The temptation to start a romance while treating a substance use or mental health disorder is real. However, it is recommended to avoid romantic entanglements while you’re trying to heal. When you commit to healing from past trauma, mental health, or substance use disorders, you decide to invest in your well-being. Mental health or substance abuse treatment is about receiving care for yourself. Unfortunately, becoming involved with a fellow resident distracts you from focusing on your treatment needs.
Rehab Relationships
During your stay at a treatment center, you participate in group, individual, and holistic therapies. During these sessions, you will share your experiences with other people that can relate to you. That can lead to forming a connection or bond with another person because of similar experiences or thoughts. The connection you feel can be real, but some judgments made while you are in treatment are often skewed by your current feelings.
A portion of those who enter treatment will face past emotional, sexual, or physical abuse issues. You can have a profound reaction to the feelings that come to the surface. The vulnerability you feel combined with feeling dispossessed can lead to poor decisions. For example, while discovering how substance abuse affects your behavior and health, you may be swayed by physical urges. Freedom from chemical imprisonment can be a catalyst for physical desires.
The One Year Suggestion
While you’re receiving care at a treatment center, you may hear the suggestion to wait at least a year before becoming romantically involved with someone. While you may not think you need to wait to form romantic relationships, you should remember that your time in treatment should be strictly for healing your mind and body.
In early recovery, you’re still processing all you learned about yourself while receiving care for a substance abuse or mental health issue. Because most individuals are emotionally or physically vulnerable during early recovery, beginning a new relationship can damage your healing process. Instead of focusing on your emotional needs and finding healthy support systems, you may become distracted by the relationship and begin to put more of your attention and energy into your partner.
Perhaps you think starting a relationship with someone you met while in rehab is different from creating a new relationship with a stranger. However, whether you know the person or not, you still need the time for yourself to heal and grow.
Starting a relationship while in substance use or mental health disorder treatment center can take away from your healing process. You will discover underlying causes for your harmful behaviors while in treatment, leaving you at risk of forming unhealthy bonds. While the desire to connect to another is understandable, often that feeling comes from a place of emotional vulnerability. The Guest House in Ocala, Florida, helps you process your emotions of romantic attraction. Our staff will guide you to focus on your emotional needs through our exceptional comprehensive therapies. To learn more, call us today at (855) 483-7800.