Addiction to drugs or alcohol is a major issue in a person’s life; which in many cases, the addict wishes to keep private. Getting treatment is also a major issue in which an addict may wish for their friends and even family members to not be aware of. Although it may be in the best interest of an addict to open up to others and talk about their addiction, it may not be that easy.
A rehabilitation programme is something that takes time, patience and effort; therefore, the choice of getting treatment and the privacy in which the treatment takes place should not be of a concern. Below we will try to ease concerns of anyone considering a treatment programme through discussing privacy during addiction and recovery.
Emotional Privacy: Keeping It In Vs. Sharing
Many people with an addiction have learned how to protect their feelings because they have dealt with a great deal of scrutinising and judgments from other people. They may feel like they’ve had a lack of support, even when they reached out to people whom they thought could be counted on. This may cause the individual to have a difficult time talking about their struggle with addiction to unknown people at the rehab centre, even if they are reassured that there is absolutely no judgment. The hesitancy to open up and let it all out can improve with additional reassurance and time, but more importantly, with courage, strength, and patience; it is through this the person can begin a healthy long term sobriety.
Keeping it all in can make sobriety more challenging; so let it all out and begin to feel good!
Emotional Pain: Feeling Insecure and Uncomfortable
Those with a drug or alcohol addiction tend to keep the majority of their thoughts to themselves. Thus, once a person enters a rehabilitation programme they may want to continue to keep what’s going on in their head private. This may be because any emotional pain they have is causing them to feel uncomfortable and insecure. What is important for the person to realise is that the rehab is an environment which will allow them to express themselves in a healthy way while feeling emotionally safe. So it is ok to talk and everything said and discussed will remain private.
Express yourself to feel fresh, express your emotions to feel light.
Privacy of Health and Rehabilitation Records
Sometimes a person may be concerned about the privacy of their health and rehabilitation records. Fortunately, due to privacy laws regarding health information, it is very difficult to access anyone’s health records without government authorisation. Additionally, employees at the rehabilitation centre may have limited or no access to a person’s records.
Privacy at the Centre
One of the biggest concerns for those with an addiction is the overall privacy that they will have while at the centre. Rehabs take a person’s privacy very serious; therefore in most cases the person will need to give the centre written permission for anyone outside the centre to have contact with them while they are inside. Most centres will have the person make a list of people who can contact them; if someone calls the centre and is not on the list, the centre will not acknowledge that the person exists.
The concerns of addiction and privacy are understandable; however, rehab centres are completely aware of this and do their best to make the individual feel safe and secure; thus allowing their stay to be as comfortable as possible. This overall protection and privacy will give each person the opportunity to express their feelings and emotions in an honest way with no fear of others finding out. This opening up can take time even in the most comfortable situations; however, once the person realises they can look to another person for help and advice, they can begin to overcome their emotional pain and addiction.
