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How To Navigate Life After Rehab

June 21, 2024

Finishing an inpatient rehab program is a critical part of your recovery from alcohol or drug use. Even so, staying sober requires a lifelong commitment. What can you do when you depart the controlled environs of rehab to stay on the best pathway?

You should have an aftercare plan prepared to help you navigate life after drug or alcohol rehab. Abide by your plan -- in addition to these guidelines -- to help you stay sober and work toward your recovery goals.

Continue With Outpatient Care

Professional counseling will help you progress in life after drug or alcohol rehab. Your aftercare plan ought to include outpatient guidance at a reputable facility. You should continue with regular therapy. Outpatient mental health and addiction centers have differing degrees of care. You may need a program that calls for you to attend counseling sessions every day at the start. As your recovery advances, you might graduate to a more relaxed therapy routine that lets you return to your normal life and come in for counseling less often.

You might also require medication-assisted treatment at this point of recovery. Some prescriptions can help decrease persistent withdrawal symptoms and compulsions. Proper administration from your healthcare provider will help you prevent relapse. You could also benefit from medication to manage co-occurring mental health disorders that push you to take alcohol or drugs. Addressing the underlying cause of your substance use will give you a better opportunity for enduring sobriety.

Form A Support Network

Those you socialize with also have a significant impact on your ability to stay substance-free in life after rehab. Preferably, you’ve already covered this during inpatient therapy and recognized people who support your sobriety and those who will not. It can be painful to cut ties with certain acquaintances, but right now, you have to only associate with individuals who will help you steer clear of addictive substances. Don’t mingle with any person who will encourage or coerce you to use again. Have a plan in place for refusing their requests to get together.

Discover ways to reunite with understanding friends and family members. It might be challenging at first, but staying sober will make it worth your while. Family counseling can help you reestablish relationships with those closest to you. Area support groups and online platforms can help you meet people going through the same thing as you and further fortify your support community.

Locate A Supportive Place To Live

Your environment can have a tremendous affect on your impulse to take addictive substances. On-site rehab safeguarded you from harmful forces and restricted access to drugs or alcohol. So, where will you live when you depart rehab? Ideally, you’ll collaborate with your loved ones or roommates to implement a sober setting in your current dwelling so you may feel comfortable there. If some inhabitants make that impractical, consider moving in with other understanding friends or relatives for now. You can also talk to the team at your rehab treatment center to locate a sober living provider that meets your requirements.

Let Us Help You Navigate Life After Rehab

Regardless of where you are in your addiction recovery, you deserve compassionate, personalized care. The Counseling Center is ready to support you. Place a call to 866-850-5001 or submit our form below to chat with someone now about substance use recovery services. We answer right away, no matter the time or day. We’re ready to have a free, private discussion today.