If you choose a pet-friendly rehab, you can engage in treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction without the added stress of leaving your pet behind you.
You will find many pet-friendly treatment centers here in California. At these cat- and dog-friendly rehab centers, you can focus fully on detox and recovery rather than having to worry about who is taking care of your pet.
In some cases, treatment centers and pet-friendly rehabs in California will offer more than just an environment welcoming to animals. Look for a rehab offering AAT (animal-assisted therapy) for an immersive and inclusive recovery experience.
Do you or a loved one want to get sober with your furry friend by your side?
Learn more about our pet-friendly facilities.
What is a Pet-Friendly Rehab?
Pet-friendly drug rehab and alcohol rehab centers are just like traditional treatment centers except for their policies regarding pets.
For those looking to move from addiction into recovery or sober living, the idea of going to rehab can be frightening and distressing. Undertaking a course of treatment at an inpatient rehab facility can seem less intimidating when you can do this with your beloved pet by your side.
The best pet-friendly rehabs will do more than just make your pet feel welcome. Your treatment team can include your pet in your personalized treatment plan. Not only can this be beneficial while getting accustomed to life in drug rehab, but it can also reduce stress when you transition out of the facility and back into daily living.
Benefits of a Pet-Friendly Treatment Center
Animals have traditionally played a role in healing in many societies.
AAT (animal-assisted therapy) was first formalized in 1961 by Dr. Boris Levinson, an American psychologist who discovered the benefits of this form of therapy for mental health disorders by accident. In this seminal paper presented to APA (American Psychological Association), Levinson outlined how pets could help adults and children during psychotherapy sessions.
Today, animals can play an effective part in various therapeutic settings, including drug and alcohol treatment programs and pet friendly sober living homes.
Pet-Friendly Addiction Treatment Benefits
Research indicates that recovering addicts who are engaged with hospital treatment for psychiatric disorders reported that it is effective at reducing anxiety levels during AAT sessions.
Another study shows that if animals are involved in addiction recovery therapy sessions, this can help to reduce pain-related symptoms and pain.
According to NIH(National Institutes of Health), AAT can help with the following:
- Imparts mindfulness and awareness.
- Reduces blood pressure.
- Helps with the management of pain.
- Decreases stress and cortisol levels.
Additionally, heading to a pet-friendly rehab could help in these areas:
When you leave addiction behind and begin the long journey to recovery, that journey can feel overwhelming and extremely lonely at times. You might feel that nobody really understands what you are going through as you kickstart your recovery. Some individuals also have service animals for co-occurring mental and physical health disorders that require a pet friendly sober living or addiction treatment environment.
Having your pet alongside you as you make this journey can minimize loneliness, improve self-esteem, and possibly reduce depressed feelings. Pets offer unconditional love and support, highly beneficial during the challenging early phase of recovery.
If you don’t have a pet yourself, you can still benefit from engaging with treatment in a pet-friendly rehab center where you can interact with pets belonging to other residents.
If you have your dog along with you at residential rehab, this can help you to feel more relaxed and calmer as you deal with volatile emotions during your recovery from addiction.
Stress is one of the primary triggers for relapse, so the more you can avoid stressors overwhelming you, the more chance you can maintain your sobriety without relapsing.
Being with your pet at rehab could also reduce feelings of depression or anxiety, and you won’t need to worry about how your pooch is coping either as he will be right by your side.
Many studies show that exercise can boost mood. Even if you know moving around would make you feel better, it can seem like too much hard work during the early stages of addiction recovery. If you need to think about your pet’s well-being, though, you will get outside at least once every day.
By incorporating regular exercise into your recovery, you can:
- Boost your physical health.
- Increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, both associated with positive mood.
- Improve mood.
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Finding a Pet-Friendly Rehab
If you want a rehab near you that will accommodate your pet, first try searching online for “pet-friendly rehab Orange County.”
It is also worth asking your healthcare provider and your social network for recommendations. Alternatively, assemble a shortlist of suitable drug or alcohol rehabs and then call them to clarify their policy concerning pets.
You will need to decide which level of care you need before choosing rehab or sober living home. Levels of care include:
- Detox
- Inpatient Program (IP)
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Outpatient and Virtual Outpatient Rehab (OP and VIOP)
- Sober Living Program
For anyone requiring rapid assistance, or are not sure which level of care they need, you can shortcut the search by considering our pet-friendly treatment center here at Renaissance Recovery Center.
5 Ways Pets Can Help During Rehab
There is less evidence backing the utility of pets for treating addiction, and in part, this is due to the lack of a clear-cut cause for substance use disorder. With no unifying cause underpinning addiction, there is not a single boilerplate form of treatment that works in all cases either.
Nevertheless, there are five key areas where therapy animals can be useful for many people in recovery from addiction:
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In the early phases of recovery, especially once the structured days of treatment are behind you, you may find yourself struggling to fill your days. You may even find yourself questioning what your purpose is in life.
A pet during recovery can help you to shape your days, even simply fulfilling his daily needs. From grooming and feeding to walking, you’ll need to put your pet’s needs uppermost, and you can do this without jeopardizing your recovery. Having a pet with you can also help you develop relationships in the recovery community as many people enjoy having pets around.
Your pet can also act as a powerful motivator not to relapse: he needs you.
Support animals can reduce stress and anxiety. You’ll feel naturally calmed when you pet your animal and when you play around with him.
Stress is a major trigger for relapse, so do everything you can do to avoid it.
Exercising for thirty minutes each day delivers many proven health benefits, as well as lifting your mood. Sometimes, though, it can be hard to get up and running.
If you have a support animal, you’ll feel compelled to hit the road each day, even if you don’t feel up to it.
Exercising will help lower your blood pressure, and you’ll also trigger the release of feel-good hormones like dopamine.
Recovery from addiction can feel lonely at times. The more you feel that nobody understands what you’re going through, the more tempting it is to withdraw from others, worsening feelings of loneliness, and possibly leading to depression.
With a pet at home or in your pet-friendly sober living community, you’ll always have a friendly face looking up at you. As an inbuilt kicker, you’ll also find walking with a pet increases your social interaction with other pet owners.
The more you bond with your pet, the more you’ll become aware of your emotions, moods, and emotional responses.
Animal-Assisted Therapy for Addiction
People often turn to drugs because they feel that something is missing from their lives. An emotional support animal can provide that missing link during the recovery process, and is a great companion to mental health services you’ll receive in addiction treatment.
Those who turn to substance abuse due to chronic pain can also benefit significantly from working with emotional support animals. Visits with therapy dogs reduced self-reported fatigue, pain, and emotional distress.
According to the National Institutes of Health, interacting with animals has been shown to:
- Lower blood pressure
- Help manage pain
- Decrease levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress
- Teach awareness and mindfulness
Pet Friendly Sober Living Near Me
If you’re looking for “sober living pet friendly near me”, our treatment facilities serve the greater Orange County area. whether you are looking for a treatment center in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, or elsewhere, we got your back.
All of our pet friendly sober living programs provide personalized treatment plans and mental health services that draw from these evidence-based interventions:
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Individual counseling
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Group counseling
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Psychotherapy (talk therapies like CBT or DBT)
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Family therapy
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MAT (medication-assisted treatment)
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Holistic therapies
Reach out to admissions today by calling 866.330.9449 and learn more about pet-friendly sober living opportunities.
THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE
At Renaissance Recovery our goal is to provide evidence-based treatment to as many individuals as possible. Give us a call today to verify your insurance coverage or to learn more about paying for addiction treatment.
