How Does Residential Recovery Foster Accountability?

In the recovery realm, many people often discuss the three “A’s.” These are “awareness,” “acceptance,” and “action.” It is important to become aware that there is a problem, accept that there is a problem, and be ready to take action to address that problem. However, there is another “A” that often gets forgotten about: “accountability.” Accountability is essential for recovery, especially in the long term, and residential recovery is a great way to attain and maintain that accountability.

Everyone’s Recovery Journey Is Different

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu famously said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Perhaps no place is this truer than in the world of recovery. The most important part of recovery is taking that first step and asking for help. After that, the next steps are about accepting the help and doing the work that it takes to recover.

No one’s active addiction or mental health story is going to be exactly the same. Yes, some of the feelings may be the same, but the details will certainly differ at times. Just like no one’s journey is the same before treatment, no one’s journey in treatment should be either. 

Not everyone’s recovery journey is going to be linear because not everyone is going to have success the first time. While relapse certainly doesn’t have to be a part of anyone’s story, it is the reality of the disease. 

Relapse is more common than many people often think. According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment.” Also, “For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within 1 year of treatment.”

However, those chances of relapse can go down exponentially if an individual engages with a recovery center that focuses on accountability. They also go down when an individual chooses a recovery center that believes in healing at the cellular level.

Everyone Deserves to Recover at the Cellular Level

Addiction and mental illness are serious diseases that need serious solutions. According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, “Recent estimates predict around 164 million individuals globally are currently suffering from addiction. In the western hemisphere alone, it is estimated that 5 – 6% of individuals suffer from a substance-related issue, and in recent years there has been accumulating concern over the prevalence of behavioral addictions.” 

Many people struggling with addiction seek out help only to discover that the help they receive is not enough to heal them at the cellular level. This is often because the addiction and/or mental health care is not individualized or comprehensive. Also, many recovery centers only focus on the external issues rather than the root/core causes of the disease.

To heal at the cellular level, it is critical that the underlying issues that cause negative addictive behaviors be addressed. The fact of the matter is that alcohol and/or substances are rarely the sole culprit of an individual’s problems. Those problems often wait just below the surface.

These underlying issues are quite commonly related to some type of trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.” Also, “About 5 out of every 100 adults (or 5%) in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD.” One way to treat these underlying issues of trauma and PTSD is in residential recovery.

Better Understanding Residential Recovery

Residential recovery is very much what it sounds like (though depending on which treatment center an individual chooses, the experience may be very different). It is a type of treatment where the individual stays on the property and engages with their recovery plan 24/7. 

This can be an exceptional option for those individuals who require close attention and are perhaps on the more severe end of the addiction or mental illness spectrum. For example, many people who complete a detox are best suited to attend residential recovery.

Of course, residential recovery is certainly not just for those who are in the later stages of their disease. No, many people choose residential recovery because it allows them to step away and focus on their needs, free from the distractions of day-to-day life. This can be especially true with individuals who have high-demand lifestyles, such as CEOs, celebrities, and elite athletes.

Residential recovery generally lasts around thirty days. However, it is generally recommended that residential recovery be extended to get the best benefits, and there are many benefits to residential recovery.

The Benefits of Residential Recovery

Being able to step away from the disruptions of daily life is just one of the benefits of residential recovery; there are many more. The following are just a few of the benefits of choosing residential recovery:

• Allows individuals to engage with their recovery plan 24/7
• Helps individuals get to know other people in recovery (create a “sober network”)
• Give the family time to heal and work on themselves
• Allows for more time to engage in multiple means, methods, and modalities
• Helps individuals focus on nutrition and wellness
• Creates stronger bonds between the individuals and their therapists, counselors, and recovery coaches
• Offers a safe space for individuals to express themselves
• Reduces the chances of early relapse
• Allows for immediate medical attention if needed
• Creates accountability

The Importance of Accountability for Recovery

Of course, one of the main benefits of residential recovery is also accountability. As previously mentioned, accountability is crucial for successful recovery. Accountability ensures that an individual isn’t just “going through the motions of recovery” but is rather engaging with their recovery at the cellular level. 

Residential recovery fosters accountability by ensuring that the individual checks in with recovery professionals throughout their day and stay. Whether they are feeling up or down, when an individual can express themselves immediately, they are going to have a much smoother time throughout their treatment. 

Accountability is also something that is going to be vital moving forward in recovery. So, learning accountability while still in treatment is really going to pay dividends in the future when an individual needs to be accountable for themselves and others down the road. This might include being accountable to another person in recovery (such as a sponsor/sponsee relationship) or accountable to serving a recovery community (such as leading a recovery meeting). 

How Does Residential Recovery Benefit the Use of Treatment Means, Methods, and Modalities?

Residential recovery also allows individuals to be more engaged in their specific types of treatments. It also allows them to try many different means, methods, and modalities because they are much more readily available to them.

The fact of the matter is that it is important to choose a recovery center that offers comprehensive recovery plans. This is why we offer an array of treatments at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab. We pull from all areas of the recovery realm, like psychotherapy, experiential therapy, psychedelic therapy, and holistic healing. At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we find that when our clients engage with multiple methods of healing while staying at our luxury 30-acre property, they have a much better chance of healing at the cellular level (healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). 

Residential Recovery and Nutritional Therapy

Another therapy that individuals can greatly benefit from in residential recovery is nutritional therapy. At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have a maxim: “Food is medicine.” This is why we have such a focus on nutrition at our recovery center.

Nutritional therapy is as much about what goes into the body as what stays out. According to the Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JPN), “Nutritional Therapy uses food to prevent and reverse diseases that plague most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression. In order for food to be therapeutic, it must be nutrient-dense, measured in part by the nutrients and anti-nutrients, contained in consumed foods. Nutrients are plant and animal sources providing macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, probiotics), and fiber,” and “Anti-Nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity.”

The good news is that at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, the “anti-nutrients” (processed carbohydrates, saturated fats, and refined sugars) won’t be missed. This is because our world-class chefs create all of our meals with satisfaction and satiation in mind. Yes, the food is nutritious, but it is also beyond delicious. It is also tailored to each client’s specific needs and preferences.

Residential Recovery and Ketamine Therapy

Another therapy that is best engaged with in residential recovery is ketamine therapy. Ketamine therapy is garnering more and more attention these days because more and more studies are coming out and showing its efficacies. This includes effectiveness in treating anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions. Ketamine therapy has also been shown to be effective in treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD).

There have been many promising results regarding ketamine therapy and AUD. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, “More than 20 years later, an RCT [randomized controlled trial] of a single ketamine intravenous infusion (0.71 mg/kg) paired with motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol dependence reported that ketamine significantly increased abstinence rates and led to a lower likelihood of alcohol use and heavy drinking, and longer time to relapse over 21 days after infusion, compared with midazolam… Ketamine may also have a role in the detoxification stage of treatment: three retrospective cohort studies of the safety and efficacy of ketamine for the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome concluded that ketamine was safe.”

Residential Recovery and Surf Therapy

Surf therapy is ideal for residential recovery because an individual is afforded more time to engage with the process. Of course, surf therapy is unique to residential recovery and we are proud to be able to offer it at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab where we have some of the best surf breaks on the Hamakua Coast.

Surf therapy offers many benefits that can help individuals as they go on their journey of recovery. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”

Residential Recovery and Horticulture Therapy

Horticulture therapy is also ideal for residential recovery because as one grows in their recovery they can see the fruits of their labor grow with them. It is also a therapy that is very unique to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab as we have a 30-acre property that allows for the cultivation of rows of citrus and coconut trees, guava bushes, pineapple patches, and abundant vegetable garden boxes.

The benefits of horticulture therapy have been known for thousands of years. However, those benefits are now better understood in the recovery realm. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.” It can also help with self-esteem building and communication.

Residential Recovery and Nature Immersion Therapy

One of the greatest features we have at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab is our landscape. Situated on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, we have some of the most wonderful waterfalls, beautiful beaches, outstanding overlooks, and even an awe-inspiring live volcano. These are all excellent features that allow for exceptional and effective nature immersion therapy.

Nature immersion therapy also offers many benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning.” Also, “While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN).”

It is this “connectedness to nature” that can be better cultivated when an individual is staying in residential recovery rather than having to come and go. They can truly be immersed in the entire process. This is what residential recovery is all about in all avenues – being totally immersed in one’s recovery and staying accountable to themselves.

Elite Residential Recovery at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we are proud to be able to offer an elite experience of recovery to those who are looking to get past their struggles of addiction and/or mental illness. We know that our residential recovery program covers all of the bases: awareness, acceptance, action, and accountability. It also does so while healing at the cellular level.

Lao Tzu also famously said, “At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want.” For those who want to recover, we are here, and for those looking for answers, we’ll help them find them. Recovery is just beyond that first step.

Residential recovery can be a highly effective treatment option. Being in a residential environment offers essential accountability as well as 24/7 care and support. Residential treatment also ensures that essential skills are acquired that can help support successful long-term recovery. However, it is always important to ensure that the residential recovery center is the right one for your needs and values. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with issues of mental illness, addiction, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. For more information regarding residential recovery, as well as other treatment options, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.