The moment you finish an addiction treatment program is a moment to celebrate. You’ve completed a major accomplishment that reflects your discipline, determination, and desire to live a sober lifestyle. But treatment is only the beginning. Recovery from drugs or alcohol doesn’t end when you complete rehab. In fact, recovery is a lifetime commitment.
In the months and years ahead, you’ll need to incorporate everything you’ve learned while you were in treatment into your everyday life. That isn’t always easy to do. Life outside the rehab center is stressful. Beginning again can be tough. Leaving the comfort of your treatment facility is often scary. Stress, discomfort, and fear can lead to relapse, disrupting all the progress you’ve made thus far.
Luckily, at Genesis Recovery, we offer programs to help make this process of re-entry easier. Two such programs, relapse prevention and aftercare can help ease your transition from the treatment facility into the “real world.” In doing so, they help you maintain sobriety and stay on the path of life-long recovery.
What is Relapse Prevention & Aftercare?
We offer relapse prevention education throughout the treatment experience, as well as aftercare programs once clients complete treatment. While aftercare is a general term that describes any on-going or follow-up treatment that begins after addiction treatment, we utilize a customized aftercare program based on each client’s plan of care.
Best Practices for Relapse Prevention
More than 85% of people with substance abuse problems who stop using drugs use them again within a year. 40 to 60% of recovering addicts relapse. You can help yourself avoid relapse by consistently doing the following:
- Joining a support group
- Mindfulness and meditation
- 5-4-3-2-1 coping technique to ease anxiety
- Creating an emergency contact list. This list is really useful when you’re feeling low and have cravings.
- Scheduling self-care into your daily routine
- Using the H.A.L.T. technique. Whenever you feel a craving, ask yourself if you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.
Relapse Prevention and Aftercare at Genesis Recovery
Relapse prevention is part of both our aftercare program and the substance abuse education clients receive during treatment. This education teaches you everything you need to know about relapse, including common risks and triggers. You’ll learn about the three stages of relapse (emotional, mental, and physical), how to recognize each stage, and ultimately, how to reduce the risk of relapse altogether.
Here’s why relapse prevention and aftercare programs are so important for maintaining recovery:
Relapse Prevention Helps You Develop Habits to Better Manage Stress
You might find it hard to adjust to life after you complete a rehab program. You’ll need to find a job or return to the one you had. You’ll need to establish some level of financial security while maintaining your sobriety. You might also have to find a place to live or get accustomed to living with family again after a period of time apart. Managing all these changes can be very stressful, and high levels of stress can have a negative effect on your recovery journey. In fact, a 2018 study showed that stressful life events can decrease your chances of recovery success. Relapse prevention teaches you healthy ways to deal with stressful events like:
- Death
- Illness or injury
- Moving into a new household
- Being fired or laid off
- Unemployment
- Work-related problems
- Divorce or separation
- Financial crisis
Relapse Prevention Gives You Greater Awareness of Hidden Triggers
Relapse prevention also makes you aware of hidden triggers. The cognitive-behavioral therapy you participated in during treatment provides you with healthy coping skills, but relapse prevention education helps you determine when you’ll need to use those techniques. Some unexpected triggers for addiction relapse include:
- Sex and romantic relationships
- Going on vacation
- A new job or promotion (or demotion or lost job)
- Movies, television shows, and the news
Relapse prevention helps shine a light on these triggers to prepare you for them. Aftercare supports your recovery when you’re faced with them.
Relapse Prevention and Aftercare Connect You with Healthy People & Places
Leaving the safety of rehab can be scary. You’re leaving a place that understands you and reentering a world that may not. The world is full of triggers that can make recovery difficult at times. But relapse prevention and aftercare connect you with like-minded friends that share your goal of long-term recovery. This type of support is vital to long-term recovery. Friends you meet in recovery know and understand common triggers and can be your accountability partners. Aftercare supports you by connecting, inviting, and encouraging you to attend sober activities and events.
Aftercare Provides Resources to Keep You Motivated
Aftercare provides you with resources to keep you motivated. Recovering from addiction is amazing, but re-entry can be challenging. You might have trouble finding a job or a place to live. You might need help getting back to school. As a result, you may want or need people to check on you every once in a while. Aftercare covers each of those concerns. It provides:
- Information about local support groups like 12-step programs
- Vocational and job placement assistance
- Legal assistance
- Ongoing monitoring of any mental or physical health problems you may have
- Educational assistance
- Help to find safe, affordable, and sober housing
- Therapy, if needed
Without these resources, you might feel helpless and alone, which can make you more likely to relapse. So take advantage of our aftercare program, which provides you with the care and help you need to continue becoming the best version of yourself.
Supporting You Today and Tomorrow
Here at Genesis Recovery, we believe that every person can and should have a full and abundant life. Treatment is the first step to helping you live that kind of life. Our team of experts is ready and willing to help you rebuild your life. We know that you’ll need support for today and tomorrow. That’s why we offer each of our clients relapse prevention and aftercare services.
Addiction doesn’t have to control your life. Relapse doesn’t have to be a part of your future. Let us help equip you to live the life you’ve always wanted. Call us today at 619-797-7319 if you or a loved one are living with addiction or are looking for relapse prevention or aftercare support.
