- The first 24 hours are designed for safety, not therapy — intake is a slow, deliberate process led by a nurse, a clinician and a case manager.
- Medical detox, when needed, is supervised 24/7 by a licensed nurse and built around your specific substance history and medical profile.
- You won't be asked to share, perform or 'be ready' in your first groups — presence is the only requirement.
- By day five to seven, structure becomes the medicine: meals, movement, sleep and connection start to do their quiet work.
- Pack light, bring comfort items, and leave logistics to your case manager — phones, work and family contact are reintroduced gradually.
Day one: arrival and intake
The first day is usually the hardest part — not because of what happens, but because of the fear that comes before it. From the moment you walk through the door at Avedis Recovery, our intake team's only job is to help you feel safe.
You'll meet with a nurse, a clinician and a case manager. We'll review medications, complete a health assessment, and walk you through the residence so the unfamiliar starts to feel familiar. There is no rush, no clipboard interrogation, no test you can fail.
Most people arrive carrying months — sometimes years — of fight, shame and exhaustion. We don't ask you to put that down on day one. We just ask you to sit down.
What the intake conversation actually covers
Your intake clinician will gently walk through your substance use history, mental health background, medical conditions, current medications, family and relationship context, and any prior treatment. This isn't a test — it's how we build a plan that fits you instead of a plan that fits a generic diagnosis.
You can take breaks. You can say 'I don't know yet.' You can ask to come back to a question tomorrow. Everything you share is protected by clinical confidentiality.
Your room, your belongings, your space
After intake, a peer or staff member shows you to your room. We unpack together, review what's allowed (we'll hold valuables, prescription meds and anything that could be a safety concern), and give you time alone to settle.
Comfort items matter more than you'd think. A familiar pillow, photos, a journal, a sweatshirt that smells like home. They're not luxuries — they're anchors.
Meeting your case manager
Your case manager becomes your logistical second brain for the next 30 days. They handle insurance, employer letters, family contact, court documentation, and anything that lives outside the therapy room. By the end of day one, you've handed them a list of worries — and you've already let go of holding all of them yourself.
Days two to three: medical stabilization
If you need medical detox, our medical director designs a protocol tailored to your history, substances of use, and any co-occurring conditions. You're never alone — a nurse is present 24/7.
Most clients describe the second and third day as physically uncomfortable but emotionally lighter than expected. The body begins to settle. Sleep slowly returns. Appetite comes back in flashes.
What detox actually feels like
Withdrawal varies enormously depending on what you've been using, for how long, and your overall health. For alcohol and benzodiazepines, detox is medically serious and requires constant monitoring. For opioids, it's deeply uncomfortable but rarely dangerous in a supervised setting. For stimulants, the body is exhausted and the mind is foggy.
We use medication — when clinically appropriate — to keep symptoms tolerable. The goal is not to white-knuckle anything. The goal is to get you to the other side rested enough to do the real work.
Sleep, food and hydration
Three of the most therapeutic interventions in the first 72 hours have nothing to do with therapy: sleep, nutrition and water. Our kitchen team builds a menu around easy-to-digest, nutrient-dense food. Hydration is tracked. Naps are encouraged.
If you can sleep six uninterrupted hours by night three, you are ahead of schedule. If you can't, that's data — and your medical team adjusts.
Days three to five: your first therapy groups
By mid-week, you'll join your first process group. There's no pressure to share — many clients listen for several days before speaking. The goal isn't performance; it's presence.
You'll also begin one-on-one therapy with your primary clinician, who'll build your individualized treatment plan with you over the following days.
Process groups vs. psychoeducation groups
Two kinds of groups will fill most of your day. Process groups are smaller and emotionally focused — clients share what's coming up, get reflections from peers, and practice the vulnerability that addiction tends to erase. Psychoeducation groups are more structured: trauma, family systems, relapse prevention, mindfulness, communication.
Both matter. The psychoeducation gives you a map. The process group teaches you how to walk it with other humans.
Meeting your primary therapist
Your primary clinician is your closest relationship in treatment. You'll meet two to three times a week, one-on-one, for 50 minutes. Together you'll build a treatment plan with concrete goals — not 'get better,' but specific, measurable shifts you want to see by discharge.
If the fit isn't right, tell us. We'd rather reassign clinicians on day four than have you white-knuckle a relationship that isn't working for four weeks.
What if you don't want to talk?
Then don't. Seriously. The most common piece of feedback we get from clients in week two is, 'I'm glad nobody made me share on day three.' Listening is participation. Showing up is participation.
From medical detox through therapy, experiential work and aftercare planning — our residential program is built around what week one starts.
Days five to seven: settling into the daily rhythm
By the end of the first week, the structure becomes the medicine. Meals together, morning movement, evening reflection. The chaos that brought you in starts to quiet.
Most clients tell us the same thing around day seven: 'I didn't think I could do this — and now I can imagine doing it for thirty more days.'
A typical day, hour by hour
Mornings start gently — wake-up around 7am, medication call, breakfast, a brief community check-in. Mid-morning is your first group or one-on-one session. Lunch is communal. Afternoons blend therapy, experiential work (art, yoga, hikes, gym) and reading or rest. Evenings close with a reflection group, dinner and free time.
Lights out is earlier than you'd expect — usually around 10pm. Sleep is treatment.
Movement, food and the nervous system
Daily movement is woven into the schedule for a reason. Twenty minutes of walking, gentle yoga or breathwork directly regulates the nervous system you've been dysregulating for years. You don't have to be athletic. You just have to show up.
Our chefs cook three meals a day with addiction-recovery nutrition in mind — stable blood sugar, gut health, anti-inflammatory ingredients. It is not a diet. It is fuel.
Family contact and the outside world
Most clients earn supervised phone access by the end of week one. Calls are scheduled, brief at first, and supported by your therapist if family dynamics are loaded. Letters and approved emails can arrive sooner.
We're not trying to cut you off from your life. We're trying to give the relationship between you and your nervous system a few quiet days before the world walks back in.
What to pack (and what to leave at home)
Most clients overpack. You need less than you think. Comfortable clothes for seven to ten days, athletic shoes, a hoodie or warm layer for groups, basic toiletries, a journal, photos of people you love, and any prescription medications in their original packaging.
Things to bring
Comfortable clothing (layers — group rooms run cool), sneakers, sandals, sleepwear, a refillable water bottle, a journal and a pen, a paperback or two, photos, and any non-narcotic prescriptions.
Things to leave at home
Alcohol-based products (mouthwash, perfume), anything sharp beyond a basic razor (we provide alternatives), large amounts of cash, jewelry of high value, and electronics beyond what your case manager pre-approves. We'll send you a full list before admission.
The fears almost everyone arrives with
After more than a decade doing this work, we've heard the same fears in the same order, week after week. Naming them shrinks them.
"I'm going to lose my job, my family, my life."
FMLA, short-term disability and ADA protections cover most clients. Your case manager will help you draft the conversation with HR. The vast majority of clients return to work — and many return to better jobs, because they're finally well enough to do them.
"Everyone here is going to be different from me."
By day three, that fear evaporates. The CEO and the line cook sit on the same couch. Addiction does not check ID at the door.
"I won't be able to handle the emotions."
You will. Not because you'll suddenly be stronger, but because you'll have a nurse, a therapist, a peer and a phone line within ten feet of you for thirty days. You have never had this much support. That is not a coincidence — it is the design.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we hear most often from clients and families before admission.
Michelle oversees clinical programming at Avedis Recovery, specializing in dual diagnosis and trauma-informed care.