There are benefits and drawbacks to staying close to home for treatment. If you stay close to home, you are also staying close to the toxic situation you were in during your active addiction. The people who may have enabled you may have good intentions, but they probably won’t understand how to help you at first. Getting away from home is also great just for getting a new perspective; you can see things in a totally different way when you are in a new environment. For many people, there are more benefits than drawbacks to going away for treatment.
Why Arizona?
Arizona offers some unique advantages that other locations don’t. For many people, it’s far enough away that they can feel as though they are getting a fresh start. But Arizona is also different from other locations in some distinctive ways.
No Place Like Home
Literally, there may be nothing familiar about such a different kind of place. That can be good for someone who is used to being able to score drugs on the street or with friends right down the street. Such an alien location may make even the idea of finding the drug of choice seem difficult if not impossible. When new to recovery, it makes sense to avoid any obvious temptations.
A Desert Environment
Most people are accustomed to different kinds of climate. The desert environment is more comfortable than most people realize, but it is different enough from home that it helps people who need a total change so they can find a different point of view. Deserts are obviously dry, but they are also places of extremes. The landscape may seem harsh and lifeless, until you get used to it, at which point you can start noticing all the different ways the desert supports life.
Lots of Sunshine
One of the big things that trigger depression for many is the lack of sun in the winter. Arizona promises lots of bright, sunshiney days. The sensation of the sun on your face might trigger feelings of acceptance and joy, even when you’re not looking for it. The change in seasons may also really help someone from a place currently experiencing winter, because it may be able to help that person avoid the normal sensations normally associated with using.
More Workout/Therapy Options
Because of the weather, you can go outside to meditate year-round in Arizona. You can also enjoy the sunshine while taking part in yoga, art therapy, equine therapy, and many other options no matter what time of year it is.
Comfort
Should comfort be your main consideration? Obviously not. But the beginning of recovery is hard enough without adding additional discomfort and suffering. When you choose a treatment facility in Arizona, you can find one where you can be physically comfortable and where you can get the most out of the weather.
Disadvantages of Traveling for Rehab
It goes without saying that there are also disadvantages to traveling far from home for rehab.
Missing Support Systems
Even though it may be a good idea to get away from many of the people you were around during the dark times, some of the people you leave behind might be your biggest supporters. It will also be difficult to involve them in family therapy, which is part of a strong recovery program, and it may be difficult to find someone else to step up and take care of your childcare and household responsibilities while you are gone.
Aftercare
Once you are finished with the intensive first stages of treatment, you will have to go back home. That means leaving behind your supports from treatment, including people who started the journey at the same time as you. It also means finding new meetings, a new therapist, and a new everything else, when you are just getting used to your new life.
A Personal Decision
Nobody can really tell you what’s right for you, so you have to weigh your options. If your insurance covers it, you may get more benefit from traveling to Arizona for treatment. The first part of your sobriety is the hardest and it’s critical during that time to keep the focus on recovery. Getting away can accomplish that for you.
At Soba Mesa, we understand how hard it is to struggle with addiction. Drugs and alcohol were just symptoms of a disease you need to learn how to deal with, and we have the tools to help you address the real issues and start your journey. If you are considering making one of the most important changes in your life, please call today. You don’t want to keep missing out on your own life.