Recovery is a ceaseless process that never ends, whether you are fighting alcohol or substance abuse. Getting to a place where you accept that you have a problem takes time, and so does getting over it. What most addicts don’t know is that completing rehab is the first step to overcoming your addiction.
This means that once you get help getting the alcohol or drugs out of your system, you now have to learn how to keep them out. This is known as aftercare, a part of the rehab process a lot of people neglect. However, there’s some stuff you can do to help you stay sober after rehab.
Find a solid support system
An integral part of any successful aftercare program is creating a solid support system. Most addictions often form through the influence of others. This means if you surround yourself with sober people, you are less likely to relapse. Additionally, being around sober people can be a powerful motivator to want to stay clean. Local support groups are a good place to start and can even help bring hesitant family members around to help you create this support system.
Change your environment
Just like people, environments can trigger or lead to addiction. Your environment contains lots of triggers and reminders that might cause you to relapse and lose your alcohol sobriety. In this instance, your environment doesn’t only refer to where you live but also to the people you live with. That’s why you are advised on top of eliminating all drug paraphernalia, work on repairing your immediate environment to prevent you from relapsing.
Keep your follow-up appointments
After leaving rehab, your doctor might schedule follow-up appointments to see how your recovery is going. Make sure you stick to them, even when you feel like skipping them. Despite feeling that you are all better and that you can do this on your own, it’s easier to avoid or manage temptations when receiving help from professionals.
These follow-up sessions can also help you see yourself having a life beyond your current situation, deal with family transitions, process your feelings regarding everything, handle relapse triggers, and more.
Look out for signs of relapse
Addiction is a chronic illness where about 60 percent of addicts relapse at one time or another. This doesn’t mean that treatment programs are ineffective, but that change is hard. You were used to things being a certain way for a long time, and changing that takes time and effort. That’s why recovering addicts must always be on guard if they want to remain sober.
This means identifying triggers and understanding your vulnerabilities. for instance, high-stress situations might trigger a need to indulge your addiction in an attempt to escape. Identifying and capturing these thoughts is key to preventing relapse.
Drug and alcohol treatment programs don’t last indefinitely; eventually, you will have to leave. However, the skills you pick up during these few months of treatment are meant to help you stay sober long-term. So whenever you feel yourself slipping, go back to these tips and remember that you have changed and you can maintain your sobriety.