If you’re struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, and you have a pet, you already know that they can be a lifeline to stability, love and a sense of normalcy in a world when everything else makes less and less sense. Your pet is there to offer companion, support, and affection even during the most turbulent times in your life. In the case of dogs, and sometimes cats, they don’t care where you’ve been, what you’ve done, who you’ve been with or what mistakes you’ve made; they just want to be with you, however imperfect you are, when you walk in the door.
Other types of pets may not be as prone to affection, like birds and lizards. Even so, they are still there to remind us that there is a life depending on us, and that we should take this seriously. If concerns over who will take care of your pet are stopping you from getting treatment for alcohol or drug addiction, consider a facility that offers pet-friendly rehab.
Health Benefits of Pet Ownership
When you bring our animal companion with you to pet-friendly drug rehab, you also bring an opportunity to continue to experience love and comfort and maintain responsibility during what is arguably the most trying time in your life. No matter how much you want to get clean, or how much you embrace treatment, it is still a new and strange experience. Your pet represents a comfortable and nurturing connection to the best parts of your old life.
Whether we have your animal for documented health-support purposes or for companionship, their benefits to your mental and overall health cannot be overstated. Data from Johns Hopkins University indicates that our relationships with our pets yield a variety of health benefits, including reduced stress, loneliness, and depression; improved heart health and increased physical activity.
What Our Pets Can Do for Us in Rehab
The initial stages of rehab represent one of the most stressful and difficult times in life. You’re going through at least some type of withdrawal. You’ve had to adjust your lifestyle. And in the back of your mind, you know that many of the mistakes you made when you were using will need to be dealt with after you leave treatment. All of this is enough to make you consider leaving your program early and just relapsing. But among all these stressors, your pet serves as a reminder that there is still good in the world. Your pet shows you that you’re still empowered and confident enough to take care of something. Pets reinforce love, affection, companionship, support, and accountability at a time when these things are needed most.
Pet-Friendly Rehab at Recovery Unplugged
For all these reasons and more, Recovery Unplugged offers pet-friendly drug and alcohol rehab at our locations across the United States. In fact, we encourage our clients to bring their animal companions to treatment with them. Having your pet by your side as you do the critical work of overcoming alcohol and drug addiction could be what you’ve been missing all along. Contact us and reach out to our admissions teams today to learn more about bringing your pet to treatment.
