What to Expect at Hebron House

Understandably, anyone considering rehab will have a lot of questions before embarking on this journey and we are always happy to discuss concerns and talk these through. Going to rehab is a lifechanging experience and the minimum programme we offer is at least 3 months, so it is important that all of our residents feel happy and comfortable with their choice.

A lot of the questions from our potential residents focus on what they are leaving behind – their family and friends – and what life will be like in the house, so we are always keen to stress that residents can still have contact with their loved ones. However, to maximise the success of the programme, experience has shown us that it is best to avoid home contact at the start. After two weeks, residents can write letters and after four weeks, they can make phonecalls. Once they have completed the six weeks of Phase One, they can have visitors to Hebron House from week seven onwards. The only variation is those women who have young children, as we obviously facilitate contact with them from the moment of arrival.

Another big concern is what they will do all day every day for a minimum of three months and our answer is always – “A lot!”. Structure is incredibly important here at Hebron House and we begin each day getting together for some inspirational recovery readings and listening to music. Then the work begins! Throughout the day we hold workshops and counselling sessions and there is written work to do as well.

However, it is not all work, work, work! There are fun activities throughout the week including, art, swimming, shopping and keep fit. We also arrange outings at the weekend to local places of beauty or interest, and we hold activity days every 8 weeks in nearby Thetford Forest, which involve team activities and rafting, as well as an annual sailing course on the Norfolk broads.

In addition, we recommend physical exercise as part of the weekly schedule, so in the first phase of a resident’s stay there are walks on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and after that there are lots of opportunities to get out and about. We think it is important for our residents to go into the community and use their new recovery skills.

Of course, one question hangs over everyone’s head when they are considering rehab – what happens next? Here at Hebron we offer a full aftercare package and we work with our residents to make sure that everyone goes home to a safe environment, with timetables for the first month and links to the local Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous groups. There is also the option to relocate to our move-on house in Norwich.

The most important message is to ASK! There is no such thing as a question too small or irrelevant and we encourage anyone considering rehab, or their family or friends, to pick up the phone and have a chat with us. We offer informal Zoom chats before any application is made.