Rehab or do it on my own?
 

I have been trying to quit drinking for the last year or so. I have been a heavy binge drinker , weekends and holidays, and sometimes on vacation I will drink daily. I have stopped for 40 days once and 87 another time, but both times relapsed.i have a good job with very good insurance , how long is rehab ? I heard 28 days from reading through the threads. I was just thinking maybe rehab will help but I hear of stories relapsing from rehabs as well, and I really don't want to tell work I will be in rehab. Any thoughts , appreciate it.

All you have to tell work is that you need a medical leave of absence. They don't have to know you're going to rehab.

As far as relapsing after rehab, well, that's totally on you. Rehab can be very helpful for people who have been trying to get sober but not succeeding on their own.

Does your work offer FMLA?

Rehab is a good tool, commitment to total sobriety is also necessary, whatever works for you is the best thing to do. Once a person decides sobriety is the number one priority in their life...one day at a time...sobriety happens

Rehab generally teaches you new life skills and reinforces the ones you already have. But it isn't anything magical. They give you lots and lots of information about drinking, about managing emotions, and about making healthy choices. It feels empowering and supportive. And the counselors are usually excellent people.

Not everyone needs or wants that kind of experience, though. If it sounds like education and skills coaching is something you'd benefit from, then you'd probably find it useful.

Also, I'll echo what was said above: you don't have to tell work why you're leaving. You can say something vague like "medical procedure" or "medical treatment." You would have to tell your insurance carrier if they're going to pay for it.

I think you have to choose a recovery path that works for you. Rehabs vary in length, so making some calls to get that information would probably help you decide. I believe that motivation is the most important factor in recovery. Have faith that you can do this. :)

I went to inpatient rehab for six weeks, and am eternally grateful that I did. However... it might be worth making an appointment with a counselor who specializes in addiction to sort this through. What you've said is that what you have done thus far hasn't been successful, but without knowing what you've done and how things came apart, there's no way to give solid advice. A dialog with someone who is does not have skin in the game and knows the options and some of your history would be in a much better place to give guidance. The counselor can also help you navigate the work/time off situation as well.

Going to rehab is no guarantee of continuous sobriety. It's all up to us. The only thing rehab will do is to give you tools to help you recover that you may not have now. But it's still up to you to use them. I agree with what Bloss said. It's one day at a time. Forget about forever. Just focus on today.

If you are unable to quit on your own, rehab is an excellent alternative. That being said, you have to want to quit for good or nothing will work.

Hey, bunchie. Inpatient rehab saved my life. I spent 2 months there. It was a safe place to sort things out, and the interactions with my peers were probably the most helpful part other than being in a place where there was no temptation of alcohol. I was totally opposed to going until the decision was pretty much taken from me by family and friends and I had no other options. How blessed I was that they gave me that ultimatum! However, I really did want to stop drinking and no matter what means you use to achieve sobriety you have to want it more than anything else--it must be your top priority.
Wishing you the best on your sober journey.

. Thank you , that sounds like excellent advice, I can get by without detox, I am a classic binge drinking alcoholic, I drink on weekends and then torture myself all week until Friday where I start up again.Things are getting worse , if I don't quit I will get oui soon, lose job, wife , and family.

. Thank you , that sounds like excellent advice, I can get by without detox, I am a classic binge drinking alcoholic, I drink on weekends and then torture myself all week until Friday where I start up again.Things are getting worse , if I don't quit I will get oui soon, lose job, wife , and family.

I think rehab is more for the physically dependent drinker who needs to be detoxed professionally rather than for the binge drinker.

Try to cut down use techniques to drink less see if that works

I was in rehab with a person who had negotiated a one-week stay and another who was there for six weeks. I'll echo others here who say rehab is a good place to learn skills to stay sober, but in the end it's up to you. The greatest benefit for me was to be removed from the alcohol in a safe environment where I didn't care about what was going on in the outside world.

Having said that, it didn't keep me quit - I had to do that part. And it turns out that when I wanted to do it just for me, I did. I figured I could be miserable drinking or miserable not drinking, so why not cut out the booze? I don't drink now and have been not drinking now for 43 days. I recommend it.

O

Rehab is not simply for those who can't quit on there own. There are skills/tools learned during that time which can aid one down the road; how to deal with life situations without turning to alcohol/drugs. It really isn't about quitting but the HOW afterwards.

I quit without attending rehab, but likely would have learned some additional skills had I gone.

There's my 2 cents...........

Thank you,
I appreciate your response, I think I need rehab , I need a place with no distractions where I can meditate myself into my sober journey if you know what I mean. I have resigned myself to wanting and needing to quit , I just need some help , it's not working on my own .

This is where I was at,man. I just could not 'get away' at the time and I'd be paying cash(self employed) for rehab....soooo.. I scheduled my 'must be at meetings' and basically fell off the planet for 3mo(minus those meetings)! I was going to AA and therapy..but just the 'down time' was a HUGE thing in my recovery! Best wishes!

Edit: I'd have went to rehab if I wasn't cheap.

Another option (this depends on where you live though) could be going straight to outpatient treatment. You’d go for a few hours a night after work during the week. This could last for months. This is what I did and it worked great for me. Inpatient is definitely not a bad idea though if you choose.

Thank you ,
I think I will talk to alcohol counselor and go from there, they will probably know what I need after they evaluate me. This forum is so good to have I am glad I found it.Thank you for your reply.

Just don't drink,buddy and make a sober/informed decision.