Sometimes as we’re finishing up treatment, we can become convinced that we’ll be able to stay sober easily because of how successful we’ve been with our sobriety so far. We feel confident and self-assured. We have faith in ourselves and our recovery. Unfortunately, sometimes our excitement can cause us to feel a premature sense of conviction that sobriety will be easy for us, and as a result, we fail to prepare ourselves adequately for all the challenges that may arise. We want to take all of our hope and optimism and meet them with the resources, programming and intensive help we’ll need as we’re recovering. This is where after-care support comes in.
Many recovery facilities offer outpatient and partial programs, sober living options, and other intensive treatment programs to help us stay on track with our recovery. After finishing an inpatient treatment program, many of us find that we still need access to the different forms of support we’ve been receiving, both medical and therapeutic. With after-care services, we have access to doctors, therapists, recovery coaches, and other wellness staff, and oftentimes we can work with the same individual providers we’ve already been working with, providing us with a helpful and productive continuity of care. This enables us to build trusting, open, lasting relationships with the people who can best help us, to get more work done with them, and to make more progress in our recovery.
Another helpful component of after-care services is the idea of building supportive community resources for ourselves, including sober living houses and support groups, both of which help us develop important life skills and coping strategies for the next stages of our recovery process. When we’re in an inpatient treatment program, we have the advantage of being in a sober facility that is monitored and supervised. As soon as we leave, we can be left feeling vulnerable and defenseless, now having to contend with our newfound sobriety all on our own. Having the community and connection of sober living houses and support groups can make all the difference. When we can share our journeys with others also in recovery, we create mutually beneficial relationships built on expanding our knowledge, increasing our resilience in our sobriety, and providing each other with support to help each other get through tough times. We can help each other to stay hopeful and positive. We can learn from each other’s lived experiences and life lessons. This element of community is an especially important part of the after-care support we need as we’re continuing onward in our recovery.
If you or your loved one is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Reach out for support. The community of Riverside Recovery has personal experience with addiction and recovery, and we’re here to help you reclaim the life you love. Call (800) 871-5440 today.