Sometimes as we’re approaching the recovery process, we’re tempted to think that a short stay in rehab will be all we need in order to achieve a full recovery. We’ve been struggling for so long, we want a quick fix and an escape from all of our mental and emotional pain. We want to feel some relief, and we feel a sense of urgency about it. What we sometimes fail to realize is that true recovery lasts the rest of our lives and that we’ll need to continue to do the work long after we complete an addiction recovery program. There are many benefits to receiving long-term treatment, and it can help us to know what some of those benefits are as we’re deciding what kind of treatment to undergo.
With long-term treatment, we’re receiving specialized care, access to important resources, and professional guidance that accompanies us on our journey and helps us to stay on track with our sobriety goals. For many of us, finishing rehab is just the beginning, and we often find that we need continued support long after we first achieve sobriety. We need to remain vigilant with all the things that might trigger us to relapse. We need to find healthy coping skills for our depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, as well as for our addictive urges and temptations. We need to learn how to stay on top of our mental, emotional and physical health, and how to prioritize self-care. We need help learning how to handle the challenging relationships we have a hard time coping with. We need support as we uncover the deep wounds and traumas that have been impacting us for much of our lives. The work we do in recovery is complex, and it takes time. We can’t expect to be fully healed overnight, and the more we take advantage of long-term treatment options, the better our chances of lasting success.
When we choose long-term treatment, we’re given the powerful opportunity to learn more about ourselves and all the unhealthy ways in which we’ve been coping with our issues over the years. We learn about our self-harming patterns and the subconscious programming that makes us self-destructive in the first place. We’re only scratching the surface of these issues when we first begin therapy while in treatment. With continued care, we develop more profound relationships with our therapists and other caregivers. We’re able to open up to them and develop more trust, enabling us to be more honest and vulnerable which allows for true healing. We’re able to receive further guidance, motivation, and encouragement. As a result, we feel less alone and less isolated. We feel more inspired and hopeful as we do the work to recover. We’re surrounded by a community that supports and nurtures us as undertake our recovery journey.
Your new life starts today. Let Riverside Recovery be your support system as you do the work to heal. Call (800) 871-5440 for more information on our addiction recovery treatment programs.