One of the rules in drug and alcohol rehab centers that patients sometimes have a problem with is that they aren’t allowed to have sexual or intimate relationships. The specifics vary between facilities, but most of them strongly discourage this behavior and have consequences in place for it.

However, like all of the other regulations in addiction treatment programs, there is good reasoning behind it.Most importantly, the number one focus of your life during this time should be to work on the issues associated with drug and alcohol addiction. That is why you’re there, after all. This is an important opportunity to change your life for the better in drastic ways, and you or your family is probably paying good money for it. Becoming involved in a sexual relationship and the feelings of lust will take a lot of your attention away from the work that you are there to do. You will begin to shift your focus toward this other person. There’s a lot to learn in drug and alcohol rehab, and these are skills that you will need when you go home in order to be successful.

Another factor to take into consideration is that most forms of substance abuse greatly diminish your sex drive. After you go through detox, you may experience strong sexual feelings for the first time in a long while. This can make you more readily want to engage in sexual relationships that aren’t a good idea. It’s also more difficult to practice safe sex in a treatment facility, and patients there are more likely than the general population to have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease. If the relationship was truly meant to be, you can put it off for a while and find a way to make it work after you leave the drug rehab center.