The Recovery Unplugged Experience: A Day in Treatment

Let’s start with off with the reality that there are few, if any, genuinely “typical” days in treatment. While the processes, routines and schedules might be the same, a client’s daily experience will vary greatly based upon a variety of factors, particularly the energy and level of readiness they’re brining with them to their program. The entire Recovery Unplugged model is predicated upon helping clients develop trust and confidence, open up, and cultivate a welcoming disposition to embrace treatment.

The truth is, however, that some days in treatment will be better than others, even when clients are in their program for an established period of time. At Recovery Unplugged, we strive to make sure that a “typical” day in treatment is simply one that’s better than the last.

Setting the Tone

No matter what type of treatment program a client is in, whether it’s inpatient, outpatient or anything else, their daily treatment experience starts with being embraced by and engaged by warm, welcoming and upbeat staff. This is critical, as a negative interaction at the beginning can set off a chain reaction in clients’ heads, and lead them down paths they simply didn’t need to go in their minds. We have an incredibly high staff to client ratio, which creates ample opportunity for individualized attention. When clients feel valued, respected and listened to, they become more active partners in their own care.

Atypical: Customized Treatment Experiences to Suit Each Client’s Individual Needs

While there is more and more of a push to provide individualized treatment in the addiction care landscape, many, if not most, treatment centers continue to simply tell patients and their loved ones: “This is who we are. Try to fit in.” At Recovery Unplugged, every client, from those in our lower levels of care all the way to the most in-depth, get a daily treatment experience designed for them.

This begins on their way to treatment. When they’re transported to their program, our staff has music that was selected specially for them to set the tone for a good experience. When they arrive to treatment, they attend our Mic Check Group. This flips the script on the traditional “Goals” group offered at most treatment centers, to which many clients have become desensitized and jaded.

In our Mic Check Group, we focus on a specific topic for the day (change, growth, acceptance, etc.), and have a live musician start the session by playing a song that corresponds to the topic. Our Mic Check group creates the opportunity for more genuine and open dialog, because clients feel less guarded and “on the spot” during the process.

Daily Recovery Soundtracks

How many times have we said to ourselves: “I wish there could be music playing to narrate my life wherever I go”? At Recovery Unplugged, you’ll notice right away that, at any of our locations, you can’t walk through a hallway without hearing music. This deep integration of music is applied to all of our group and individual therapy sessions, whether it’s through musical performance, the use of lyrics to relate to clients’ experiences or anything else. I learned a long time ago, both as a therapist and a human being, that people often have a hard time opening up and sharing their feelings; but I guarantee someone has written a song about it. If we’re able to find lyrics that match up to clients’ experiences, we’re not only helping them speak their truth, we are also potentially anchoring them to a song that they can take with them and learn from.

Confrontation versus Affirmation

Perhaps one of the most important things about daily treatment experiences at Recovery Unplugged is our emphasis on recovery triggers over relapse triggers. While other treatment centers come at the recovery process, from a consequence-based and often adversarial approach, we strive to create an environment that focuses on the rewards and benefits of recovery.

Clients feel this sense of warmth and positivity in every aspect of treatment, and even in the most difficult situations, are able to draw from it, regroup and reinsert themselves into the care experience. While every treatment center sees its share of “escalation” and high-risk situations, Recovery Unplugged readily diffuses these situations by using positivity as a default.

The Daily Payoff

Recovery Unplugged has worked hard to develop a macro and daily care experience that transcends antiquated treatment practices and, in so doing, has seen success rates far above the national average. Most importantly, we get to connect with clients every day who are actively making the most of their recovery in a way that they simply may not have before. This means that the daily payoff of treatment is just as intense for us as it is for the clients we serve.