Aftercare Addiction Planning

Drug rehab is the first step on a lifetime's journey toward recovery, not the final destination. Usually one starts with drug detox, then inpatient treatment to concur the life-threatening disease of addiction. Eventually, you'll leave rehab and have to return to your normal life - including the many challenges you face as part of your daily existence. Good rehab centers don't just throw you out into the world and hope for the best. Instead, they work with you to devise a plan for how you'll manage the challenges of life after you leave rehab. This process, known as aftercare planning, is a key ingredient in the recipe for long-term sobriety success.

Aftercare Planning Basics: Why it's so important after primary addiction treatment

From the moment you check into an addiction rehab, your treatment team will begin planning for your eventual return to the real world. At many drug rehab facilities, you'll begin working on either a long-term sobriety or relapse prevention plan from the moment you begin rehab. This plan takes into account your unique set of challenges and strengths, then develops solutions for managing these challenges using the skills you've mastered in rehab. Some of the topics you may address in aftercare planning include:

• Resisting the temptation to use
• Your triggers for drug and alcohol use
• Practical strategies fro managing cravings
• Talking to loved ones about your addiction
• Answering questions about rehab, addiction, or where you've been
• How to manage negative influences and peer pressure
• What to do if you feel yourself slipping into a relapse

Ensuring Your Health: Choosing to Get Sober

Addiction wreaks havoc on your health. You may have organ problems, experience metabolic difficulties, or suffer injuries due to your prior addiction. Thus most aftercare plans directly address your long-term health. To get the most out of the planning process, be sure to ask plenty of questions, including the following:

• What health issues has my addiction predisposed me to?
• Are there any specific health challenges for which I need treatment?
• What steps do I need to take to ensure my long-term health?
• Do I need to follow up with any medical professionals? It's common for rehab facilities to refer you to a doctor specializing in addiction or to recommend consultations with various specialists.
• Are there any lifestyle strategies I can implement to reduce my risk of a relapse?
• Are there any health symptoms I should monitor for?
• Is there a specific diet, fitness, or nutritional plan that can benefit my sobriety or ensure my long-term health?

Health problems can undermine your sobriety, tempt you to start using drugs again, or make it necessary for you to use potentially addictive drugs such as painkillers. By protecting your health now, you greatly reduce your risk of relapse.

Managing Your Lifestyle and Avoiding Relapse

Between 40% and 60% of addicts eventually relapse. If you refuse to try drugs or alcohol - even once - your risk of relapse is zero. A good aftercare plan directly combats your risk of relapse by listing potential solutions for common triggers. Your plan should also take into account your unique set of circumstances. For instance, if you're in an abusive relationship, your aftercare plan will directly address how you'll leave the relationship, what you'll do if you're tempted to return, and how you'll manage the temptation to relapse if you end up staying in your relationship.

Some of the many questions you should consider asking about the lifestyle component of your aftercare plan include:

• What are my triggers for use? What can I do to avoid or minimize these triggers?
• Are there people or places that are bad for me or increase my risk of relapsing?
• How can I effectively respond to peer pressure?
• What lifestyle remedies can help me prevent a relapse? Will exercise, diet, or therapy help?
• What kind of follow-up treatment - such as therapy or a 12-step program - will I pursue after I leave rehab? Can I have a referral?
• What should I do if I relapse?
• What are my risk factors for relapse? What are some signs that I am about to relapse?

If you're not sure what your life is going to look like after drug rehab, now is the perfect time to address just that. Many recovering addicts are anxious about leaving rehab, so there's no reason to feel bad if you're among them. By addressing your anxieties early, you reduce their ability to harm you after you check out.

Addiction Aftercare Planning

Aftercare planning isn't something you do just once. This dynamic process is something you should be constantly contemplating. The best aftercare plans take into account your lived experiences - including your challenges, relapses, and slip-ups - to reduce your risk of relapsing or falling into unhealthy patterns. If something doesn't work the first time, talk to your treatment team. If something feels impossible, discuss this until you have a better strategy. And if you do relapse, use it as a learning experience. Relapsing can actually help you get closer to recovery because of the lessons you learn from your first relapse. But relapse will only help you get closer to sobriety if you're willing to discuss your relapse as part of your aftercare planning. At Northpoint, we can help you find the best extended care to make sure that you continue on your journey of recovery.