“What’s a day programme?”
A day programme is very similar to rehab, but you get to go home in the evening.

Why would I choose a day programme rather than a rehab?
A rehab, where you go to live for a period of months might not be suitable due to personal circumstances. You might have children, or dependents, or your housing situation might make it difficult for you to be away from home for that length of time.

It sounds quite good. At least I would be able to watch whatever I wanted on TV!
Well there is an upside and a downside. It is nice to be able to stay in your own home, especially in the evening, but you might also have to travel a distance every day, and you are not allowed to be late!

Is that all?
A lot will depend on how confident you are about maintaining you abstinence while going home every evening. After all, that is often the environment you drank or used drugs in, and if you have had a challenging day, it can be a bit of a struggle for some people in early recovery to go home in the evening.

 “How long does it last?”
The length of time spent in a day programme depends on the type of day programme you access (12 step for example) and the support you require. Everyone’s needs are different and your attendance could range from a few weeks to a few months. You might attend 3 days a week or 5 days a week, depending on your needs.

“Do I get to choose the day programme I attend?”
You will work with your Care Manager and Key-worker to decide which type of programme best meets your needs. There will be other factors to take into account apart from the specifics of the programme itself. The distance from your house will be important, as will how you get there.

What do I do in the programme?
Much like a rehab, there are a range of activities and groups, ranging from 1-2-1 key-working; group work with your peers, various life-skills as well as other holistic treatments. In addition, counselling both informal and formal, may form part of the treatment process. It’s designed to tackle your drug and alcohol problems by helping you to develop recovery and maintenance skills; learn about relapse prevention and coping mechanisms, etc. as part of your treatment.

“Will I get thrown out if I relapse?”
No. As long as you’re not still using or in possession of drink/drugs on the premises you can still attend.  Coming to your programme even though you have relapsed is the safest thing to do. You can feel like the world has ended and be too afraid to face anyone, but the drugs workers and your key worker will support you and help you deal with everything.