A Day in the Life at Channah

So what is an average day like here at Channah? It really depends at what stage of the programme you are in.

If, like me, you are detoxing, the first week can be pretty tough what with trying to sleep and feeling rough. But because they kept me busy on the programme I didn’t spend all day lying on my bed feeling sorry for myself (like I did at my last rehab).

Now I am in week three and I am feeling fitter than I have for years. Going to the gym doesn’t fill me with dread and getting up is fine.

I normally wake up at 7.45am and fall out of bed and into my swimming shorts and sleepwalk down to the pool for the 8am workout. I didn’t really like this at first but now I really look forward to it. It is a gentle half hour water workout that really wakes me up and energises me.

After the workout I shower and change and go down to breakfast. We eat by the river which is beautiful. We regularly see kingfishers, monitor lizards and all kinds of birds. Breakfast is really good. We can have a full cooked breakfast, congee, cereals, toast and the best orange juice which the girls in the kitchen squeeze out every morning.

The CBT group starts at 9.45am. This has been really challenging. There is nowhere to hide here and the only way to get through it is total honesty which can be hard after years of lying. But once you get it everything else falls into place and now I feel stronger emotionally than I ever have.

At 11.30am there are individual sessions. Yesterday I had a 1 on 1 with Steve. Today I am in the gym with Num the personal trainer. He is tough!!! He takes you just a bit further than you think you can go but I have not been this fit for years. I can see a little definition in my arms and I have lost 4 kgs. Sometimes I hate Num but I think I will look back and realize just how much he helped me regain some self esteem.

After lunch we either have groups like relapse awareness or more individual sessions. Today is the client meeting where we meet all the staff and talk about the programme, the food and the weeks excursion. The staff actually do listen to us and things get done which is important to us clients.

At 5pm we have Body Renew with Amyra. I am not sure how to describe this but it seems to me to be a mix of many things. The hardest bit is learning her breathing techniques. But after a couple of times it comes and really does make me feel good.

We finish at six with enough time to shower and change for dinner by the river. We get a mix of Thai and western food and it is very good. Last night was another clients last night so she had chosen the menu. We then had an ice cream cake and some speeches. I was really pleased for her and I am looking forward to choosing the food for my last night (Pizza!!!).

In the evenings we sometimes watch movies or play games. We also sit around a fire by the river playing drums which is a lot more fun than it seems.

So that’s one of my days. It might be different for you but I really like it here. I don’t want to have to go to rehab again so I am really trying to put 100% effort in and it feels like it is working.

(Reproduced with the kind permission of a former Channah Client)