Are you ready to give up on addiction and return to your normal life? You shouldn’t rush.
Women and men who have completed addiction treatment can access a continuing care program (also known as aftercare). Continuing care is the phase that follows intensive treatment. This could be residential treatment, partial hospitalization (PHP), or intensive outpatient (IOP).
In ongoing care, people in recovery attend group and individual counseling and self-help groups. They may also receive ongoing psychiatric and behavioral care for co-occurring disorders. These elements together help individuals in early rehabilitation to establish healthy routines, improve recovery skills, keep accountable, and maintain their motivation for staying sober.
Studies suggest that people who continue to receive continuing care are more likely to stay healthy and avoid relapse.
Recovery Begins With Treatment For Addiction
You can seek care in an IOP, PHP, or residential substance abuse program. Each program has a clear beginning and ending date. A few months of intensive addiction rehabilitation can help patients make significant progress. Many things happen during this time. Great Oaks Recovery Center’s residential addiction program helps patients get rid of drugs and alcohol in detox so that they can begin to heal both mentally and physically.
Patients are offered help in restoring their normal sleeping and eating habits. Participants engage in therapy both in group and individual settings. This helps them to rebuild their self-esteem, overcome shame and guilt related to addiction, and learn how to manage cravings without resorting to drugs or alcohol. They are exposed to holistic and immersive therapies such as yoga, animal-assisted therapy, exercise therapy, and horticulture therapy.
Mental health professionals can assess and diagnose patients, as well as adjust medications and provide psychotherapy. Psychotherapists can treat anxiety and depression symptoms. Women and men can both receive support in dealing with traumas past. They learn to communicate with others without the use of alcohol or drugs. Patients and their families begin therapy to address the destructive, selfish, and destructive behaviors that are associated with addiction.
Sounds like a lot right? It is. Addiction is not limited to substance use. There are many issues people need to resolve. These include relationships with their loved ones, co-occurring disorders, insomnia, poor nutrition, and other problems. They must discover their true selves as sober individuals. The brain also needs time to get back to normal function. The initial phase of intensive treatment is only the first step in recovery. Relapse prevention can be as simple as a few months to years. People will need the support of a team of professionals, their friends, and their family as well as their commitment to sobriety. It is why it is so important to continue care.
Let’s take the house analogy: while addiction treatment provides the foundation, ongoing care assists with the construction of the house. It also helps people maintain healthy relationships and friendships with their families and resist the temptations of using.
The Aftercare Program For Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation
An individual who leaves treatment for drug or alcohol addiction is free to go back to work and face the world. Access to drugs and alcohol is often easy, which can make it tempting to indulge in a drug or alcohol addiction. People in early recovery may find the weeks and months following rehab difficult. While they have learned new strategies for sobriety and have been able to develop them during intensive treatment, they have not been able to apply those skills in real-life situations.
A program of aftercare or continuing support provides the structure and support to keep people on track so that good habits can become a way to live.