The only way to truly free a person from any kind of addiction is through medical detox and rehabilitation, this is a known fact. There are many cases, however, of successful rehabilitations that eventually led to a relapse, where the person who had initially kicked the habit went back to old bad habits once more.
This proves that it’s not enough to simply get a person to quit taking substances, there is also a need to ensure that they are equipped to stay sober for the long haul.
This is where aftercare planning comes in, to ensure that a person free from substance abuse stays that way. At West Valley Detox in Southern California, our team of medical professionals provides people with specialized resources and tools, such as aftercare planning to make the transition of recovery from beginning to end as seamless as possible.
What is Aftercare Planning?
Aftercare is an aspect of addiction treatment that comes after a person completes their
An aftercare plan is immensely important because there are far too many cases that prove, attending treatment for a few months does not cure alcohol and drug addiction. This is because there is no real or lasting cure for addiction, it is merely a chronic brain disorder that requires constant mindfulness, self-care, and urge management.
Aftercare puts a focus on what had been learned while in treatment and then plots those learnings into a workable plan to help a former patient stay on the straight and narrow of sobriety.
People need to understand that the learnings taken from rehabilitation and treatment are not automatic and will not prevent a person from going back to bad habits on the sole basis that these learnings have been absorbed. The learnings from treatment need to be implemented, and this is where a person learns what needs to be done to stay sober.
WHAT ARE THEBENEFITS OF AFTERCARE PLANNING?
As substance abuse is a chronic condition, there is a need to constantly ensure that the individual can maintain a mindset geared toward staying sober. Fortunately, the benefits of aftercare planning are slanted towards the goal of keeping the person sober, which is why it is a necessary component of recovery.
Maintaining a Sober Mindset
The world outside of a rehabilitation facility will not adjust to ensure that life will not be fraught with stress and temptations to use alcohol and substances once more. This is why recovering individuals must take steps to ensure that they are emotionally and psychologically prepared to face life outside of the support of the rehabilitation center while maintaining a mindset geared toward staying sober.
Aftercare planning is the recovering individual taking the initiative to ensure that they stay sober. This is because everything outside of the rehabilitation facility could be a trigger for a relapse. A simple stressful day could be more than a recovering individual could handle, particularly since they no longer have the benefit of daily therapy inside rehab.
Contingencies to Counter a Relapse
Part of aftercare planning is setting up a support system outside of the rehab center that could pick up where the support system inside the rehab center left off. A person in rehab is mostly able to stay away from using substances while in rehab due to two reasons, the first one being that there is constant monitoring going on inside of rehab to prevent such a thing.
The second reason is that the person in rehab receives constant support from the therapist, providing them with enough willpower to fight back the overwhelming urge to take alcohol or substances again.
Aftercare planning is about maintaining a firm determination to keep away from substances. It’s where the learned things in rehab could be put to the test to see just how effective they are in helping a person stay sober. This practice is similar to removing the training wheels of a bicycle, as the preventive measures inside of a rehab facility are not present in the outside world. This means that the person does have to rely on what they learned inside the rehab center to stay sober. This is why setting up an aftercare plan could be immensely helpful in staying sober.
What Does An Aftercare Plan Entail?
Many find life outside of rehab to be quite jarring, as the stress and pressure outside of rehab are quite real. This is one of the main reasons why recovering individuals receive therapy that helps them build a mindset and proper attitude geared towards dealing with the things that could push them back into old habits.
Once outside of the rehab facility, recovering individuals could be exposed once more to the triggers that pushed them into substance abuse in the first place. This is why there should always be a portion of the aftercare plan that is dedicated to dealing with triggers that the recovering individual might be exposed to once outside of the rehab facility.
Despite all the preparation done while in rehab, transitioning back to a normal life could be highly stressful for people. The daily stress of everyday life outside of rehab could prove to be too much for some who had just come out, and this is when the support proves to be needed the most.
As with any plan, an aftercare plan would only be as effective as the elements included in it. This is why plotting out what goes into this plan is important, as everything in it should be effective in helping a person maintain sobriety after finishing treatment.
A Treatment Plan
Most people in rehab could barely wait to finish their treatment and get back to the outside world to resume their lives. This desire, however, does not always come with the assurance that the life outside helps ensure they stay sober. The reality of it is that without continued therapy, the outside world could be so stressful and full of emotional and psychological triggers that it doesn’t take long for the recovering individual to relapse.Aftercare planning should also include components that aim to create a transition for the recovering individual by focusing on both mental health and substance abuse and the root of the problem as a whole. This has resulted in successful treatment outcomes, as nothing is missed during treatment, and a person’s mind, body, and spirit can heal effectively.
Safe Environment
Recovering individuals who had just completed rehab typically head back home to resume their lives or enter sober living homes to continue treatment in a safe environment, free from substances and distractions that can trigger them to use. The problem with this is that the environment back home might not exactly be the most conducive to a person who is trying to stay sober.This is why some therapists include the family and close friends of the recovering individual so that everyone involved understands how important it is to build a home environment that supports sobriety. All the work and breakthroughs achieved while in rehab would just go to waste if the environment the recovering individual goes home to pushes them right back into using substances.
Support Groups
No one could ever truly say to a troubled individual that they know what it’s like unless they went through the same things that the troubled individual did. This is why support groups are so effective in helping people stay on the straight and narrow path of sobriety, as these support groups are made up of people with similar issues and experiences.Support groups are particularly helpful because everyone in the group understands each other, and each member of the group could help others simply by sharing what they are dealing with and what they did to make it through the day without giving in to the persistent urges pushing them to use alcohol or drugs like ketamine, GHB or cocaine once more.
Healthy Lifestyle
It is not uncommon for people who had just finished rehab to still be wanting when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle. While in rehab, recovering individuals are taught what they needed to know about how to live a healthier lifestyle than what they had while on substances, and how a healthy lifestyle could help them in adjusting better to life outside of rehab.A healthy lifestyle could also enforce the desire to stay sober as it creates a sense of achievement in the recovering individual. This is important because most people in recovery are not exactly the best models for confidence and good self-esteem, and anything that gives them a sense of self-worth will do wonders for their morale, and as a consequence, the continued determination to keep on the path that they are on.
The aftercare plan should be designed to prepare the recovering individual for success. This success is primarily defined by the willingness and ability of the person to continue to stay sober and lead a life not marred by the emotional and psychological damage brought on by substance abuse.
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Let West Valley Detox Help You With a Continuing Care Plan for Your Sobriety
Walking the straight and narrow path of sobriety could already be immensely daunting without the additional pressure of daily life. Stress, triggers, and other factors could weather even the firmest of resolves to stay away from substances.
Thankfully, West Valley Detox is here to help you ensure that you stay true to the path, as we have done with so many others who also need help in this area. Let us see how we can help you. Contact us today.
Jaclyn G.
FAMILY
My cousin went here and detoxed. He also stayed two weeks after… [and] hasn’t touched anything since then. The clinical team did such a great job with him. I would recommend anyone to go to West Valley Detox for their addiction [recovery] needs. Thank you, team.
Paige G.
CLIENT
West Valley deserves more than 5 stars. They… made me feel comfortable before even walking in the door. I did one month at this rehab and had the most life-changing experience with them. Never have I been to a place that took such amazing, generous, kind, supportive care. I am truly grateful for what they did for me… and I would recommend this place to everyone!
Laura S.
FRIEND
My best friend… completed a 30-day treatment program [here] and it has changed her life. She has been sober for over 6 months now. Everyone was extremely attentive to all of her needs and got her back on her feet. She is thriving and doing better than ever. Thank you to everyone at West Valley Detox for all that you do.
Join the growing list of West Valley Detox alumni who have closed the door on addiction and started new chapters of their lives.
