What’s it Like Day-to-Day in Addiction Treatment Rehab?

At Clear Behavioral Health, addiction treatment uses a multi-faceted approach, tailored to every individual’s needs. Every day is scheduled so you can learn how to maintain a daily routine in recovery.

Knowing what to expect in substance abuse treatment can alleviate stress, overwhelm, and decision fatigue. Having a structured environment provides consistency and stability, which can facilitate anxiety relief.

The Admission Process: Your First Day 

Upon arrival, you’ll have your initial assessment: this includes answering a variety of prompts about your background, history of substance abuse, and mental health. Once your evaluation is complete, you’ll complete the necessary paperwork and then begin orientation.

During orientation, you’ll receive a program overview and meet your treatment team. This team includes medical professionals, therapists, and case managers.

After a brief introduction to your team, you’ll be able to get acclimated to your living space. This can look different for everyone, whether it’s unpacking and settling in, becoming acquainted with the environment, or simply resting and decompressing. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions that may come up; feeling comfortable and informed is important to your treatment experience.

A Typical Weekday at Clear Behavioral Health 

Morning Routine: Starting Your Day Right 

Typically, your morning routine could look like waking up, taking any medications you’re prescribed, and then morning reflection (possibly journaling or participating in mindfulness practices).

Once this is completed, you’ll have breakfast, which can be just as important for routine creation as nutritional needs. Afterward, you’ll participate in a morning check-in, to see how everyone is feeling for the day ahead and set intentions. The rest of the day entails a rotating schedule of groups, therapies, and treatment modalities, tailored towards your recovery.  

Core Therapeutic Programming 

Group Therapy Sessions 

Group therapy provides the opportunity for you to connect with other people over shared experiences in a non-judgmental space. This is normally a small group of 6- 10 with one or two mental health professionals guiding the sessions. These sessions can include skill building, relapse prevention information, vocalizing drug cravings, and the opportunity to be vulnerable while sharing your journey. These are daily sessions that provide ongoing peer support.

Individual Therapy Sessions 

The individual therapy sessions are normally once a week. These are highly personalized to your struggles with substance use disorder and tailored to fit your needs and goals. It’s also collaborative, so feel free to vocalize what you’d like to work towards to your therapist, co- creating your treatment plan together as a team.

Specialized Therapeutic Approaches 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 

CBT is a therapeutic approach that can help you address negative thought patterns and learn how to reframe them [2]. This can help break a cycle of rumination, often creating feelings of worthlessness and shame related to drug and alcohol addiction. When you work to reframe these patterns, you can cultivate the ability to move through difficult circumstances and process past experiences without coping through drug and alcohol abuse.

Related: Unlocking the Benefits of CBT for Substance Abuse Recovery  

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) 

DBT is a therapeutic approach that can help you manage difficult emotions while working on changing behaviors [3]. Strong emotions are challenging to navigate when recovering from drug addiction, but by learning how to manage them, it can become easier to deal with other life stressors as they arise. 

Trauma-Informed Care 

This therapeutic approach helps professionals understand the trauma from experiences, community, and family systems that each individual may be entering treatment with. Creating a supportive environment where your experiences are acknowledged and the trauma unpacked is helpful for recovery [1]. 

Case Management 

Meeting with your case manager can be a space to learn life skills, relapse prevention tips, and coping skills for your sobriety journey. These are tools that can be utilized during and after drug treatment and will be helpful if you recognize the feelings of a possible relapse. 

Creative and Experiential Therapies 

Clear Behavioral Health prides itself on offering experiential therapies to our drug and alcohol treatment programs.  

Art Therapy 

Art therapy can encourage emotional expression through creative mediums. Verbal emotional processing can be difficult, and having access to other routes of communication can be incredibly impactful in your recovery journey, as well as provide space for individual expression.

Drama Therapy 

Drama therapy often includes role-playing from real experiences, storytelling, and narrative processing. These methods can help build confidence and communication skills that can be crucial when real-life situations arise. Role-playing can include a difficult situation you’re currently facing, a hypothetical potential experience, or simply a fictional situation that holds teachable skill value.

Music Therapy 

Music therapy can help regulate emotions, be used as a form of self-expression, and help communicate in an alternative medium. Relaxation and nervous system regulation are also amazing benefits of engaging in this type of modality.

Physical Wellness Activities 

Movement is paramount for physical and mental wellness. Exercise produces physical benefits such as cardiovascular fitness, as well as mental health benefits such as dopamine creation. Dopamine is a vital brain chemical that helps elevate mood, improve motivation, and regulate emotion. While in treatment, you have the option of multiple types of exercise outlets, such as walks, therapeutic boxing, and other outdoor activities.

Holistic Modalities 

When targeting different therapeutic modalities, it’s important to include holistic ones as well. Anything holistic can normally be used on and off as needed during your recovery. Different things like breathwork sessions, meditation, sound baths, yoga, and mindfulness exercises help reconnect the body and mind after it’s been disconnected for a long time due to drug and alcohol addiction. 

Meals and Nutrition 

Supporting your nutritional needs during early recovery is an essential part of your overall wellness. Having proper, nutritious meals helps give the body the energy it needs to heal and function.  

Downtime and Personal Space 

When going through our inpatient addiction treatment program, you will have structured free time with the opportunity to journal, self-reflect, and learn how to have healthy leisure activities. This space can be helpful for rest, rejuvenation, processing, and self-care.  

Evening Programming 

Evenings will often include dinner, socialization, and/ or meetings. There are available support meetings, like 12-step panel discussions and alumni meetings, that you can sit in on. You will also have the ability to attend off-site meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and so on. This is a great opportunity to socialize or even share your story at meetings. Once the groups are done, you can take your evening medication if needed and prepare to wind down.

Weekend Experience: Balance and Connection 

Family Involvement 

Balance is crucial for your recovery, so during the weekends, there is often time for family visits, family therapy sessions, and educating family members on how to support you. This helps build a supportive home environment so that once you leave the treatment center, your chances for long-term sobriety are successful. Working on familial bonds while in treatment is important for the entire family.

Related: The Role of Family in Addiction Recovery

Community Outings 

We integrate group activities and outings in order to facilitate bonding with other residents over things other than recovery. This can be anything from beach trips to movie outings. These are important because they paint a picture of how these activities prepare you for going out after treatment. It can help remind you how to have fun while sober and with others.   

Community Building Activities 

Community-building activities tend to be group games and activities that will help you build meaningful connections. When playing these games, not only will you create fun memories, but you will also be able to see how you connect with each person. This leads to building your sober community and developing better social skills.

Begin Your Journey with Clear Behavioral Health 

Our addiction treatment rehab is effective since we establish a proper structure, incorporate different therapeutic modalities, and work to reconnect the body and mind. If you are considering treatment, call Clear Behavioral Health today to learn more about our substance abuse treatment programs in the Los Angeles, CA area. 

We offer a full continuum of care for addiction treatment, including medical detox, drug detox, and alcohol detox in Redondo Beach, drug and alcohol rehab in Gardena, and substance abuse outpatient treatment programs. When you call Clear Behavioral Health, you’re able to talk to our compassionate and informative admissions team, who will guide you through your health insurance benefits and the entire onboarding process. When you’re ready, we are here to help guide you on your sobriety venture.

References 

1. What is Trauma-Informed Care? – Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center. (2022, July 7). Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center. https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org/what-is-trauma-informed-care/ 
2. Professional, C. C. M. (2025, January 24). Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21208-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cbt 
3. Professional, C. C. M. (2025b, March 3). Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22838-dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt