Whether it’s your first time attending or you’ve completed a program in a treatment center before, the process can be intimidating and overwhelming. One of the most common concerns patients would ask our admissions team would be, are phones allowed in rehab?
Most rehabilitation centers adhere to strict policies that prohibit phone use during the treatment process. However, some rehabs are still allowing phone use with restrictions to accommodate those with at-home responsibilities.
Every patient’s treatment process is different, as are the standards implemented for each designated program. It is common for any rehab program to establish rules and policies, though it still varies depending on the rehab facility and the individual seeking treatment.
Getting Ready for Treatment
Before an individual starts treatment or even on the first call, most rehab facilities will discuss their rules and regulations on personal equipment. If you’re wondering, are phones allowed in rehab, you should ask these questions clearly during your pre-admission call. Upon admission to the facility, the center’s intake coordinator will inspect your bags to ensure safety and that no prohibited items are brought in.
At Intake, the staff will ask you to hand over your phone upon admission and proceed with your consultation with your designated health staff to ensure that your treatment-related concerns are addressed. Patients are allowed to bring their own personal items including but not limited too, clothes, blankets, books, and comfort items.
It is also essential that your family members be informed about the rules that treatment takes time. It’s a time for major growth and concentration. The initial period of the treatment can be intense, resulting in significant physical and emotional changes.
Why Is Cell Phone Use Restricted
Every treatment facility is different in addressing the question, are phones allowed in rehab? But it is common for most rehab centers to prohibit or severely restrict cell phone use during a patient’s stay. There are several clinical and legal reasons for this.
A cell phone could be used to photograph other people admitted for treatment, potentially breaking patient privacy laws for others in the community. It May cause harm to other patients and may cause an unnecessary commotion. Other electronic devices are also regarded as distractions. Cell phone use would not allow individuals to stay focused on their treatment, and committed to processing the feelings they experience in treatment. Cell phone use can be an unhealthy coping mechanism to escape their current situation.
Cellphones can impede a patient’s development during their stay for a variety of reasons.
Here are a few instances:
Electronic Devices During Treatment
The recovery process is different for each individual. However, electronic devices, particularly cell phones, can be detrimental to a patient’s growth while in rehabilitation. The most important focus of your time in treatment is to heal and get your life back on track. No distraction should ever stand in the way of that growth.
Influences
Cellphone use during addiction treatment is problematic to patients who receive texts and phone calls from friends who use or sell drugs, acting as a major stressor or trigger for the individual trying to recover. It is advised to completely sever ties with influences that could encourage drug use. Rehab facilities will encourage the individual to use the space provided by rehab to distance themselves from the damaging elements on the outside.
Concentration
The use of mobile devices during addiction treatment may hinder their chances of recovery. Outside stressors like financial responsibilities, home life, family relationships, and social media could interrupt the process the individual is going through in their treatment program. It would be best for the patient to spend this time focusing solely on their self-growth.
Process Addictions
When using a phone during addiction treatment, people can connect to social media websites, which may have the same effect. There’s also the possibility that cell phone use is a byproduct of addictive behavior. You might be addicted to instant gratification, and constant communication has become a habit. This is commonly referred to as co-occurring process addictions. If you have a cell phone or internet addiction, it is more likely to cause anxiety and insomnia amongst other symptoms, which will not benefit your current treatment.
Eventually, whether or not a cellphone or laptop is allowed is at the discretion of the rehab center. If it is not permitted, the rehab center will request that the patient leave it with other valuable belongings that are stored safely until their discharge from the program. Be sure to discuss these questions and concerns with the program in consideration, prior to admission.
Importance of Rehab Restrictions
Rules in rehab can sometimes seem overwhelming or overbearing. It is important to remember that a structured environment with rules exists in rehab for several reasons. Structures, rules, and routines can be helpful coping skills for many mental health disorders including addiction.
Additionally, rehab is a community environment with groups of individuals living together in a home-like or hospital setting. To keep every individual in the community safe, happy, and focused on their treatment plans, rules regarding all aspects of daily living are important. This helps the community function together more efficiently for all those in it.
Are Phones Allowed In Rehab At HEAL?
Each individual has different needs for staying connected to the outside world while in a rehab center. HEAL Behavioral Health believes in individualized treatment and honoring individual needs when coming into treatment. If you have any concerns about electronic devices, you should consult with our admissions team and ask questions such as, are phones allowed in rehab for business reasons or to stay connected with family? The admissions team will be able to construct a specialized treatment plan for you that is individualized to your needs.
Some examples of HEAL’s individualized treatment plans are:
Executive Track
This program track is meant for business professionals, executives, and those with obligations to work minimally, while attending treatment. This will include allocated time slots throughout the day, around clinical and medical hours to accommodate phone and laptop use. Be sure to inquire about HEAL’s executive track when asking are phones allowed in rehab.
Family Needs
Should an individual seeking treatment with us HEAL require phone use due to familial responsibilities like keeping in touch with young children or ailing family members at home, our clinical team will make special accommodations for the individual.
Phone Use Level System
The level system is designed to be more restrictive at the beginning of treatment and allow you more access as you progress and grow. While the idea of not having access to your cell phone, laptop, or other electronics during the initial days in rehab may be frustrating, keep in mind that the main priority is to focus on healing and recovery. Upon admission to HEAL Behavioral Health, you will be introduced to a level system consisting of 3 levels. Level 1 will consist of a complete electronic blackout, Level 2 will have restricted phone use, and Level 3 will earn more leniency with electronics. The time a patient spends at each level is at the discretion of their primary therapist.
So When Are Phones Allowed In Rehab?
It is normal to feel anxious and fearful when considering admission into a rehab center. The question of “are phones allowed in rehab” should be one of the last considerations you make when considering your rehab options, unless of a special accommodation you may have.
HEAL Behavioral Health is able to provide individualized treatment plans that can accommodate cell phone use in rehab around clinical and medical hours, for certain extenuating circumstances.
Ultimately, it is strongly recommended by expert clinicians to have a break from cell phone use, especially during the first 30 days of rehab. It should be strongly considered by anyone entering rehab to afford yourself the break to focus on yourself and your healing.
Find out more about rehab phones and electronic devices policies here.
