A Guide to Life After Rehab

So, you are fresh out of rehab and everything is in order. You’re motivated to sustain your recovery no matter what life throws at you and you are 100% certain that you will not relapse.

Well, we do not wish to dampen your spirits, but the harsh reality is that at least 40% of people leaving rehab for the first time will relapse within six months.

This harsh but true fact should make hard reading for you if you are about to embark on your recovery journey.

Remember, anything worthwhile in life will require hard work and determination, and your recovery is no exception. Going to rehab does not offer you a guaranteed recovery. You will still need to put in the work to achieve this noble aim.

The good news is that sustaining your recovery is achievable as long as you do not take your recovery for granted.

When you attend rehab, you are literally living in a bubble. Living in a bubble is advantageous because you are shielded from temptation and bad influences. However, once you leave rehab, you will once again be subjected to these forces and you will need to draw on as much support as necessary in order to sustain your recovery.

This support often comes in the form of attending local mutual support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART Recovery. The rehab clinic you attended will also offer aftercare sessions to ensure you have access to help and support during your initial months in recovery.

The rehab clinic you attended will have also helped you develop coping mechanisms that help you through stressful events without caving in and relapsing.

It’s important to note that there does not exist any form of addiction ‘cure’. Instead, addiction may only be arrested using a variety of techniques. Integrating into a support group is perhaps the most powerful known technique to hold off relapse.

As you begin to re-integrate into normal life, you will from time-to-time experience events or emotions that serve to push you back into your old lifestyle. Also, your recovery often presents new challenges that you are unaware of and unfamiliar with.

If you are not on guard for these challenges, then your abstinence may become a thing of the past.

Challenges you may encounter after rehab

A list of typical challenges that arise following the completion of your rehab programme include:

• Bad influences: It’s likely your old using or drinking buddies will be simply unable to embrace your recovery. Your recovery will only serve to remind them that they also need to change, and many will not appreciate this reminder. If this is the case, consider making new friends, at least until these people are willing to accept their own recovery
• Relationship troubles: During the time you were addicted to substances, it’s likely you have damaged your relationships with family and friends. Entering rehab is likely to improve your relationships, particularly if you chose to go to rehab of your free accord. However, family counselling may be in order to help to fully restore relationships that have been broken at the hands of your addiction
• Stressful events, no matter how big or small they may be: Many of life’s stressors are inconsequential and minor. For instance, somebody pushes in front of the queue or somebody finishes the toilet roll without replacing it. Unsurprisingly, these minor yet stressful occurrences all add-up and thus contribute to many people’s relapse. Cognitive behavioural therapy is by far the most effective way of helping you cope with minor stressful occurrences such as these
• Finding new addictions: many people who are lucky enough to find recovery are well-known for swapping one addiction for another. For instance, if you overcame an alcohol addiction, you may find yourself gambling all your money away. Gambling is a process/behavioural addiction that commonly develops following early recovery from substance misuse. It’s equally possible that you could become addicted to nicotine or processed and sugary foods

Getting help now

To discover effective rehab clinics in your local area that will assist you both whilst you undergo your treatment and once you return to your normal life, contact Rehab 4 Alcoholism today on 0800 111 4108.

Our knowledgeable helpline advisors significantly ease the process of locating effective addiction treatment for alcoholism in your local area.

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