For many individuals, rehab is the first step to getting better — but what is life after rehab like? How do you move forward while maintaining your sobriety? It’s a great question to ask, considering that rehab is only meant to be the first step in the process. Thousands of people go through rehab every year and build new lives for themselves, free of addiction. Help on your recovery journey doesn’t have to end when you check out of rehab. And there are specific steps you can take to continue your recovery in outpatient settings and leave the harmful stuff behind. Let’s take a deeper look at the benefits of rehab and how you can continue your recovery and enjoy life again. Keep reading to learn more.
Benefits from Rehab
The benefits of rehab are far-reaching, affecting every part of your life, which makes sense since addiction also affects every aspect of your life. You’ll experience better physical and mental health and better opportunities. You’ll also learn how to set better boundaries so you can say no to situations that could lead to relapsing. Better Physical Health: Drugs or alcohol can affect every part of your body, from your heart to your liver to cancer. And that’s barely scratching the surface. When you’re constantly drinking alcohol or using a substance, it can be challenging to eat well, get enough sleep, exercise, or even relax. You’ll feel better after rehab because you will nourish your body with healthy foods, you’ll be able to sleep better, and it won’t be nearly as difficult to exercise or relax. Better Mental Health: Substance use or excessive drinking can lead to anxiety, depression, paranoia, mood swings, and irritability. Detoxing can significantly improve how you feel. Additionally, your healthcare provider might recommend seeing a licensed professional counselor or psychiatrist, as part of your addiction could stem from a mental health condition that further treatment could help with. Receiving treatment for underlying health concerns will help you maintain your sobriety. Better Opportunities: Suffering from addiction can negatively impact every area of your life, from relationships to employment. Once you’ve completed rehab, you’ll be better positioned to perform job duties and connect with the people in your life. Better Boundaries: It can be hard to say no, but it’s necessary for situations where you could end up relapsing. Whether you’re dealing with a stressful family situation, work environment, or something else, setting boundaries to prevent those situations from leading to relapse is essential. You’ll learn how to do this in rehab and can take the benefits with you to real-world problems.
Don’t Stop Treatment
The next step after rehab is outpatient treatment. While you’ll no longer need around-the-clock care, you won’t want to quit treatment cold turkey. Ongoing support is essential to your continued success. Post-rehab treatment can include:
Individual or group therapy (or both).
Seeing an addiction treatment doctor.
Injections to block the drugs and alcohol from taking effect.
Holistic therapies that help with stress.
Your healthcare provider will work with you to form a treatment plan for life after rehab. It won’t be set in stone, so you can easily adjust it as needed.
Recovery Continues
Recovery continues in daily life outside the walls of your healthcare providers’ establishments. To maintain your sobriety, we recommend taking the following six steps:
Form new friendships with sober people. We won’t tell you not to communicate with your friends, but this is a critical step in your journey. It’s imperative to surround yourself with people who will support your sobriety.It’s easier to enjoy a treat with new friends than resist using a substance or drinking alcohol with your old friends, some of whom may still be struggling with addiction. It will be complicated to be with friends who are drinking when you can’t have any.
Examine your surroundings and make changes as needed. You might have gone to rehab not knowing what else to do, so you might have alcohol or drugs in your home. You might want to have someone go to your home and remove those items so that you can come home to a clean place.You’ll want to ensure this is done in every setting where you frequently spend time, such as work or relatives’ homes.
Find people who will support you on hard days. You’ll want to form new friendships, and some of those friends should be individuals who will support you when you’re craving a drink or a substance that would cause you to relapse.The best support often comes from friends who have been in your shoes and know what you’re going through. Having someone genuinely understand how you feel can make all the difference between staying strong and relapsing.
Help others in their journey. Sometimes, the best way to avoid relapsing is by helping someone else. It takes your mind off your cravings and lets you see the bigger picture. Helping someone else stay strong can genuinely help you on your journey.
Seek professional counseling. Therapeutic techniques are utilized in rehab because they’re highly effective. There’s no reason not to continue what works for you in life after rehab.In fact, we recommend it. There are many different forms of therapy, so you can work with your therapist to find the best treatment techniques to help you through your most challenging moments.
Make the right choices. At the end of the day, it comes down to you saying no to the wrong choices and yes to the right ones. As difficult as it can be, making the right choices is incredibly empowering. It will help you realize how strong you are and how great your life can be without addiction.
Following these steps and any other advice that your healthcare providers give you will help you stay sober during life after rehab. We promise you truly can live a rewarding and fulfilling life for many years to come!
Ardu Recovery Center Can Help
Are you looking for a rehab center where you can go for help? No matter what you’re struggling with, Ardu Recovery Center can help you on your journey to recovery. We offer residential, inpatient, and outpatient treatment services for life after rehab.Ardu Recovery Center offers substance abuse treatment for drugs and alcohol and addiction treatment services for men, women, and young adults. We also have detox and rehab programs. No matter what stage you or your loved one is in, Ardu has what you need to recover. Are you ready to get started? Have questions? We have answers. Call us at 801.512.0086 or contact us through our website form. Let Ardu Recovery Center be part of your journey so you can recover and enjoy life after rehab. Contact Ardu today for more information.
