Following residential treatment, the idea of returning to regular or familiar routines and surroundings can be worrying. Understandably, leaving an environment that has offered support and safety from which to begin your journey to sobriety and wellness may seem scary. After all, your time spent in rehabilitation offered a highly structured program of clinical and psychological support away from real-life stressors, including the demands of work and family.
But what next? Removed from an environment structured to support physical and mental wellness, on transitioning back into the big bad world, how do you cope? What strategies will be in place to make sure you don’t revisit old habits following old triggers?
Aftercare, an essential aspect of rehabilitation, is meant to provide follow-up services designed to fit in with professional and personal priorities. While structured, these services give the clients a chance to slowly integrate back into their lives and provide accountability demonstrated by continued attendance at recommended program offerings.
How to Avoid Returning to Old Habits
Leaving a full-time residential rehabilitation program can be worrying. Having experienced the benefits of 24/7 care and support, to be faced with independent living can be daunting. Aftercare programs such as the ones offered at Oceanfront Recovery enable clients to bridge the gap between both full-time treatment and independent living through programs such as money management, self-care, and nutrition. Comprehensive support built around you provides an opportunity to work through the challenges you anticipate facing and the ones you actually face on returning to work and family.
One of the best ways to avoid returning to old habits is to be equipped with the confidence and the skills to overcome everyday stressful triggers that may result in a relapse. It is not enough to know why we have addictive behaviors; we must understand how to handle those moments when we feel pulled back in the direction of prior choices. Quality aftercare programs continue to develop knowledge, confidence, and ultimately trust in our ability to handle those difficult moments.
Another benefit to aftercare programs is developing and practicing new habits that demonstrate how life can look when free from the demands and impulses of substance use and addiction. When you can see you have something to live for and see yourself engaging in life choices that yield positive results, it can make it easier to challenge those urges because you are proof of what is possible when you do not give in to them!
How to Avoid Relapse
Relapsing refers to a return to substance use after a period of abstinence. Aftercare is imperative to avoiding relapse. Going through individual and group counseling following your detox program is, of course, important. However, aftercare, when regularly attended, provides peer support and professional insight on our challenges and experiences as we return to ordinary life.
When you think you are fully recovered after leaving rehabilitation, failing to make attending aftercare activities a priority, you deceive yourself into thinking you no longer need support. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Rehabilitation is, in essence, a lifestyle. It is something that needs to be managed. Just like you manage your health or fitness to stay healthy, your post addiction lifestyle also needs to be managed and tended to. If you are concerned about relapsing following rehabilitation, talk to your support counselor, and realize that follow on activities will be every bit as important as anything you do during your residential treatment.
Sober Living Homes
Sober living homes can be part of the aftercare of a residential treatment program. Someone living alone before seeking treatment may prefer the additional support of a sober living home. Sober living homes give you a safe place to live that supports living substance-free. They also still provide you with access to your care team and other support as you may need it.
Sober living homes at Oceanfront Recovery in Orange County are available to both men and women after completing their treatment program. They can help you stay focused on your recovery, with the chance to avoid situations that might lead you to relapse. Sober living homes are independent homes located throughout the community in areas noted for their safety and positive quality of life.
If you have concerns you may relapse once you leave your rehabilitation program, then a sober living home may be the additional aftercare support you need. Understanding that rehabilitation does not mean forever sequestered away from reality, it is still important to return to normal in a structured, planned way that does not set us up for failure.
As adults, we work, have families, and all the responsibilities that go along with grownup situations. Therefore, moving straight back into our familiar environment can take some adjustment. Sober living homes form the bridge between a full-time rehabilitation program and a regular home life.
Ultimately, the follow-up phase of your recovery after residential treatment needs to flow as smoothly and as seamlessly as possible, leaving no gaps. The benefit of a sober living home provides the amenities and home-like environment within a structure meant to support your ongoing sobriety. Access to your employment, follow-up meetings and group support is still available as all other addiction treatment therapies.
Will I Still Find Support Through Aftercare Programs?
Aftercare programs take place after the successful completion of a full-time rehabilitation program. The purpose of a quality aftercare program such as the one offered at Oceanfront Recovery is to continue the coping mechanisms and healthy habits that began during intensive rehabilitation. Aftercare programs should always focus on the long-term, individual recovery that is sustainable for all stages of your life.
In terms of your rehabilitation, aftercare is where the rubber meets the road. Poor quality aftercare can destroy any progress established during residential treatment. Aftercare programs should continue to equip you with the right tools and support needed for your long term success and well being. Aftercare programs should also provide individualized attention to your specific plans and goals, in addition to emotional or environmental triggers that can cause a relapse. Additionally, a positive and stimulating aftercare program provides an outlet for exploring interests and creating new relationships away from behaviors that enabled or directly contributed to substance misuse. In this way, aftercare programs may offer adjunct activities that one may not necessarily associate with support counseling; however, they indirectly promote a lifestyle free from substance misuse.
Following residential treatment, the idea of returning to regular or familiar routines and surroundings can be worrying. A positive and stimulating aftercare program provides an outlet for exploring interests and creating new relationships away from old habits. A great aftercare program also transitions its clients back into managing finances, juggling work and family responsibilities, and self-care. Change your story. Change your life. At Oceanfront Recovery, we are proud to offer various specialized services to facilitate individualized recovery and clinical detoxification for busy professionals and adults. Supporting your commitment to get clean, stay clean and discover healthy lifestyle alternatives, our modern, attractive facilities nestled in the laid-back community of Laguna Beach offer ample opportunity for you to restore your professional and family life. Caring case managers, counselors, and wellness staff trained in dual diagnosis and recovery are there to support your commitment to recovery in an accessible, practical, and affordable environment. Calling Oceanfront Recovery today may be just what you need to change your story, and possibly, your life. We can’t wait to meet you. Call us today at (877) 279-1777.
