5 Tips for Adjusting to a Daily Methadone Routine

If you’re about to enter drug rehab, first of all, congratulations!

This is a huge step forward and it will take a lot of continued commitme to to make it all the way to the finish line.

One tool you might be utilizing along the way is methadone. This drug has helped millions of people to overcome their addiction and return to a normal lifestyle.

However, there’s one annoying little problem. You’ll have to go to the methadone clinic every day for the foreseeable future.

While this sounds rather inconvenient, it’s actually a great way to get your life back on track. The process is not meant to inconvenience you, but to prepare you for routine and for meeting expectations-two things that are often lost during addiction.

Here are a few tips to help you cope with the expectation of daily trips to the clinic and make it a routine you can look forward to.

Haven’t gotten started on a methadone plan yet? Don’t worry, because we can help you with that.

1. Create a Habit

Incorporate your methadone clinic visits into your daily routine.

Sure, setting your alarm and dragging yourself over to the methadone clinic in the morning will work. However, what if there was a way to make the process more automatic?

Luckily, there is – by turning it into a habit. By definition, a habit is an action that is triggered by another event automatically. For example, a common habit is washing your hands after using the bathroom.

This is so ingrained in you, that you probably don’t even think about doing it. If you can associate going to the methadone clinic with waking up everyday at 6 AM, then it should be easier for you to get up in the morning.

2. Don’t Focus on Life-Changing Transformations

At first, your primary motivation in going to the methadone clinic will be transforming your life. Overall, this is a great goal, but it’s important to realize that it won’t happen overnight.

Chances are, you’ll probably relapse a few times, even while taking methadone. It happens.

It’s important to not let these setbacks discourage you. Healing from addiction is a long process – but you’ll get there eventually. Don’t channel all your hopes and dreams into a single methadone clinic visit.

Daily Trips to a Methadone Clinic or Inpatient Treatment? Which is the Best Choice?

Whether you choose an outpatient or inpatient setting for methadone treatment should be based on your individual needs and preferences.

3. Don’t Set a Deadline

Along that same line, it’s important not to create an end-goal for your clinic visits. It’s hard to know exactly how long you’ll need to be on methadone, so there’s really no way to guess how many visits you’ll need.

If you build up the idea in your head that you’ll only need to do these visits for a month, and then you still need the medication after a month, it will be a huge letdown and may even possibly get you off track.

Instead, just think of these daily methadone clinic visits as a part of your new lifestyle. When the time finally does come to get off methadone, it will be a lovely surprise that offers you more freedom from addiction.

4. Make It Fun

Going to the methadone clinic doesn’t have to be dreary and burdensome. Find small ways to reward yourself for each successful visit.

For example, if you have enough financial freedom, stop to get a specialty coffee drink after to give yourself an incentive.

If you don’t have any extra cash, choose a reward that doesn’t cost anything, such as an extra hour of TV bingeing or listening to some new music by your favorite artist.

Yes, going to the methadone clinic daily is inconvenient. However, by working it into your schedule and making it an exciting part of your day, you’ll soon stop seeing it as an obligation that you have to do.

Ready to begin your recovery journey? Call 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to learn about available treatment programs for drug and alcohol addiction.