How To Plan for Life After Treatment
Without a proper plan in place to follow after completing treatment, you risk all of the hard work, time and dedication you’ve already put into a life of sobriety. Addiction is a lifelong battle that, while difficult at times, is something we’re all capable of fighting but not without the proper strategy and tools at our disposal.
A common occurrence seen amongst newly recovered individuals is showing rightfully earned excitement for their new life free of substance abuse. What happens next depends on the person with some riding that wave into a healthier lifestyle overall, never looking back at the substance they struggled with for so long.
Others will take it in a different direction, feeling that they’ve “beaten” addiction and can now enjoy just a little bit of their preferred substance, when the reality is that these lapses in sobriety can lead to a total relapse into their previous, addiction-based lifestyle.
Giving yourself as many advantages and safety nets as possible for life after care can help make sure that you don’t find yourself going through cycles of relapse and needing to undergo treatment again. Remember, you aren’t alone in this fight! All of the professionals that helped during treatment can also help with referrals to aftercare centers, groups and other medical professionals.
Aftercare Plan Overview
When we say aftercare, we mean the period that begins the moment you step through the doors of your treatment facility for the last time. When that moment happens, a huge congratulations is in order!
You’ve gone through the toughest part of recovery, and what comes next during aftercare is working to stay sober through proper management of impulses and transitioning to an overall healthier lifestyle.
The reason lifestyle changes outside of sobriety are important is that your environment plays a large part in what drives your addiction. If you place yourself back into settings where drug or alcohol abuse is rampant, you’ll be much more likely to fall back in with that crowd.
Having other options for activities to do can help you avoid choosing substance use as a recreational hobby. If you find that you’re unable to spend time with the same people as before now that you’re sober, then they may not be the group to primarily be around.
We don’t mean to cut ties, simply draw healthy boundaries as needed to keep your health and safety first and foremost. Another option for a group setting is the participation in a 12 step program or joining a sober living home such as one of the homes operated by Live Free Recovery and Structure Sober Living, or SSL.
Structured Sober Living Offers Total Support
If the idea of having a safety net and support system comprised of people whose sole goal is recovery and healing, then a sober living home is what you’re looking for.
Each home we operate at Live Free SSL follows a 12 step program with extra focus on equipping you with an arsenal of tools and healthy coping mechanisms that turn concerning cravings into miniscule speedbumps that you overcome without thinking twice.
Group and solo therapy sessions, classes on understanding addiction and where it stems from, fun sports and team activities to keep everyone in good spirits and most importantly, a system of referrals to mental health professionals that can be accessed as needed down the road.
No matter what your story is, we want to hear it and help it have a happy ending. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Live Free SSL today and see just how seamless the process of sober living can be.