When you finish alcohol detox and treatment, you will return to your life. While it’s exciting to have completed treatment, if you feel a sense of dread or uncertainty, you are not alone. Finishing treatment is an enormous step, and you should be proud of your accomplishment. Ideally, you obtained a plan for your next steps during your time in treatment. This plan should give you the confidence to solve problems, build a support system, and continue healing. Treatment for alcohol addiction at Buena Vista Recovery includes giving you a solid plan for when you head back home.
Alcohol Detox and Treatment
Alcoholism is a serious disease that requires alcohol detox and treatment. Treatment at Buena Vista Recovery often includes medically monitored detox and therapy. However, your treatment is designed to be unique to suit your needs both during treatment and afterward. Your alcohol detox and treatment will help you to heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It will also prepare you for your future after completing treatment.
Life After Alcohol Detox and Treatment
Your life after alcohol treatment will be significantly different than before. These differences help to support the changes that you have started to make in treatment. If you wonder what this next chapter is going to look like, that is completely normal. Having uncertainty when considering the unknown is a common and understandable feeling.
Your life both before and after treatment is unique to you. Because of that, you’ll need your own assortment of unique ways to reduce your relapse risk and support your sobriety. However, there are some simple and effective methods to help you take the first steps when you return home from treatment. These include building a support network, considering and managing your relapse risk, and having a plan that can give you direction when you feel uncertain.
Getting Support
Before treatment, you likely had a community. However, not all of your prior community will support your decision to get help. If you have individuals in your old community who are not supportive, that is not your fault and it is normal. After you leave treatment, you will need to make adjustments to your current support network. This might include creating boundaries for some old friends and making new connections that help you feel supported.
Having support when you are recently out of treatment is important. There are many ups and downs when you are rebuilding your life. When you have a strong support network, you will have others who you can lean on for help. A good support system after treatment will vary and might include peer support, loved ones, and mental health care professionals. Regardless of the type of support, having those who you connect with and who can help you when you are in need is important.
Managing Relapse Risk
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder. Therefore managing relapse risk is essential. When you are newly out of treatment and taking the first steps without the support of treatment, managing your risk of relapse is particularly important. By managing your relapse risk early on, you’ll be practicing skills that you can use throughout your recovery. Additionally, you’ll help yourself get past the challenges of reintegrating into your life after treatment.
You may wonder what it means to manage your relapse risk. While every individual will have unique factors involved in managing their risk of relapse, according to research, things to consider include the following:
- Confidence in your abilities
- Mental health status
- Coping skills
- Motivation
- Positive social support
Directly after treatment, managing your risk of relapse might include continuing therapy or other forms of education and support. While it can feel like alcohol treatment was the end of the road, it isn’t. It is the beginning of a new road for you, and having support to maintain your sobriety is helpful.
Having a Plan
While in alcohol treatment, you live in a highly structured environment where your days are planned according to your overall recovery plan. As a result, finishing treatment and stepping back into your life can feel both freeing and uncertain. Fortunately, it does not have to be the end of the road in terms of having structure. During treatment, you can make a plan that helps you feel confident in taking your first steps away from a treatment center.
Making a plan for your return home is often a task completed in treatment. While you are in treatment, it might seem unimportant. However, when you are returning home, it quickly becomes very relevant.
The plan that you create does not have to be in any specific format. Ideally, it will be created around your preference for what you believe will be most helpful for you. However, your plan will likely include types of support that can help you during this uncertain time. Additionally, it will include plans for what to do when you are triggered, stressed, or faced with certain challenges. Remember, the plan doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to provide you with some structure to feel confident taking the first steps after treatment.
When you leave treatment, it is normal to feel uncertain about what is next. However, this is a critical period for your recovery which can help you build a foundation for what your life will look like without alcohol and other substances. At Buena Vista Recovery, we believe that treatment is the best place for you to learn foundational skills. We help you make a plan that helps you to feel confident when you return to your life at home. We understand that every person is different and you need to be an active participant in creating a plan that suits you. To learn more about our programs and how we can help, call us today at (480) 741-9414.
