Originally Posted by
ZenJen 
dkimer,
I'm 27 y/o and just got out of inpatient treatment (rehab) on the 15th after a 2wk stay (My mom and I got me there - longer story for another time).
I'd like to share a bit of my experience with you to hopefully give you some more perspective.
Upon entry, I was told to change into a hospital gown while my belongings and clothes were searched. This happened to everyone coming in. No visitors except for 2 hours on Sundays - and the visitors had to turn their pockets inside out before coming in, and anything they were carrying had to be searched.
Nonetheless, in my time there, three people were kicked out for using (like you said, flags were raised, and UA's were taken, and each person vanished the next day), and of the 30 or so people there, probably 15 were scolded more than once for smoking or having ciggs or a lighter (non-smoking facility within a hospital). Oh, and one girl had a visitor bring here a stuffed animal where it was discovered that some ciggs had been hidden in the animal's clothing.
There were only a few people there like me - people who were serious about their sobriety. Everyone else, regardless of their age (we had one 19 y/o, a bunch of us in our 20's, and a handful of 30+) engaged in some form of drama or another - nitpicking, gossiping, complaining, just generally acting like they were stuck in an enclosed junior high.
Luckilly, you got your own room w/only 1 roommate, and there was a cafeteria w/one TV and some board games, the daily newspaper, and a bookshelf. If you felt like keeping to yourself, there would be nothing stopping you from focusing on YOU.
We were often asked by the counselors if the daily drama seemed to be effecting our own recovery. I had to say that it certainly didn't help matters, but it was easy enough to ignore.
I get the feeling your son might be in a similar environment.
If that's the case, I encourage you to get him to remember that he's actually 22, not 12, and that rehab is for his all-around well-being to help him be a man, not a slave to a substance.