5 Tips To Adjust To Life After Rehab

With the recent rise in addiction statistics throughout the northeast, there is a growing need for drug rehab in Pennsylvania. More specifically, addicted substance users need access to treatment programs that provide a strong focus on relapse prevention. In fact, life after rehab needs support from multiple perspectives. The increasing prevalence of drugs in the area demands that recovering addicts and alcoholics work strong recovery programs that will keep them safe from temptation.

Even so, those who enter treatment at a quality facility will still need to work at maintaining their recovery. If you have just finished drug rehab, or are about to undergo the admissions process, you may want to keep the following tips in mind as you look toward the future of your recovery.

Tip #1: Establish A Sensible Routine

Anyone who does their research before entering treatment will already know that quality care generally includes cognitive behavioral therapy. Life after rehab can prepare you with enriched coping skills. Treatment facilities use this form of therapy primarily because it is goal-oriented. 

Clients do not simply identify their problematic thought processes and behaviors, but actively seek to replace them with healthier alternatives. By the time you leave treatment, your therapist will have done all they can. At that point, you must work to continue adopting the lifestyle that you and your therapist have outlined together.

Routine makes this easier. Waking up at the same time each day, making the bed, eating breakfast, getting ready to attend a steady job, and then going to a meeting at night would constitute a few potential aspects of a healthy routine. Naturally, the details will change depending upon your life circumstances. Nonetheless, you should endeavor to set a routine that works and be willing to make adjustments as needed.

Tip #2: Gain A Supportive Community

One of the major benefits of attending drug rehab in Pennsylvania is that you will become part of a large, passionate treatment community. After you leave treatment, stay in touch with the friends that you have made. As you work toward a better life in recovery, you can make amends with family and friends with whom relationships have been strained. You can also attend various support group meetings in order to continue building your support network.

No matter where you seek support, maintain active contact with those to whom you can relate. Also, remember the common recovery saying that you must “stick with the winners.” This does not mean that you should be overly judgmental, but you should try to limit your interactions with those who do not take recovery seriously. 

Having finished drug rehab, you will have likely seen at least a few people whose hearts are not invested in their recovery. Do not let yourself get dragged down by these individuals. Stick to keeping in contact with those who can truly help you.

Tip #3: Find A Sense of Purpose

Those with the strongest recovery programs are usually those who find meaning in their sobriety. This correlates with findings by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which state in a treatment improvement protocol that effective treatment often requires a strong sense of motivation. A strong recovery will therefore coincide with a strong sense of responsibility. More than that, those who feel strong in their recovery will commonly express the feeling of having a greater purpose.

Much like your daily routine, your greater purpose is something that you will discover through trial and error. The things that give one person a sense of meaning may not work for another. If you become close with other struggling addicts and alcoholics while attending drug rehab, you may feel that your purpose revolves around service work and AA sponsorship. On the other hand, you may find purpose in your career pursuits or in a charitable cause that has nothing to do with recovery.

While going through drug rehab, you can work through some of these ideas with your therapist. Even then, you may find over time that you find greater purpose in something completely unexpected, whereas the former subject of your passion turns out to offer little in the way of true fulfillment.

Whether you know your purpose intuitively or must seek the answers within yourself, try to remain open-minded. Inspiration sometimes strikes when we least expect it. Don’t close yourself off to the miracle before it happens. Life after rehab requires patience.

Tip #4: Watch For Old Behaviors

As noted above, drug rehab must focus strongly on relapse prevention. Relapse can peak its way in life after rehab. The threat of relapse is of great concern, especially given the statistics on the matter. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, relapse rates tend to range from 40% to 60% on average. 

This might make it sound as if your chances of staying sober are only as great as your odds of winning a coin toss, but you can still stack the deck in your favor if you keep a watchful eye for old habits before they become a cause for concern.

Remember, one component of drug rehab will be access to intensive therapy sessions. During these sessions, you will learn a great deal about the thoughts and behaviors that often preceded your heaviest periods of substance use. Anger, loneliness, depression, anxiety, or even just sheer boredom are all prime examples of feelings that require your attention before they spiral out of control. 

Also look for triggering behaviors such as:

• Lying
• Stealing
• Frequenting bars or other sketchy former hangouts
• Sexual misconduct
• Any other old habits that once played a role in your addiction.

There is a saying that if you spend enough time in a barbershop, you’re going to wind up getting a haircut. If you continue living the same way you lived in active addiction, the mere fact that you attended drug rehab in Pennsylvania will not keep you sober. Continuous sobriety requires continuous effort, so do not allow yourself to get away with slacking on your recovery.

Tip #5: Live In The Present

By the time you finish your drug rehab in Pennsylvania, you will have learned a lot. Life after rehab is a transformative experience. The most important lesson, however, is that this only constitutes one short chapter of your new life. Much of what lies ahead may feel like work, but there are also many good times ahead. 

Despite the need to remain mindful of relapse triggers, you should not equate recovery with constant struggle. You will cry, you will become angry, and at times you will feel like giving up; however, you will also laugh, you will forge new bonds, and you will imbue your life with new meaning.

When it comes to life after rehab, do not expect to learn the secret to happiness in treatment. Nobody emerges from drug rehab having learned everything they need to know about themselves to remain content for the rest of their lives. You will, however, learn the tools you need to continue progressing along your journey of spiritual growth. Among the most important of these is the ability to live one day at a time, one breath

Design Your Life After Rehab At Little Creek Recovery

If you’ve made the rounds through addiction treatment, you have made major achievements towards recovery. Your daily struggles can be overcome through dedication and support from loved ones. Little Creek Recovery is here to encourage your path of genuine growth. You deserve the quality of life from the hard work you have made over the course of treatment. Addiction is a lifelong battle and you must be primed with the right tools to succeed. If you or a loved one want to learn more about addiction, contact our facility today

References:

https://startyourrecovery.org/treatment/after-rehab