The Importance of an Addiction Aftercare Program
Having a strong addiction aftercare program is an important part of recovery. It is what helps people in recovery to stay on track, avoid relapse and live a life of sobriety. The aftercare program is designed to keep clients connected with people who will support them in their recovery journey and help them to develop healthy, productive habits that will allow them to lead a fulfilling life. Aftercare planning can take many forms and will vary from person to person depending on what is required in their particular situation.
Generally speaking, aftercare programs will include a list of emergency contacts for support, mutual support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, family therapy sessions, individual counseling sessions, group therapy sessions and treatment appointments with clinicians. Some aftercare programs may also include sober living arrangements. Sober living homes are a great way for recovering addicts to practice their new skills in a safe, supportive environment. They usually require participants to get jobs and pay a reduced form of rent in return for comfortable housing and continuing access to addiction treatment services.
Many addiction treatment facilities have their own aftercare programs that they offer to their patients. This varies from facility to facility and can include sober living arrangements, case management, follow-up treatment and medical evaluations. Recovering addicts will be helped to create a personalized aftercare plan by their counselor or therapist. The plan will be reviewed and modified regularly as the person progresses through recovery.
Relapse is a very common problem that can happen to anyone in recovery. Oftentimes it is because of the stresses, triggers and temptations that are present in a person’s daily life. Having an effective aftercare program will help prevent relapse and keep the person in recovery.
It is also a way for recovering addicts to build self-efficacy, which helps protect them against relapse. If a person has a strong sense of self-efficacy, they are less likely to be able to use drugs or alcohol even when they feel like they should. Relapse rates are much lower for people who have a good support system in place and participate in an aftercare program.
The level of aftercare that is needed will depend on the severity of the relapse and how long it has been since the last time that the person was in recovery. Most addiction treatment programs will recommend that a person stays in their aftercare for at least one year.
The aftercare program will also include legal and financial assistance whenever possible. This is because dealing with the repercussions of active addiction can be a very overwhelming task. This is especially true if the person is not financially stable. Getting back on track with finances and managing money is a very important part of the recovery process. For this reason, the aftercare plan will generally include a budgeting and savings program as well as access to a credit union or bank. Many people find that these tools are crucial to their successful recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. addiction aftercare program