What to Bring to Rehab: Packing for Detox and Residential Treatment
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Most packing guides for treatment are written to apply to any facility anywhere, which means they end up telling you to call and ask. This one is about Serenity Grove specifically. If something here is unclear the answer is a phone call away, but you should not have to make that call to find out what we allow.
The first thing worth knowing is that what you pack depends on which level of care you are entering. Detox and residential treatment have different lengths and different rules, and packing for one when you are headed to the other is the most common mistake we see.
If you are coming in for medical detox
Medical detox at Serenity Grove typically runs five to seven days. Pack for a week, not a month.
Bring this
- Photo identification, your insurance card, and a prescription card if you have one.
- Every current prescription in its original labeled pharmacy bottle. This one is not flexible. Nursing staff cannot verify medication in an unlabeled container and will not administer it, so a pill organizer means going without until we can reach your pharmacy.
- A written list of your medications with dosages, plus your prescribers’ names and phone numbers.
- About a week of comfortable clothing, in one bag. Include something warm no matter what month it is, because chills are a common withdrawal symptom and people who pack for August in Georgia regret it.
- Closed-toe shoes and a pair of slip-ons.
- Basic toiletries with no alcohol in them. See the note below, because this catches more people than anything else on the list.
- A small amount of cash for vending or incidentals if you want it.
- Phone numbers written down on paper. Read the phone section before you decide to skip this one.
- A notebook and a pen.
- Whatever helps you sleep and does not break policy. A book. A photograph. A particular pillow.
Pack light. Lighter than you think.
Almost everyone overpacks, and the reason makes sense. Packing is one of the few things you can control on the way in, so it grows to fill the anxiety. Then you arrive, find that storage in your room is limited, and spend your whole stay living out of a suitcase you never really unpacked.
One bag. Laundry service is provided, so a week of clothes covers you whether you are here for five days or thirty.
And do not spend the night before admission second-guessing what is in it. Forgetting something is not a problem here. We do this every day. Once you are settled, we help families get anything you need to you, and we are experienced at working that out quickly. If there is nobody who can bring you something, say so and we will help you sort it.
The thing we would rather you not do is delay coming in because you are not sure you have packed correctly. Show up with a bag and a photo ID. Everything else is solvable, and we would rather solve it here than have you spend another week at home getting the packing right.
The alcohol-free rule is broader than people expect
Products containing alcohol are not permitted. Lotion and shampoo are the ones everybody checks. The three that actually get caught at intake are mouthwash, hand sanitizer, and aftershave or body spray, because almost nobody thinks of those as containing alcohol and most of them do.
Read the label. If you are not sure about something, leave it at home and we will sort it out at intake rather than having it taken off you at the door.
About your phone
Personal cell phones are not permitted. During detox, phone use is facilitated by the staff and after the first three days, expanded based on individual circumstances. This is the policy people react to hardest, so here is all of it rather than a line buried in a list.
You will have landline access starting after your first three days. During those first three days, calls are arranged by staff case by case, which means if there is someone you need to reach, you ask and we work it out. Nobody gets cut off from their family.
The reasoning is straightforward. Those first three days are when withdrawal is hardest and when you are least equipped to handle a difficult conversation, a work crisis, or a message from someone who is part of why you are here. The restriction is temporary and it exists to protect the part of this that is hardest.
The practical consequence is the one on the packing list. Write your phone numbers down. Almost nobody memorizes them anymore, and a landline is not much use without them.
Leave this at home
- Alcohol, anything non-prescribed, and any medication not in a labeled original container.
- Personal cell phones, laptops, tablets, and smartwatches.
- Weapons of any kind, pocket knives and multi-tools included.
- Anything with a blade. Razors are provided or supervised under program policy.
- Valuables, jewelry, and large amounts of cash.
- Clothing that is revealing or that references alcohol or drugs.
- Outside food, energy drinks, and any supplement our medical staff has not approved.
- Aerosols, candles, and incense.
If you are coming in for residential treatment
Residential treatment runs longer and the packing math is different. Around thirty days is common, though some guests stay less and some stay longer. That is not vagueness for its own sake. Your treatment plan is reviewed and updated throughout your stay against ASAM criteria, and length of stay follows what the assessment says rather than a package you picked at the door.
The stay is longer. The bag is not. Pack about a week of clothing, the same as detox, because laundry service is provided along with bedding and towels. Thirty days of clothes is thirty days of clothes you have to find room for, and there is not that much room.
Bring this, in addition to the detox list above
- About a week of clothing. You are packing for rotation, not for the length of your stay.
- Athletic shoes and something you can move around outdoors in. There is more physical activity here than people expect and guests who packed nothing but jeans tend to regret it.
- A music player and headphones if you want them, but nothing that texts or emails. Those are permitted for use outside session hours.
- A few photographs, a journal, a book or two. A month is a long time and small things help. A few, not a box.
- Any documentation you might need while you are here, such as court paperwork, custody documents, or employer forms.
Phones and devices in residential
The first three days work the same way they do in detox. After that, phone access opens up on a cadence that tracks your progress and what your treatment team sees during plan updates.
That is individualized rather than a fixed schedule, so the honest answer to “when do I get more phone time” is that it depends on how treatment is going. Your team will tell you where you stand rather than leaving you to guess, and access expands as you move forward.
Laptops and remote work are a separate question with a different answer. The default is no, because the reason residential works is that your attention is on treatment instead of split with a job. Exceptions do get made, decided case by case by the treatment team, and if you are granted one the conditions come with it clearly spelled out for you and for staff. If working during treatment is genuinely necessary for you, raise it during admissions rather than arriving and asking. It is a conversation worth having before you are packed.
Nicotine
Nicotine is permitted in residential treatment. Use is limited to designated areas and never during group or individual sessions.
If you want to stop using nicotine while you are here, tell your treatment team and they will build it into your plan. Medical tapering is available as part of that. If you do not want to stop, that is your decision, and it will not be made a condition of your treatment. Our team will talk through harm reduction on the terms you set rather than the ones we would prefer.
There is more to do here than you think
Residential is not a locked room with a television in the corner. Indoors there are games and a library. Outside there is pickleball, cornhole, basketball, and whatever is in season.
This matters more than it sounds like it should. A month is a long stretch, boredom is a real risk to early recovery, and having something to do with other people in the program is part of how the time works rather than a distraction from it. Bring the shoes.
Medications: the part people get wrong
Bring everything you take, including things that feel irrelevant. Blood pressure medication, thyroid medication, insulin, inhalers, birth control, vitamins your doctor told you to take.
All of it needs to be in the original pharmacy container with the label intact. The label is what lets our nursing staff verify the drug, the dose, and the prescriber. Without it, we cannot administer the medication until we have confirmed it independently, and that can take a day you would rather not lose.
If you are currently on buprenorphine, methadone, or another medication for opioid use disorder, say so when you call rather than waiting for intake. It shapes how your admission is planned and it is not a reason we would turn you away.
What happens to your things when you arrive
Belongings are inventoried and searched at intake. Every licensed facility in the country does this, and we would rather you read it here than encounter it at the door with your family standing behind you.
Anything not permitted is logged, stored securely, and returned to you at discharge. Nothing is thrown away without telling you. Arriving with something you were unsure about is fine. So is arriving without something you needed. Neither one is a problem we have not handled before.
How your family stays in touch
Family communication runs through your care team rather than on a fixed visiting schedule. What that looks like is built around your situation and what your treatment plan supports, so your case manager sets it up with you and with the people you want kept in the loop.
If there is someone who needs to be informed, tell us at intake and give us their name in writing. Nothing about your care goes to anyone without your written authorization, which means the people you want involved need to be named by you rather than assumed by us.
Common questions
Can I bring my phone?
Not to detox. Personal cell phones are not permitted. Landline access starts after your first three days, and before that our staff will arrange calls case by case if you need to reach someone. Residential policy is covered in its own section above.
How much should I pack?
One bag, about a week of clothing, whichever level of care you are entering. Laundry is provided, storage in your room is limited, and nearly everybody brings more than they end up using. If you are unsure what you are being admitted to, admissions can tell you before you pack.
What if I bring something that is not allowed?
It gets logged and stored and you get it back at discharge. Nobody is going to make an issue of it.
What if I forget something?
Then we help you get it. Our admissions and clinical staff do this constantly, and once you are settled, we work with your family to get anything you need brought in. If you do not have somebody who can do that, tell us and we will help you find a way to cover it. Do not put off your admission over a packing list.
Can I bring my own medication?
Yes, and you should. It has to be in the original labeled pharmacy bottle. Do not transfer anything into a pill organizer or an unmarked container.
Is my mouthwash really a problem?
Usually, yes. Most mouthwash contains alcohol, and so do a lot of hand sanitizers and aftershaves. Check the label or leave it and we will handle it at intake.
Do I need to bring my own bedding or towels?
No. Bedding, towels, and laundry service are all provided. That is also why you do not need to pack a month of clothing for a month-long stay.
Can I smoke or vape?
Nicotine is permitted in designated areas, and never during sessions. If you want to quit while you are here, your treatment team can build that into your plan and medical tapering is available. If you do not, that is your call.
Can I work while I am in residential treatment?
Usually not, and that is deliberate. Exceptions for laptop or device access are considered case by case by the treatment team, and when one is granted the conditions are spelled out clearly. If this is essential for you, bring it up during admissions rather than after you arrive.
How long is residential treatment?
Around thirty days is common, but it is individualized. Your treatment plan is reviewed against ASAM criteria throughout your stay, and the length follows the assessment.
Not sure what to pack? Ask us.
Our admissions team answers this question every day and would rather walk you through it than have you guess. The call is confidential and there is no obligation.
Serenity Grove, 315 Newton Bridge Rd, Athens, GA 30607. Accredited by The Joint Commission. Licensed by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Program policies described here are current as of the review date above and are subject to change. Confirm with admissions before you pack.
Sources:
- Serenity Grove program policy, confirmed by Sumer Veal and Jessica Brothers, 2026-08-24.
- American Society of Addiction Medicine. The ASAM Criteria, Volume 1: Adults. 4th ed. Hazelden Publishing, 2023.
- SAMHSA. TIP 45: Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment.
- The Joint Commission. Behavioral Health Care and Human Services Accreditation Standards.
- Georgia DBHDD. Provider Manual for Community Behavioral Health Providers.