Early Recovery Challenges. What the first week is actually like

The first week in rehab rarely feels the way people expect it to.
There’s no clear starting line, no dramatic shift—just a series of ordinary days unfolding in an unfamiliar place.

In this episode, Jennifer Smith reflects on what the first week of early recovery is actually like. The slow pace. The fixed schedule. The quiet observation that happens in group rooms before anyone feels ready to speak. The mental fatigue that comes from being present all day, every day, without the usual exits.

This is a grounded look at the in-between stage of recovery—when nothing is resolved yet, routines are still settling, and familiarity begins to form in small, almost unnoticed ways. A calm, honest account of what it feels like to live through that first week, one ordinary day at a time.