Life After Drug Rehab

Understanding Substance Abuse

Substance use disorder is a complex but treatable mental health condition defined by an inability to stop using drugs despite the obvious negative consequences of a person’s drug use. Generally, the recovery process for this condition begins with some form of substance abuse treatment, usually carried out at a specialized drug and alcohol rehab program.

In drug rehab, a mental health professional will prepare the recovering addict for life after rehab by teaching them healthier ways to cope and to manage triggers, providing treatment for any underlying mental health issues, and helping them to come to terms with any past traumas and with the effects of their addiction.

However, when it comes to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, completing rehab is only the first step. After leaving treatment, recovering addicts must put in a good deal of hard work if they wish to maintain sobriety in their more challenging daily life as opposed to the safe and controlled environment provided by a rehab center.

The rest of this article will explore some helpful tips for those are transitioning out of addiction treatment, which may also be useful to the loved ones of those transitioning out of rehab who would like to serve as a good influence on their loved one.

Avoiding Drug Abuse In Life After Rehab

One way that many of those in early recovery establish their footing as they slowly reintegrate into normal life is by utilizing any continuing care offered by their treatment program. Depending on your treatment center, your care may be overseen by case managers who can help guide you through life after rehab and help you to arrange any ongoing care you may require. Ideally, life after rehab should include regular check ups with a treatment provider, either one associated with your treatment program or an outside therapist.

Sober living residences or halfway houses are also a great way for those in addiction treatment to transition into everyday sober life. These forms of transitional housing help those in early recovery from addiction to transition into the next phase of their life by providing a safe space and additional accountability to their residents.

Along with maintaining a premises strictly free of drugs, sober living homes may hold residents to other guidelines meant to ensure they are sober and keep them from dangerous influences, such as by mandating curfews, twelve step meeting attendance, or periodic urine tests.

Attending support groups is another important touchstone for many former addicts who are transitioning out of rehab. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, research suggests that twelve step support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous have proven benefits for patients in recovery from alcohol addiction and show significant promise for those maintaining sobriety from other drugs as well.

Regular attendance at a support group can help you make new sober friends, which can help you to build your social circle and your support system and to connect to your local recovery community. Many rehab centers also incorporate some sort of alumni program that can serve as another important recovery touchstone.

You also shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to other trusted friends and family members for support, especially when you find yourself feeling triggered. While you may want to avoid friends whose continual drug problems may tempt you to relapse or who are otherwise destabilizing, you should make an effort to spend time with any person whose presence is comforting to you and to avoid falling into isolation.

Those in early recovery also shouldn’t underestimate the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle when it comes to staying sober. An unhealthy or skimpy diet, a lack of exercise, or not getting enough sleep can trigger cravings for drugs and alcohol by leading to low blood sugar or elevated stress hormones, an obvious danger for anyone in early recovery from addiction.

Another way to shift your focus off of your addiction is to take up some new hobbies that will help you learn to enjoy life after rehab. If your addiction got in the way of pursuing something you cared about, now may be the time to pick it back up, or to explore something that you’ve always wanted to try but never seemed to find the time for. Staying engaged in such activities provides an opportunity to make new sober friends and adds structure to your life, which can help stave off feelings of purposelessness and loneliness.

Finally, no discussion of addiction recovery is complete without a mention of the elephant in room when it comes to those in early recovery: relapse. Though you should obviously make every effort to avoid relapse, if the worst happens and relapse occurs, don’t panic. While you may need professional help or even to go back to rehab to get yourself headed back in the right direction and towards long term recovery, relapses are in fact very common phenomena, and a relapse in no way means that you learned nothing from your treatment or that you cannot eventually learn to stay sober for life.

Drug Addiction Treatment At Reco Intensive

Though living sober may not always be easy, it will always be worth it, and our addiction treatment program is eager to show any person who is struggling with addiction that there is a better way forward. At Reco Intensive, we support our patients as they strive to establish a new lifestyle in recovery by encouraging those who have graduated from our rehab to stay active members of our alumni community.

Each incoming patient is paired with an alumni buddy who is further along in their recovery and who can “show them the ropes” as they move through our treatment program, keeping both parties actively engaged in the recovery community long after they leave treatment. We also help prepare our patients for life after rehab with career counseling, financial planning, and comprehensive aftercare services and transition planning, which can include continuation of some of our treatment services until full independence is achieved.

If you or someone you love is ready to focus on their recovery with the aid of a high quality treatment provider, you can learn more about our rehab program by calling us anytime at 844.955.3042 or by contacting us online anytime here. There’s no time like the present to take the leap into treatment and get back on the road to rehab, recovery, and a brighter future.