How to Pack for Alcohol Treatment in Florida

So you’ve decided to seek treatment for alcohol addiction at an alcohol detox or alcohol rehab center. That’s great! Deciding to get treatment is one of the best things you can do for your overall recovery from alcohol addiction. However, an alcohol rehab in Florida might be far removed from the life you’re living now, which means you may require a little help with knowing what to pack so you can have everything you’ll need once you get here.

Summer House Detox Center offers safe, secure accommodations as well as professional treatment for alcohol addiction at our Florida facility. If you have any questions about our care or about any aspect of our facility, don’t hesitate to call our 24/7 hotline at 800-719-1090.

Why Should I Seek Inpatient Treatment for Alcohol Addiction?

Not everyone needs inpatient treatment, which is why there are so many different types of alcohol and drug addiction programs and facilities. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), many types of treatment do not fit into the specific modalities described by medical textbooks. However, there are several good reasons to seek some sort of an inpatient or 24-hour care facility for alcohol addiction.

To start, alcohol causes one of the most potentially dangerous withdrawal syndromes. Delirium tremens is a possible outcome of alcohol withdrawal that becomes more likely to occur every time you go through withdrawal from alcohol. As such, it is best to be in a facility where you’ll receive 24-hour medical attention and supervision. Another reason to seek inpatient treatment is that alcohol is one of the most prevalent and readily available drugs of abuse. When you’re trying to quit and feeling vulnerable, it’s helpful to be in a situation where you’re separated from alcohol.

Finally, seeking inpatient treatment for alcohol addiction can give you time away from the stresses of your day-to-day life where you can simply reflect and take your time building a strong recovery. Once you do, transitioning to your regular life will be easier because you will have already built a strong foundation.

What Should I Bring to Alcohol Detox and Rehab?

Generally, bring the same things to a detox center as to a rehab center. You’ll need the same fundamental items you’d require to function in your regular life, but you should also remember that your bed, accommodations, meals, and other necessities will be taken care of by the facility. Here is a list of the essentials you should bring to your treatment center:

• Comfortable clothes for at least seven days of wear
• Tennis shoes or another pair of comfortable, closed-toed shoes
• Flipflops for the shower
• Any toiletries you will need (including shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, etc.)
• Any medicines you are currently taking, sealed in brand new bottles or containers with a prescription from your doctor
• A small amount of cash in order to buy snacks and other items
• A credit card with which to pay for your medications and other larger items
• An ID, such as a driver’s license

These items may be considered necessities to be comfortable at an alcohol rehab in Florida. However, there are other items you may want to bring in order to entertain yourself or to communicate with friends and family members. These can include:

• Writing tools as well as the addresses of your loved ones
• A journal
• Appropriate reading material
• Pictures of loved ones to remind you of those supporting your recovery journey

You don’t have to bring these items, but they can make your stay much more comfortable.

What Kind of Clothes Should I Bring?

You will be staying at a rehab center in Florida, which means the temperature is predominantly hot. Even in December, you might experience 80-degree days, and in the summertime, the temperatures can climb past the 90s. As such, bring comfortable, breathable clothes. If you’re staying in the winter, bring at least one lightweight jacket so you won’t get caught unprepared on the colder days.

Can I Bring My Phone or Laptop?

Technological devices can sometimes pose a problem for your recovery. In general, narrow your focus to your recovery while you’re in alcohol treatment in Florida; bringing a cell phone or laptop can potentially distract you from your goal. However, some rehab centers offer patients the opportunity to use their laptops or phones at certain hours of the day, providing a compromise that still allows them to focus on their recoveries for much of their time in treatment.

We do not keep patients from bringing their electronic devices to the facility. In fact, we offer daily use of our Wi-Fi system as part of your stay. Still, we do ask that you limit the time you spend focusing on work or what’s going on at home. This is your time and your chance to focus solely on your recovery. It’s important to use it as best as you can.

What Shouldn’t I Bring to My Rehab Center?

While we allow you to bring lots of items in order to make your stay more comfortable and convenient, we do draw the line at certain items, some of which you may already know. But we’d like to list everything we don’t want you to bring to our facility, and we are certain other professional treatment facilities offering alcohol rehab in Florida have similar rules.

• Anything containing alcohol: You may think this is a no brainer, but some people don’t realize certain mouthwashes, nail polish removers, and other toiletries contain alcohol. Individuals who are addicted to alcohol might try to obtain these items, so we will confiscate any items containing alcohol that are brought to the facility.
• Offensive clothing, reading material, etc: Please do not bring anything containing curse words, violent images, gang symbols, or pornography to the facility. Many people here are suffering from comorbid disorders that could be triggered by these items. Additionally, it’s important for us to offer an environment that feels safe and secure for everyone.
• Items of great personal or monetary value: In order to keep important items from going missing, please leave them at home. This includes expensive items like jewelry or irreplaceable items like handmade quilts.
• Excessive amounts of money: For the same reasons as those listed above, please do not bring large amounts of cash to our facility. It’s a good idea, though, to bring a debit or credit card so that you have access to funds and some money with which to buy snacks and other items.
• Bedding, like pillows or blankets: We offer these items here at the facility, and bringing your own bedding can make it difficult for our housekeeping department, not to mention that something might potentially get lost in the wash.
• Weapons of any kind: Bringing weapons of any kind to the facility will cause immediate problems. Please leave everything that could at all be used or construed as a weapon at home.

The Most Important Thing to Bring

The most critical piece you can bring with you to alcohol rehab or alcohol detox is a desire to get clean and sober and a positive attitude toward your recovery. It can be hard to get to this point, which is why we will help you as much as we can. But the more you are willing to work on your recovery and make a change to your life for the better, the easier the entire process will be.

If you’re ready for alcohol treatment, take the first step now! Contact Summer House Detox Center at 800-719-1090. We offer alcohol detox in Fort Lauderdale and provide all the tools required for your recovery. Visit us at 13550 Memorial Highway Miami, FL 33161.