Drug Rehab Blog

Recovery from addiction is a process. After completing alcohol or drug rehab, an addict or alcoholic can once again be faced with the realities of life and the triggers that can lead to relapse. Proper measures of care are put into place to assist with relapse prevention. At Cirque Lodge, we allow clients to return and receive needed residential care for a short term before a relapse occurs. This is known as the Guesting Privilege. It is available to each and every graduate of the Cirque Lodge drug rehab program and supplies just one more tool for maintaining a long term-sobriety.

The initial months of recovery have many positives as the individual makes progress. However, the situation can also have negatives. Something that commonly occurs in the initial stages of recovery after treatment completed is post-acute withdrawal. Even those successfully working their program and going to meetings can experience some of these symptoms and struggles. The Guesting Privilege allows the former client of the Cirque to return to the surrounding of the mountains and take part in additional programming and treatment when needed, for up to 96 hours. It can be a time of refocus and contemplation.

Guesting at Cirque Lodge is free of charge for any graduates of the program who have remained sober. It is a lifetime privilege. Whether the individual just left a few weeks/months ago, or it is someone who has several years of sobriety under their belt, they can return and get focused again on recovery. As stated at the beginning, recovery from addiction is a process. The Guesting Privilege at Cirque Lodge supplies another avenue of help and support to those who have completed treatment and are continually working at sustaining their recovery.

This weekend we celebrate a new year and a time for new beginnings. However, to those recovering from alcoholism, New Year’s Eve and celebration can be a difficult time. Celebrations are oftentimes used as a means to consume alcohol and those trying to abstain can find this a challenge; especially those new to recovery experiencing this for the first time. The alcohol rehab and drug rehab at the Cirque Lodge wishes you a safe and sober holiday with 5 tips to assist with a sober New Year.

1. Treat it as a normal day – Those who have gone through rehab have different practices or activities they do each day to help them stay focused on their recovery. Just because it is a holiday, doesn’t mean you should take the day off of these activities of getting yourself focused on another sober 24.

2. Do Something – One of the dangers can be just to sit at home alone and shut yourself out from the celebration. It is smart to avoid places where the temptation may be just too much to drink. However, the thought of missing out can be just as much stress and strain. There are also plenty of activities that don’t involve drinking, like going to the movies or out with friends. Those in AA will probably have options for parties and celebrations where recovery is a central focus.

3. Involve Family – Your family members can also provide or be a resource on the holiday. Family members are aware of your efforts of recovery and chances are they want to help you. Do something with your family that keeps you sober during the celebration. You don’t even have to go out if you don’t want. A house full of sober family provides your own party and games.

4. Meetings and Sponsor – We talked earlier about going to an AA New Year’s Party, but through the holidays it can also be beneficial to lead up to New Year’s with plenty of meetings and sponsor work. Maintaining a focus on your recovery can be imperative and such a focus is found by immersing yourself in the program and involving your sponsor in the process. Perhaps you and your sponsor can be involved together in the above mentioned activities if possible. Some in AA do what is called an ‘alkathon’; which is a attending a marathon of meetings.

5. Serve – Finding ways to serve others is always a helping tool to staying sober. Look for ways to help others with service as a means to keeping yourself sober. Whether it is others in recovery, family, or the community, look for ways to serve.

As we celebrate a Thanksgiving this weekend, it can be important to have gratitude in our lives. For those in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, gratitude can be an essential part of the process. People can be grateful for having a life free from addictions, grateful for a second chance and also very grateful for the many individuals who have helped them become that way. It provides a much deeper sense of appreciation of who we are and the efforts it has taken us to get clean and sober today. Being grateful or having a deep sense of gratitude only has a positive effect to those that are influenced. To help us be more grateful on this holiday, here are two suggestions of something we can do.

Gratitude List – Take some time to write down the things you are grateful for. The length of the list does not matter as long as it comes from within.

Action – An old saying: “Thankfulness is shown through words; Gratitude through action”. In the coming days and weeks take time to return in kind those who have helped you along the way to recovery and just with life.

The Cirque Lodge drug rehab center would like to thank those who have helped us become what we are today. To the individuals and families who have put their lives into our hands. To the professionals who are taking the message of this addiction treatment program to the struggling individual. To the staff that show up every day and make the effort of recovery happen, many thanks and a safe and sober holiday.

Recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction takes time and for most, treatment is just the beginning of the process. Part of treatment or drug rehab is to prepare the individual for life after the treatment facility. After the alcoholic/addict leaves the safety of the addiction treatment program, they once again are faced with the stresses and the triggers that can lead them to drink or use. Hopefully, the coping strategies and the efforts of aftercare provide effective relapse prevention for the individual. Aftercare is oftentimes utilized by alcohol and drug rehab programs to be an instrumental piece of this.

As a resident of Cirque Lodge is nearing completion of alcohol or drug rehab treatment, they will begin to work on their Continue Care Plan with their counselor and aftercare staff. The efforts of this plan are to provide additional programming and relapse prevention measures when the time comes for the resident to graduate from the Cirque. Those who remain local to Cirque Lodge can take advantage of weekly aftercare meetings and Alumni based activities. Meetings and workshops are also held in Beverly Hills California at the Cirque Lodge Community Resources Center for Southern California alumni.

Every graduate of the Cirque Lodge facility is provided with a Continuing Care Plan. This plan lays out the measures of aftercare and recovery elements for the resident to participate in. Our aftercare staff helps to coordinate such efforts with local community 12-step fellowships, addiction counselors and available outpatient providers. Oftentimes, the alcoholic/addict can transition into sober living environment for a time after treatment is completed. These efforts can also be coordinated prior to the client leaving the Cirque. Through this plan the resident can find the additional care and needed support to continue with successful long-term recovery.

Many people who struggle with alcoholism and drugs also struggle with a number of other problems. Sometimes, it is the other problems and the drama of life that fuels the need to get high or drunk. Sadly, it is the problems that become the ruling force in the individual’s life. When they become addicted, it becomes the drugs or the alcohol that rules the individual. Treatment can help the individual on many levels, but it is still up to the alcoholic/addict whether they accept it. For most dealing with chemical dependency, alcohol or drug rehab is only the beginning.

Acceptance can be a very important part of finding recovery. The Big Book relates a story about acceptance being the answer. A physician in A.A. relates in his story: “When I stopped living in the problem and began living the answer, the problem went away.” Learning to accept can be a difficult part to all of this. It means giving up a part of life that has a large amount of control over the individual.

Acceptance can take some time. Even with the help of an alcohol treatment or drug rehab program, the individual may not be willing to accept they are an alcoholic/addict until later on. Many learn to accept this as they work the 12-step program and involve themselves in the recovery effort. It gives the individual power to tackle the problems and terms of life as they come. The work of recovery also helps to take the individual out of the problem and become part of the answer through services and helping fellow individuals that struggle.

Alcohol and drug rehab is the beginning of the process. Treatments are used to arrest the disease of addiction. Recovery is introduced and the 12-steps are followed. Alcoholism and drug addiction is a chronic issue however, and furthering treatment and programming can be needed throughout the initial months of sobriety and for years to come. Part of the addiction treatment experience is to continue the process through the efforts of the recovery community and outpatient forms of care.

Alcohol and drug treatment programs that function under a recovery oriented system will most likely transition into a program like Alcoholics Anonymous or similar self-help group. Part of treatment can be to introduce the 12-steps to the alcoholic/addict. These efforts can help to condition the individual for attending meetings, working the steps and getting help from a sponsor. Most communities offer fellowships for alcohol and drugs of many kinds. Involvement with such fellowships and meanings provide a long term support for overcoming and addressing the struggles of drugs or alcohol.

The Cirque Lodge program works with its clients to further their efforts and continue the recovery process. This is done through a Continuing Care Plan. Prior to graduation from the Cirque Program, clients can work with counselors and an aftercare coordinator on measures of additional and continuing treatment. This can include transitioning into a sober living environment, remaining local to take advantage of Cirque Lodge aftercare programming, Finding proper outpatient treatments in home communities and also finding further counseling if needed. The Continuing Care Plan can also involve continuing the process with a supportive environment through a 12-step community or similar recovery support group.

Cirque Lodge offers a quiet and serene place for drug and alcohol rehab that is surrounded by nature. Breathtaking views and a quiet, private place can be ideal for coming to terms with the struggles of addiction and finding a means to recovery. The Cirque offers two facilities for addiction treatment. The Lodge is a quiet mountain retreat nestled above the Sundance Ski Resort. The Studio is a few minutes away at the base of mountains. Both venues allow residents a chance to incorporate nature into their recovery experience.

Man has always turned to nature for healing. The Native Americans of this region viewed this mountain as a sacred place. Cirque residents have many chances to get out, enjoy and experience the serenity and the surround of nature. Experiential activities are a central piece to the alcohol and drug rehab program at the Cirque. Outdoor activities include hiking, mountain biking, fishing and snow shoeing in the winter (which is coming soon weather permitting). The activities are used to help apply lessons of recovery. A hike can be coupled with stories from the Big Book. A bon fire activity can be a share meeting for residents. Time can even be taken out of these activities for meditation and making connections to a higher power.

Cirque Lodge utilizes many aspects of drug rehab and addiction treatment to arrest the disease of addiction and supply residents with tools for recovery. At the foundation of all of this is the 12-step program. Through working the 12-steps, alcoholics and addicts have found a means to overcoming addiction and helping others along the way. That is one of the strong pieces of this program, moving into action and helping others through service. A.A. founder Bill W. called service the Third Legacy to be coupled with the efforts of the 12-steps and traditions.

Through service the individual in recovery from drugs or alcohol can strengthen their own stand through simple means. It can start with being willing to setup or takedown the chairs for meetings, making coffee, or offering a fellow AA a ride. In no time at all, the newcomer can be involved in 12-step calls and meeting with the struggling alcoholic or addict. Through these simple efforts of serving the alcoholic can strengthen his own resolve.

Service is that final step. It means taking that message to fellow alcoholics and addicts that can be struggling. The message, that there is a way to recover. At Cirque Lodge, a number of our staff is individuals in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction. These are individuals who have dedicated their lives to helping others right at the initial point of crisis for many, when they come to treatment. It is a means to taking that message to those who struggle and providing a place to recover. It is a way to serve and in turn, continuing the process of the steps of the program.

Recovery from addiction is a process. For some it can be a much more difficult road than it is for others. However, there is always a means of help and support for those who are striving to stay clean and stay sober. For the alumni of Cirque Lodge alcohol and drug rehab, recovery programs and privileges have been provided to assist with continuing on clean and sober. One such privilege is Guesting.

For the alumni of Cirque Lodge, there can be a lot of experiences and life changing things that happen here on the mountain. After alcohol or drug rehab is completed, and the individual is once again faced with the struggles of the world, it can be difficult to remember the experience and the focus of sobriety. Cirque Lodge gives alumni the chance to return to the mountain when they need to and Guest for a few days. Such time can be a needed means to recharging that battery, or as we say at the Cirque, rekindling that flame for recovery. Clients can participate in programming, groups and experiential activities that get them refocused.

Guesting is a lifetime privilege to all alumni who have completed the Cirque Lodge program. It is free of charge. It is however reserved for those who have remained clean and sober. It is also based upon room availability as well. Over the years the Guesting Privilege has been a very helpful tool for recovering alcoholics and addicts to maintain their focus on sober goals. Some alumni have even taken advantage of the Privilege as a way to celebrate a milestone in their recovery at times. The Cirque is a powerful place for those seeking answers for drugs and alcohol addiction. The Guesting Privilege allows former clients to return and once again take part in that power and the efforts of recovery here.

Support can play an essential part in recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction. Proper support can help an individual in maintain a focus on recovery and a connection to a higher power. Cirque Lodge strives to provide residents with a drug rehab facility and a surround of support for recovery. This can come in many ways, but the effort is to help the individual come to terms with their disease and to utilize the measures of support that are available for working through the process.

Family support can play an integral role in this. Part of the Cirque alcohol and drug rehab program is an essential family aspect. A week long family program helps to prepare the loved ones of addicts/alcoholics to fulfill a supportive role within the home. An education is provided on the positives of recovery and how to avoid the negatives of enabling behaviors. Family members can also become involved in the Al-anon program to help them with additional support for themselves. These aspects can help to better prepare the home to be a sober and safe place for those in recovery.

After completing a treatment stay, support can be found through continuing the efforts of 12-step recovery. Clients are encouraged to attend AA or NA meetings (these aspects are coordinated prior to leaving treatment), and working with a sponsor. Such supportive aspects can be essential in maintaining a relationship with a higher power, which is a central piece to the recovery effort. This is not an easy process by any means, but there are individuals and programs to help. The addict/alcoholic doesn’t need to try to recover alone.