People who experience drug rehab may have conflicting emotions after they “graduate.” They may be enthusiastic to continue living without substances, but the latter part of recovery can also be a source of anxiety and stress. There could be a relapse and other concerns about staying sober if the same daily activities, pre-rehab, resume. Don’t stress to hard about it, Saguaro Behavioral Health is here for all your post-rehab support needs.
It can be difficult to adapt to life after rehab. You may no longer be supported permanently by family, friends and colleagues. This is a truth that may be tough to swallow. You may encounter circumstances that make you want to use destructive substances again. Depending on the rehab attended, most are prepared for life after rehab but that’s not always the case.
Here are some approaches which will help you begin a new life after addiction rehab in Arizona:
Create a timetable following rehab
It is important to establish a sobriety timetable, whether you’re back home after your rehab, in sober living or you’ve completed an outpatient program in Phoenix. Ideally, before your stint in rehab ends, you’ll need to determine your after-care plans. Marnie Zang Katularu, LPC, NCC, MS, owner of Saguaro Behavioral Health, handles this situation a lot with her clients.
Many services are available for your post-treatment needs. Continuous treatment, after-care management, addiction management and self-help programs are important. Other drug and alcohol counseling needs could be:
- Individual or Group IOP Treatment
- Medication Management
- Daily Check-ups, In-Person or Tele-Medicine
- Weekly Drug Testing
- Community Support or “Self-Help” Groups
We here at Saguaro Behavioral Health can address all of the above needs for you or your loved one. CONTACT US NOW.
A program requiring ongoing treatment following rehab increases the odds of drug or alcohol abstinence for many. You can start your timetable by following the list mentioned below.
- Communicate to your reliable support system, daily. Creation of your “recovery team,” including health professionals, friends, family members and mental health counselors in Phoenix is key.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle while you manage circumstances that can cause drug usage or alcohol consumption.
Get your support team together.
Friends and relatives frequently ask how someone can be helped after drug rehab, and they could be a key part of your recovery team. List the people that you trust to provide good support and encouragement as part of your post-treatment plan.
Build connections with individuals following recovery who will support your post-rehab plan. Find support or self-help groups in recovery for other people. Meanwhile, try to exclude people who abuse drugs or alcohol from your life. As they say, “keep your side of the street clean.”
Follow a healthy lifestyle.
Long-term lifestyle modifications which focus on overall health and well-being have proven helpful for long-term recovery. Look for a workout option that works for you. Physical activity can help you to feel better, distract yourself from cravings and reduce stress – which can trigger relapses after rehab. Research has begun to show that regular, moderate practice can help break addictive behavior. Naturally, we all know that fitness is good for your health, but that there is an additional benefit for addicts if it helps to prevent a relapse.
Keep a healthy diet that provides constant energy and nutrients to your body. Nonetheless, most people are recovering from incredibly poor patterns of personal care, especially food. Knowing how to eat healthy not only enhances the body but also boosts self-esteem.
Identify triggers and understand how to manage it.
Situations that trigger drug or alcohol cravings are important because after rehab they can lead to a relapse. Maintain a list of triggers to prevent them or manage them in good health. Triggers may contain:
- Stress
- Associating with people who have a history of substance abuse disorder
- Being in a place where drug and alcohol abuse is present
- Situation and perceptions regarding drugs or alcohol, such as certain hours of the day, thoughts, social activities, hearing and sound
Be prepared when a relapse happens
Relapse after treatment is always possible as with many other conditions of health: it may occur soon after rehab or even in recovery. Relapses could be a part of the recovery process, unfortunately. Relapsing does not mean that you failed, it’s just a momentary setback. If a relapse does occur, make sure to reach out to an addiction specialist like Saguaro Behavioral Health.
Ask your counselor or therapist what to do if a relapse occurs and remember to always be honest with your therapist. As you learned in treatment, “you are only as sick as your secrets.”
Certain techniques in dealing with sobriety
Stress Management
Stress-management will reduce your existing stress reaction and help you develop strategies to avoid more, adverse stress reactions. Our substance abuse therapists at Saguaro Behavioral Health will help you with stress management.
Be honest
Ensure that you are completely honest with your loved ones and the team in your support system. Remember, the lies and deceit in your days of addiction and abuse were one of the key components of your drug dependence. It’s now time to be honest ad nd live in truth!
Therapy
Keeping your therapy routine consistently will improve your chances of staying clean and sober — particularly in the first year of recovery. Regardless of what you are doing, staying involved with certain kinds of social behaviors and healthy relationships is a critical part of being and staying sober and not having old addiction behaviors creep back into your life.
