The first two weeks are the hardest period, and the most painful one for the family: the person is angry, demands to be taken home and promises to manage on their own. Here is what is actually going on during that time.
First the person comes through a hangover or withdrawal. At home this most often ends with them going out for a dose themselves, simply to make it stop. In the centre, among others in the same position and with staff keeping watch, it is far gentler.
Then comes the part people rarely think about. The person gets the chance to eat properly: in addiction, food is forgotten as something unimportant, and the exhaustion at this point is almost always worse than the family imagines.
The sleep of someone dependent on alcohol or drugs does not come back straight away, so the first days are not a matter of “a good night's sleep and all is well” — they are a chance at least to lie still and get warm.
On top of the physical state comes the hard part: guilt, shame, self-reproach, regret and no idea at all how to live from here. That is exactly why the first two weeks ask nothing deep of the person — they are simply not capable of it yet.
What happens now is the one thing that never happens at home: meeting other people with an addiction. With it comes the understanding that addiction can be treated, if that is what a person wants, and that they are not the only one in this.
That is how acceptance of the illness and of their present situation arrives — and out of it grows the wish to get treatment. Without that step, no programme works.
Almost always guilt. Calls begging to be taken home, accusations, promises to stop on their own, threats. It is the illness talking, and that is exactly why the centre's rules limit contact with the outside world in this period.
The worst thing you can do is take the person out at this stage. This is the moment when it is hardest for them, and when the decision is being made not by them but by withdrawal.
The right thing is to talk not to them but to our specialists. You will get information about how they are doing, and at the same time you can start your own work — family support runs both in person and remotely.
Then comes what the person actually came for: therapy groups every day, going through defects of character, looking for the causes, and getting everyday and social skills back.
A person who has grown used to care, attention and understanding starts working on themselves almost without noticing — beginning with admitting that they are powerless over the substance.
These reviews are not written by us: they sit on our Google profile, where the owner cannot delete an inconvenient one.
I, Andrey, am now a former drug addict. My entire family struggled with this disease for a long time, but it kept coming back, and I started using again. I completed a rehabilitation course at the ISTOK Center. The center offered classes on specialized rehabilitation methods for addicts. The management and staff were positive and responsive, and everything contributed to my treatment and recovery. The center has a home-like atmosphere. Everything is thought out and calculated so that the addict can truly reflect on their problem and make the right choice, quitting alcohol and drugs. I recommend the ISTOK Center to anyone facing addiction and wanting to change their life for the better by making the right choice. Thank you again for your hard and necessary work and for instilling faith in people.
My name is Sergey, I live in Kharkiv, and I'm 39 years old. Alcohol abuse has been a long-standing problem for me. Recently, I've also become addicted to drugs. I couldn't quit on my own, not the first time, not even the hundredth time. Unfortunately, changing my life for the better was beyond my power. Based on reviews and advice from a friend who had already gone through a similar journey, I learned about the Istok rehabilitation center. The Istok rehabilitation center has restored me to a normal, active, social, and positive life! It has excellent conditions, knowledgeable staff, and the most professional and qualified addiction specialists and psychologists. Here I learned that alcohol addiction is a terrible disease, but by following certain rules, you can live a full life and never return to this addiction. With the help of this center, I returned to my family and work. Thank you so much for my life!
Hello. I'm Marina, 28 years old, and I live in Kyiv. I've had problems with drug use for a long time. I tried to quit, but all my attempts were unsuccessful. Finally, I decided to seek help, and I received genuine, professional, high-quality help, with care and support at the Istok Rehabilitation Center. This center is a godsend for alcohol and drug addicts. Excellent living conditions, qualified staff, and psychologists specializing in addiction. I was told that addiction is incurable, but it's possible to live happily with it; you just need to adopt new principles. Thanks to this center, I overcame all my problems. This is the center you should trust...
The consultation is free and anonymous. It is usually the family who call first rather than the person with the addiction — that is normal, and most recovery stories begin exactly there.
Call us +38 (063) 632-71-17Request a call back
Anonymous, around the clock