The Importance of Aftercare in PA Recovery

The best thing to do when suffering from addiction is to seek treatment. However, treatment alone does not guarantee that you will be able to lead a happy and fulfilling life. It gives you an excellent starting point, yes, but there are numerous challenges that await you after you finish your treatment at a Pennsylvania rehab center. This is where aftercare comes in. The importance of aftercare in PA recovery cannot be understated, as it will help prevent relapse, help manage post-recovery challenges, allow you to find purpose and rebuild relationships, and much more. In this article, we will explain exactly what aftercare is and what makes an effective aftercare program, as well as point out why aftercare is so important in PA recovery.

What does Aftercare mean?

For most people, learning how to remain sober is the most difficult part of their recovery process. While undergoing addiction treatment may provide a way to become sober, staying sober can be extremely difficult. Aftercare provides support in the post-treatment phase, by offering a collective plan to support someone through their early recovery. No treatment center worth its proverbial salt would simply drop its clients into the veritable mess that is everyday life without offering a way to manage their recovery.

However, aftercare does come with an “additional” cost. In reality, the cost of aftercare is often included in your treatment program, as evidenced by Anthem rehab coverage, for example. This is due to the fact that aftercare is critical for preventing relapse and allowing individuals to become fully rehabilitated.

You can also consider aftercare to be a form of ongoing treatment. If you look at addiction as a chronic brain disorder, this means that ongoing care and management are vital for anyone that wants to live a sober life. This is precisely what aftercare is all about. By enrolling in an effective aftercare program, you will have another avenue of ongoing support.

What makes an effective aftercare program?

There are hundreds if not thousands of different aftercare programs, and it might be challenging to select the best one for you. The good news is that aftercare in PA recovery is always customized to the patient’s needs. While you can definitely join a pre-set aftercare program, it is often best to talk to your case manager and develop a personalized plan.

That being said, there are several components that are usually included in effective aftercare programs, such as:

• Finding a mentor/sponsor
• Attending group or individual therapy sessions
• Participating in an alumni program (Your treatment facility will be able to provide one for you)
• Transitioning into IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program)
• Moving into sober living for a while
• Creating a set support system to help manage recovery after treatment

Individual/Group Therapy

Out of all these components, individual and group therapy are almost always included in an aftercare program. You will most likely not be able to process everything that has happened during your initial therapy. Individual and group sessions provide you with the time and space to process and learn how to adapt to your new situation. Some of the less frequent components may include music therapy for drug addiction, art therapy, and any other therapy that you might be partial to. It is important to note that you don’t have to include every component in your aftercare program. The important thing is to find exactly what works for you and what doesn’t.

For example, some people might simply not be suited for moving into a sober living home or participating in IOP. Those people might need to fill their time with other healthy activities, such as going to recovery clubs or cafes, joining a sports league, and similar.

Different types of aftercare programs

Aftercare programs usually come in four distinct variations:

• Dual-diagnosis support programs
• 12-step programs
• Transitional care programs
• Counseling

However, some aftercare programs might feature a combined approach as well. For example, many transitional care programs take a few pages from the dual-diagnosis support programs book, and counseling is usually featured in almost every single aftercare program. Furthermore, all of these programs may include various cognitive therapies such as DBT for substance abuse to further help their clients. That being said, the programs themselves are quite different from one another. Let’s take a look at what each of them entails.

Dual-diagnosis support programs

If your addiction is accompanied by mental health issues, dual-diagnosis support programs might be perfect for you. These programs focus on providing comprehensive aftercare that has both mental health issues and addiction issues in mind. When you consider that over 17 million people in the U.S. live with a serious mental health disorder and that over four million of them have a substance abuse/dependency disorder, these programs are oftentimes best for helping individuals lead healthy and sober lives. Therefore, most sober living houses in PA feature comprehensive dual-diagnosis support programs for their clients. These programs are often used to help people struggling with drug and alcohol use disorders, as more than 50% of people who suffer from them also have at least one mental health issue.

12-step programs

12-step programs are probably the most common type of aftercare in PA recovery. They allow their participants to regularly address their addiction issues and manage a continual effort toward recovery. Furthermore, these programs involve extremely interactive meetings, allowing you to create new friendships that might last you for a lifetime. A typical 12-step program will help you:

• Admit that, without help, your mental health challenges and your substance abuse issues will control what you do.
• Make amends to the people you might have wronged while under the influence of addiction.
• Uncover and accept the reasons why addiction is still present in your life.
• Admit all the undesirable choices you’ve made, and learn from them.
• Go forward.

Most 12-step programs also feature a variety of therapy modalities that are further customized to the patient’s needs. For example, almost every 12-step program will be able to offer a CBT treatment plan for substance abuse. Of course, these programs take the patient’s specific needs into account and tailor their activities toward the well-being of the patient.

Transitional care programs

If you happen to feel that it is impossible to return to the previous environment after your treatment, a transitional care program might be ideal. These programs allow you to become ready for independent living. Many dual diagnosis treatment centers Pennsylvania recommend transitional care programs for people that might not have a job or feel financially insecure. By attending a transitional care program, you will be able to bridge the gap between treatment and having to fend for yourself. Furthermore, these programs often feature a far less “regimented” approach than most other programs. While they are quite similar to inpatient residential care, their restrictions are much more lenient.

Counseling

Aftercare programs that focus on counseling allow patients to reconnect with their family members, spouses, and friends, in an open and honest way. Family counseling is especially important as it can be incredibly difficult to open the lines of communication between family members after treatment is over. Throughout counseling, families can discover many new things about themselves and share their achievements with one another. Family counseling recognizes that ongoing recovery depends on the entire family working together to overcome the challenges.

Due to how important counseling is in the recovery process, it is usually a part of an aftercare program or it is an aftercare program in and of itself. For example, many a partial hospitalization program rehab Pennsylvania utilizes counseling quite heavily, and with great results. This is due to the fact that counseling allows you to:

• Recognize and prevent any enabling behavior from family members
• Provide emotional support for family members throughout recovery
• Communicate your needs with your family members in a clear and concise way
• Establish boundaries, both appropriate and meaningful

As you can see, each aftercare program has its specific focus. The best program for you is the one that has a focus that addresses your issues. However, figuring out which program might be best for you is not something that you can easily do. This is why all treatment centers in Pennsylvania will appoint a case manager to their clients who will guide them through the process. By working together with your case manager, you will be able to choose the program that will benefit you the most.

The importance of aftercare in PA recovery

There are many reasons why aftercare in PA recovery is so important. Here are some of the most important reasons:

• Aftercare helps prevent relapse
• Aftercare helps manage post-recovery challenges
• Aftercare improves coping skills
• Aftercare helps rebuild relationships
• Aftercare allows you to find purpose

The whole idea behind aftercare programs is to help manage the first days, months, and even years of recovery. They can help you create a system where you can live a meaningful and happy life without worrying about whether you can manage your addiction or not. With that in mind, let’s see exactly how aftercare programs might be able to help.

Aftercare will help prevent relapse

When you consider that anywhere between 40% and 60% of all former addicts will relapse at one point, relapse prevention becomes one of the most important things. One of the most important goals of any aftercare program is to help their clients utilize the tools and skills that they acquired during the course of their treatment. Aftercare programs emphasize being honest with yourself and providing the means to fight urges and cravings. Each aftercare program accomplishes this in a different way but every one of them will help prevent relapse.

Aftercare helps manage post-recovery challenges

The reason why addiction treatment is so effective is that it provides a very structured environment. All of your activities are planned in advance, and there is very little free time that your addiction can use against you. Once you finish residential treatment, you will be on your own. Most people return to the environment that brought the addiction about in the first place and find themselves unable to cope with their standard challenges. They will still feel similar stress as before, experience challenging or negative emotions, etc. All these factors may pose an incredible challenge to someone fresh out of treatment. Luckily, that is where aftercare is able to help. Aftercare in PA recovery will allow you to manage your time much better by providing you with many fun and meaningful activities.

Furthermore, an aftercare program is all about staying committed to your recovery. Basically, the more time you think about something, the easier it is to do. Aftercare programs will provide you with something to think about, and much more!

You can improve your coping skills through aftercare

During the course of treatment, chances are that you have picked up a useful skill or three. These skills helped you go through the treatment process, making it much more bearable. However, once outside of the treatment facility, most people start neglecting these skills. Learning new skills is even more difficult. If left to their own devices, most people will slowly revert back to their old ways.

With an aftercare program behind you, however, you will have plenty of chances to polish your skills and develop new ones. Furthermore, you will be constantly reminded that you are more than capable of overcoming your addiction, something that most people need to hear on a regular basis.

Aftercare helps rebuild relationships

Another very important aspect of aftercare is that it proves commitment. Most people tend to damage their relationships while they were under the throes of a particular substance, and those relationships require trust to rebuild. Attending an aftercare program shows your friends, family members, and other members of your social circle that you are fully committing to your recovery.

However, do note that restoring relationships can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Some people might never trust you again and that is fine. All you can do is your best and hope that they will see that you are trying. Most people, however, will readily recognize your efforts and be willing to forgive you.

You can find purpose through aftercare

For many addicts, abusing their substance of choice is their only life purpose. However, once you complete the treatment and start living sober, you must find another purpose. This might sound simple but it can be incredibly complicated. If left on their own, most people will be bored instead of seeking out a purpose. Aftercare in PA recovery is so important because it can help you find that sense of purpose. The program will provide you with places to go to, people to talk with, and goals to accomplish. That sense of purpose can make all the difference in the initial recovery stages.

Furthermore, you can find plenty of inspiration by talking to people with similar experiences. While each person needs to find their own purpose in life, hearing about others and their purposes can be quite liberating.

How to make the most out of aftercare?

To make the most out of aftercare, you will want to take the program very seriously, as well as adhere to it rigorously. The key concepts of aftercare include:

• Soul searching
• Listening, watching, and learning
• Being open with others

Facing your inner demons can be a frightening prospect, especially if you need to do it on a daily basis. Luckily, aftercare programs will provide you with all the resources you need to overcome your fears. The best thing you can do is create a list of your issues and discuss them with your counselor.

Throughout aftercare, you will also get to meet many others who are in a similar situation as your own. By learning how to listen and watch, you may be able to transcribe their experiences into something you can use to solve your problems. In fact, this is what aftercare is all about. Lastly, you need to understand that sharing your experiences with others will only help you grow. Sharing difficult emotions can be embarrassing or painful, even awkward at times, but it gets a lot easier once you go past the difficult state.

The purpose of aftercare in PA recovery is to provide you with all the resources you need to manage your addiction but you still need to do most of the work. If you find that it becomes too difficult to manage your addiction issues, you can always contact your local treatment center. At Little Creek Recovery, we are all about helping people overcome their issues and will be more than happy to answer any questions and help set you on the best possible path to recovery!