What to do after rehab is an important question to ask. What you do after rehab has a direct effect on your success staying sober. It’s easy to fall back into old habits and relapse. Here are some tips and strategies you can use to continue your recovery and stay sober.
Follow a plan
Most rehabs create a discharge plan for patients. The plan includes resources like: support groups, health care facilities and information on addiction recovery. It’s extremely important to have a plan and stick to it. Relapses are common, and it’s been proven having a plan gives you a better chance at staying sober!
Consider the living situation
Does the patient’s living situation make it easy for them to remain sober? Does the patient live with people who use drugs and or alcohol? Is the patient strong enough to remain sober around people who aren’t? All these are good questions to ask when considering your living situation. Most rehabs recommend living in a structured living environment, like a sober living, after completing rehab. Sober livings are a great place to transition from rehab.
Expand sober social network
Get more sober friends. It is likely the patient’s friends have played a role in their addiction problem. Creating new relationships with people that are in recovery is crucial for long-term sobriety.
Join a support group like AA
AA or Alcoholics Anonymous is the most well-known support group, but there are thousands of types of support groups for just about anything you can think of. Joining a support group helps by giving the addict support when they need it most.
Stay on a schedule
During rehab patients get the chance to establish healthy habits like waking up early and sticking to a schedule. Don’t waste these healthy habits and fall back into bad habits. Sticking to a schedule helps you make sure you are doing everything necessary to remain healthy. Relapses often happen when people have nothing else planned. Don’t fall into this trap. Stick to a schedule!
Work on bettering your mental health
Addictions often co-occur with other mental health issues. During rehab you attend group and one-on-one therapy sessions that help you understand the mental health side of addiction treatment. Understanding how your mental health plays a role in your sobriety is important. After rehab it’s important to continue working on your mental health. You can attend therapy sessions, read books, practice cognitive behavioral therapy and many other things to better your mental health.
Exercise
Exercising regularly leads to a better life. People in recovery see tremendous results when implementing a exercise routine in their post-rehab life. Exercising makes you feel better about yourself and gives you confidence. Feeling better about yourself combined with more confidence helps you remain sober and healthy.
Help others
Helping others is a great way to feel better about everything. If you’re feeling down helping someone out often makes you feel better. Addiction is scary and there are a lot of people who need help. Don’t be afraid to volunteer and reach out to someone in need.
Be Careful of Friends from Rehab
You can meet good friends and bad friends in rehab. Be careful when choosing friends in rehab. Just like your friends before rehab who helped shape the person you are, the friends you pick up in rehab will help shape the person you will become.
Look out for signs of relapsing
Relapses don’t just happen out of the blue. There are usually warning signs. It’s important to understand these signs/triggers that cause you to relapse so that you can avoid them or get the support you need before it’s too late.