bit more involved. Nonetheless, learning to prepare nutritious meals is an invaluable skill that’s beneficial for a lifetime.
How you treat your body directly correlates to how you feel mentally and emotionally. Above all, learning these life skills during rehab boosts confidence and overall health.
Social Development
Some individuals think being sober means missing out on great friendships and fun. Fortunately, that could not be further from the truth! There are countless ways to make friends without substance abuse. Life skills training is a great way to develop social skills with sober peers.
Social development often begins with communication skills. In rehab, mingling with peers and talking with therapists are great ways to build your confidence and learn to communicate better. The more you practice, the more you’ll improve.
Once we help you achieve confidence at our facility, you’ll find that these skills carry on everywhere! There’s a countless amount of people you can meet through developing new hobbies. For example, joining a nearby sports league or even a book club. Perhaps you’ll start taking yoga regularly.
Learning Time Management
This is one of the most important life skills acquired through rehab. Addiction affects your perception of time. Unfortunately, those struggling with addiction rarely plan for the future. This is why, when reaching sobriety, it’s important to learn how to manage your time.
Time management might start with keeping a calendar. Then, it includes being accountable for scheduling appointments. Learning to stick to a routine helps immensely. Having a schedule involves following a plan for each day, and allocating time to things that are important to your personal happiness.
It’ll be a huge help to create this schedule while you’re in rehab. It can start with waking up early and exercise followed by work and meeting with friends. There are so many different positive habits you can incorporate into a daily routine.
We can’t wait to help you create a schedule and see how the life skills you’ve learned thus far come together. Whether it’s you or a loved one struggling, life skills learning during rehab can transform an entire life around.
Developing Employment Skills
Finding employment is a common goal among recovering patients. However, finding a job after rehab may be challenging. Overall, one of the most valuable benefits of life skills training is developing employment skills.
Counselors can help patients write resumes and plan for the future. This could mean signing up for continued education classes or reaching out to certain industries for recommendations. Getting a job and earning money is a really exciting part when ending treatment.
You or a loved one will feel not only proud but also fulfilled and hopeful. Life skills rehab means learning how to make your own money and striving for independence. We’re excited to grow with you and watch your life change.
Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Drugs and alcohol are often used to suppress emotions and underlying issues. This doesn’t cure the problem, but rather just temporarily numbs the symptoms. The life skills you learn in rehab teach you emotional-stability and healthy ways to cope with stress.
Substance abuse is how a lot of people choose to manage their issues. Instead of working through them, they reach for substances that numb the pain. However, we assure you that this only causes future pain. With the help of a treatment program, you can gain control back into your life.
Some of these coping mechanisms can include:
- Exercise
- Prayer or meditation
- Journaling
- Creating art
- Spending time outside
- Spending time with family, friends, and pets
- Listening to music
Instead of succumbing to urges, life skills in rehab teaches how to cope with discomfort. There are many ways to turn stress or sadness into a moment of hope and victory instead. We’ll help you find a mechanism that works for your unique needs.
Learning How to Rest and Relax
Learning how to deal with boredom can be difficult for anyone. Especially, if you’ve gravitated towards substance in the past to cure your boredom. However, life skills rehab teaches you to constructively deal with being bored. Whether it’s taking up another activity or appreciating alone time, there are countless ways.
We encourage you to view alone time as something relaxing. Appreciate the moments you get to be with yourself, rather than run from it.
Staying Out of High-Risk Environments
After you’ve achieved sobriety, certain triggers can still lead to cravings or relapse. Identifying these triggers and learning how to work through them is key to long-lasting sobriety. These triggers can be internal or they can be caused by certain people or situations. Not all high-risk cues and environments can be avoided.
This is why part of your treatment will involve learning how to cope when you find yourself triggered. You become empowered when you realize how much control is in your hands.
Life Skills Rehab as a Comprehensive Treatment Plan
Often, sober living facilities implement life skills rehab. Here at 1st Step Behavioral Health, life skills training is just one part of the recovery process. We emphasize life skills along with other forms of treatment on the road to recovery. Your unique needs will be what helps us create a treatment plan that’s just right for you.
Other effective treatment methods include:
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Individual therapy
- Group and family counseling
- Relapse prevention training
- Holistic therapies
Life skills rehab is a powerful benefit you’ll receive when enrolling in treatment. Learning healthy habits and emotional stability puts the control back in your hands.
Begin the Road to Recovery Today
Obstacles present us with the option to either shy away or grow from them. It can be challenging and painful. You may even find yourself thinking, where do I even begin? However, we assure you that from pain comes immense growth. The pain makes you appreciate the happiness that much more.
With the right tools, there is a tremendous amount of potential to live a fulfilling life. Life skills rehab teaches you these tools.
Life skills rehab prepares you for a fulfilling, satisfying life after treatment. Here at 1st Step Behavioral Health in Pompano Beach, Florida, we help you stay on track to recovery. Call (855) 425-4846 or contact us here. Start living the life you deserve.
Take the First Step Today
We can help you get better. Contact us today to find out which program might be right for you, or to begin the process of arranging for treatment.