Living after addiction treatment requires a lifestyle change. You no longer go to the places you once visited. Most importantly, you don’t fill your day with the same activities. The best addiction aftercare programs make this shift in your daily routine possible.
Why Aftercare Matters
Detoxification breaks the physiological dependency on a substance. It sees you through the withdrawal symptoms and protects your overall wellbeing. After about a week, you can make it through the day without having to take a pill, shot, or drink. However, you have more work to do.
The best addiction aftercare programs acknowledge the importance of entering rehab right after detox. There, you work through your reasons for using. You learn how to cope with stressors and triggers in healthy ways. As you progress, you break the psychological addiction.
What the Best Addiction Aftercare Programs Have in Common
Eventually, you graduate from the rehab program. It’s a common misconception that you have recovered. Rather, recovery is a long-term process that continues throughout your life. Therefore, you need relapse prevention for living after addiction treatment.
Sure, you want to believe that treatment equipped you for all eventualities. However, what happens when you realize that you’re teetering on the edge of relapse? The best programs have a safety net for this very reason. Modalities include:
- Post-acute withdrawal syndrome treatment that helps you deal with the curve balls sudden cravings present
- Support group meetings that encourage you to be accountable to peers who’re also in recovery
- Medication management for program participants who discharge with multiple prescriptions
- Ongoing psychotherapy that benefits individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders
- Family therapy, which helps people rethink and deal with relationship dynamics, communication, and co-dependency
Some rehab facilities enroll program graduates into a casual outpatient program to participate. You schedule sessions around your work or school responsibilities. Others sponsor meetings at the facilities and invite program graduates to attend. It’s also possible for facilities to contract with service providers in the area to offer anger management and parenting classes.
What Causes Relapse?
Many factors contribute to relapse. Most people fear exposure to situations that involve drugs or alcohol the most. Similarly, they worry about running into old peer group members who might reintroduce them to substance abuse. Sometimes, however, it’s far more mundane.
Boredom, for example, can lead to relapse. That’s why it’s vital to learn how to structure your day during rehab. Besides that, you go over daily life skills in the aftercare program after addiction treatment.
Do you realize that you might be encountering triggers or stressors that you don’t know how to handle? Now is the time to speak up. Most importantly, maintaining the connection to the rehab facility counteracts feelings of loneliness that also contribute to relapse. In this way, it’s more natural to reach out to a therapist or peer in recovery when you need help.
Look for the best addiction aftercare programs while you’re searching for a facility to entrust with your rehab. Make the call today.