Drug Rehab Program Includes Ropes Course

Drug rehab programs are getting more and more creative. Take the Cirque Lodge's ropes course, who implemented the course in an effort distract its patients from their addictions. The administrators of the program use the challenging climbing course as an element of their treatment program, which exercises both the mind and the body. Cirque Lodge's Studio ropes course derives its name from formerly being television production studio. The 17,000 thousand foot sound stage is now home to the world's largest indoor ropes and climbing facility.

The residents of the rehab program have a chance to learn valuable skills and strategies while conquering any possible fear of heights. The ropes course is used as a part of Cirque Lodge's renowned experiential program. This program is an effective and insightful way to treat alcohol and drug addiction. It uses activities, such as the ropes course, to teach coping strategies and recovery skills. People learn in many different ways. Some individuals do not have a skill for auditory learning like others might have. The experiential program provides an element of learning through action. It is easier to recall the memory of learning by recalling the activity that was performed.

The ropes course is made up of both high and low elements. It comes equipped with a rock wall, a 35 foot zip line, and a pendulum swing that suspends you almost 50 feet in the air; all the while residents of the drug rehab enjoy music from a 6,000 watt state-of-the-art stereo system. The low elements of the ropes course provide a number of unique challenges. These can teach a number of lessons in cognitive strategies, which can be implemented into life after a drug rehab program.

The challenge of the ropes course, in part, is meant to challenge the comfort zone of the alcoholic or drug addict. Addiction is something that thrives in the comfort zone of the individual. The ropes course provides aspects of getting out of that comfort zone and overcoming fears. With this the addict can learn what it feels like to not be comfortable in their addictive setting. It is also quite an exhilarating experience to conquer fears and accomplish something so challenging. Aspects of the ropes course also help in team building. Support is a needed part of recovery, and there are low ropes activities designed to help the rehab program residents to build support through activity.

Just imagine you are 40 feet in the air, balancing on a high wire. The instructor who is assisting you through this all is asking you questions. You are trying not to slip and fall, and the instructor is asking you poignant questions. The ropes course is also a cognitive exercise in this faction. The experience provides answers and promises to questions for both self and family. Once completed, the ropes course ends with a descent to the floor by way of the zip line. It is both fun and a challenge. It also teaches the alcoholic and addicts things they couldn't learn in any average drug rehab program.