seriousResidential rehab programs are the very best method of getting drug addicts sober and helping them to stay sober, but these programs have to be taken seriously. If you don’t respect yourself and the program, there is a very good chance that they won’t actually help you get the result you need – actually leaving drug abuse behind.

Here are five reasons to take drug rehab seriously.

You Get Out What You Put In

Rehab is one of those processes that you have to commit yourself to. It’s not something that is happening to you, it’s something that you are doing. If you don’t put in the effort and the energy needed for rehab to work, it won’t! This is because you get out of rehab what you put into it.

If you go into rehab not wanting to work very hard or have to expend much thought or energy, you won’t get a very good result. On the other hand, if you go into rehab expected to work hard and seriously reexamine your life, there’s a very good chance that you’ll get the result you want – sobriety.

Be Prepared to Spend the Time Needed

You need to be prepared to give rehab the time it needs to work. When you go to a product-based rehab center, you aren’t going for a set amount of time. You can’t arrive with the mindset of going on “cruise control” or just putting in a few weeks so that you can get out again.

Instead, you have to be prepared to stay at the rehab and keep on working hard until the process is complete. At a product-based rehab in the Narconon network, this means that you need to be prepared to spend two, three, four or even more months working at your sobriety so that it actually has the chance to work.

One Slip Can Set You Back to the Beginning

One of the most important parts of taking rehab seriously is not slipping even once. You can’t enter rehab with the idea that it’s okay to occasionally sneak a drink or to use just a little bit of the drug you are addicted to. This is because even one slip can seriously set your progress through rehab back.

You must be committed to complete abstinence from drugs and alcohol during the process of rehab, as this is the only way that you’ll ever truly be sober.

You Don’t Have to Relapse

It’s also important to know that you don’t have to relapse. Many rehab centers or other addicts might have told you something like “all addicts relapse.” They will say it as if it is a fact, but it isn’t. You can take rehab seriously, because if you work hard at it, you can come out the other end being a person that will never use drugs again. If you go into rehab with the idea that you are prepared to fail, however, you are setting yourself up for just that.

Aftercare Instructions Have to Be Followed

When you leave rehab, you will exit with instructions from your rehab counselors on what steps you have to follow back in your normal life. If you go back to your old habits of living, there is a very good chance that you could go back to using drugs. Instead, you need to closely follow your “aftercare” instructions. These could include checking in with your rehab center on a regular basis or attending post-rehab meetings. Whatever the instructions are, follow them closely in order to maintain your sobriety.