What Happens in Your First Week at Jintara

The decision to come to rehab is one of the hardest you will ever make. The week that follows is where that decision starts to pay off.

At Jintara Rehab in Chiang Mai, your first week is structured around three things: keeping you medically safe, getting you comfortable, and starting the clinical work that gives your stay real purpose. By Day 7, the clinical team has completed your psychiatric evaluation and built a treatment plan around your specific situation, not a template.

If you are still weighing up whether this is the right step, that is okay. This page walks you through what a typical first week looks like, day by day, so there are no unknowns left. Every person is treated as an individual. The exact timeline, assessments, and clinical approach vary on a case-by-case basis depending on your substance use history, physical health, and how your body responds to treatment.

A Jintara driver meets you at Chiang Mai International Airport. The ride takes about 30 minutes. If you have already been through the admissions process, you will know what to expect. If you are feeling nervous, that is completely normal. Most people are.

When you arrive, the nursing team welcomes you and walks you to your room. It is large, private, and yours alone. More on that further down the page.

Jintara accepts a maximum of 10 clients at any time, supported by 32 staff. That is a ratio of 3.2 staff to every one client. You will not feel like a number, and you will not be left waiting.

Within the first few hours, the nursing team completes an initial medical screening.

Your first full day is about understanding where you are, physically and mentally, so the clinical team can look after you properly.

You see an addiction specialist psychiatrist through one of Jintara's hospital partners, Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai or Chiang Mai RAM Hospital. This is a detailed conversation covering your substance use history, mental health, and current symptoms. The psychiatrist prescribes a detox protocol to keep you safe and as comfortable as possible through withdrawal.

This psychiatric assessment is included in your program fees. At many rehabs, it is charged as an extra.

On the same day, or as close to arrival as possible, Denise O'Leary meets with you. Denise is Jintara's Clinical Director and an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist who specialises in trauma and addiction. If you are in the middle of a heavy detox, this is not a deep therapy session. It is supportive. She explains what is coming, answers your questions, and starts to build the relationship that will carry through your entire stay.

More than half of incoming clients at Jintara have experienced some level of suicidal thinking. The clinical team screens for this proactively. It is not something you need to bring up yourself if you are not ready, and it is not something the team leaves to chance.

The nursing team also documents your existing prescription medications and flags anything that is not properly prescribed. If you need to continue a medication, the team arranges a proper prescription through the hospital.

On your second day, a nurse drives you to Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai for a full medical health check. Jintara pays for this. You do not pay anything extra.

In 90% of cases, this happens on Day 2. The only exception is if withdrawal symptoms are too severe for you to leave the facility safely.

Someone who has been drinking heavily may show raised liver enzymes. A long-term smoker may show chest abnormalities. Blood work often reveals nutritional deficiencies or blood cell count changes from poor diet and substance use. If results flag a concern, the nursing team arranges specialist follow-up, whether that is a cardiologist, further blood work, or an MRI.

The health check is also customised. If the psychiatrist or nursing team has specific concerns about you, additional tests are added. The results feed directly into your treatment planning.

Very few rehabs in Thailand include this at their own expense. At Jintara, both the psychiatric assessment and the Day 2 health check are part of the program fee. The only additional cost is individual prescription medication, which is affordable in Thailand.

By Day 3, the initial intensity of arriving in a new country, meeting new people, and starting detox begins to ease. You are still in the early phase, and it is still uncomfortable. But the structure is there, and you can feel it.

The nursing team checks your withdrawal scores multiple times daily during the acute phase, then reduces the frequency as symptoms stabilise. Medication is adjusted based on those scores, not on a fixed schedule.

Every client receives two individual therapy sessions per week from the day they arrive. There is no waiting period. Most rehabs delay individual therapy until Day 5 to 7 or until detox is complete. At Jintara, therapy and detox run in parallel from the start.

Group therapy may begin during this period, depending on how you are feeling. Jintara runs a four-week rotating group program. If you are physically able, the clinical team encourages you to attend, even during detox.

Leszek Kudiuk, Jintara's certified holistic practitioner (Reiki Master, meditation facilitator), provides two individual sessions per week. One Reiki therapy session (approximately 50 minutes) and one guided meditation and mindfulness session (approximately 50 minutes). These happen in the afternoons, in a private treatment room. Art therapy runs every Friday morning with an external facilitator. Thai massage is available throughout the week.

By the end of your first week, the clinical team has what they need to build your treatment plan. The biopsychosocial evaluation and psychiatric assessment are complete.

The psychiatrist, Denise, Kwan, and the support team meet weekly to review every client. Nurses write a daily report on each person, and all of this feeds into planning.

EMDR therapy, Denise's specialisation, is typically introduced for clients staying eight weeks or longer, and only after medical stabilisation. It is not assigned automatically.

DBT modules (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) begin during the program. Jintara uses an abbreviated format covering all four core modules: Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, Mindfulness, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. These sit under a CBT framework.

Jintara is not a 12-step program. Group work uses SMART Recovery principles, which focus on self-directed change through cognitive and behavioural techniques rather than spiritual surrender or powerlessness framing. SMART Recovery is evidence-based and used in clinical settings across Australia, the UK, and internationally.

By the end of Week 1, you know what your program looks like, who your clinical team is, and what each day involves. The uncertainty that brought you here starts to be replaced by something more solid.

Your first-week assessment feeds directly into your full treatment plan for Weeks 2 through 4 (or 8 or 12, depending on your stay length). Everything that happens from this point builds on the clinical foundation laid in these first seven days. See what the full treatment program looks like for details on what comes next.

Nobody pretends withdrawal is easy. It is one of the things people fear most about coming to rehab, and it is reasonable to be worried about it. What you actually experience depends on the substance and how long you have been using. For a full overview of how Jintara handles this process, see our medical detox page.

Alcohol detox often involves sedation with benzodiazepines to prevent seizures. You will feel woozy and low-energy for the first few days. The medication does its job, but it does not remove all discomfort. Symptoms typically peak around Day 2 to 3, then begin to ease.

Opioid detox typically involves a methadone taper. The first couple of days may feel manageable. Discomfort often increases before it improves. The clinical team prepares you for this timeline so there are no surprises.

Cannabis and benzodiazepine withdrawals often bring agitation, restlessness, poor sleep, and anxiety. Some clients experience physical sensations that feel unfamiliar and frightening. Denise teaches coping skills early, including distraction, pool time, and nervous system regulation through the holistic program.

The nursing team monitors you around the clock throughout withdrawal. At Jintara, the nurses are awake during night shifts. They are not on call from a separate room.

If you are comparing facilities, the differences in the first week are significant. Most large rehabs in Thailand and internationally operate at 40 to 80 clients. Jintara operates at a maximum of 10. That difference affects every part of the first-week experience.