Once you’ve made the decision to seek professional help for your drug or alcohol addiction, you’ll find that certain aspects of the recovery process are actually lifelong. For instance, if you have a co-occurring disorder such as chronic depression or chronic anxiety, you’ll need to continue managing this underlying issue on an ongoing basis. This will effectively eliminate the need to self-medicate with harmful substances, thereby allowing you to sidestep numerous triggers and endless temptations and cravings. As such, one of the most important parts of transitioning from inpatient rehab to an outpatient program is having a solid plan for keeping your health and recovery on the right track.
The good news is that this major and incredibly important step is something that rehab professionals anticipate all throughout the treatment process. Moreover, it is also something that they diligently and thoroughly prepare each and every one of their clients for. With numerous sessions in individual and group therapy, opportunities for short and extended leaves, and other forms of increased contact with the outside world, you will gradually build your resilience and strengthen throughout the treatment process, as well as your ability to leverage new and far healthier coping skills. Following are a few important things to know about moving from a closed treatment environment to one that places you right back into the outside world.
Life-Planning And Ongoing Support Are Essential
During the formative stages of the treatment process, learning more about the underlying causes of your addiction and addressing these causes will be the primary focus of care. You will spend time speaking one-on-one with a therapist to identify early-life behavioral conditioning, past events, secondary health issues, and other factors that may have caused you to drink or use drugs in the past. Co-occurring disorders such as bi-polar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder can make it difficult for patients to overcome substance use disorder if these underlying ailments are not identified and treated properly.
Group therapy sessions provide patients with opportunities to grow socially. These meetings will allow you to share your thoughts, feelings, and progress with like-minded individuals while learning critical social skills such as boundary-setting. By actively engaging with others throughout your treatment, you’ll be learning how to identify positive, healthy, and life-affirming relationships while additionally establishing lasting friendships with some of your peers. Although patients are in no way obligated to maintain post-treatment contact with one another, some go on to act as reliable support systems for one another throughout the years. Establishing healthy and meaningful relationships, whether during inpatient treatment or outside of these programs, is a vital part of establishing solid and sustainable recovery plans.
Life-planning services are also offered as part of inpatient treatment. Research has shown that people have the best chance at attaining lifelong success in recovery when they are well-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. These services address key aspects of post-treatment life including:
- Career or job planning
- The establishment of housing plans
- Identifying strategies for meeting short-term transportation needs
- Learning how to connect with and maintain relationships with case workers and other support professionals
- Assistance in finding legal resources
- Establishing a reliable outpatient support system
In some instances, outpatient treatment centers are directly affiliated with inpatient facilities. When this is the case, moving from an on-campus program to one that offers more freedom and flexibility can be a seamless and simple process. At other times, it may be necessary for inpatient rehabs to directly refer patients to outpatient providers for the next step in care. Irrespective of how your long-term treatment plan is structured, you’re sure to get all of the help and support you need at each phase of learning and growth.
Armed with improved life-planning and life-management skills, and equipped with a solid outpatient support system, you can gradually reintegrate into the outside world without disrupting or undoing your progress. Outpatient rehab services require specific levels of commitment based upon the needs and circumstances of the individual. Your inpatient counselors will help you identify the correct services and time commitments for you. When paired with sober living facilities and other options in outpatient support, this next level of care truly primes patients for leading happy, healthy, and ultimately sustainable lives. If you’re ready to start the recovery process and want to know more about your treatment options, we can help. Call us today at 833-610-1174.