Rehab was probably one of the most difficult times of your life, but getting out of treatment is when the real work begins. Inpatient treatment removes you from the world—the bad influences, the drugs themselves, and the triggers that prompt you to use, are not in your orbit, and you can really focus on the business of getting clean. But, now you are going back to ‘reality’ where you have to navigate it in a way you may not have for years—as a drug-free person. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
Take Things One Choice at a Time
You hear a lot about taking things one day at a time while in recovery, and while it is certainly a cliché, it is for a good reason. It is absolutely true. When we look too far down the road, staying clean can seem like a daunting task. The idea of never using drugs ever again for decades to come can seem like a tall order when your life may have revolved around them for so long.
But, you might want to even take things a step further and just focus on one choice at a time. Just focus on making that healthier decision and nothing else. You may not always choose well, and that’s okay. Just vow to keep trying. You’ll get plenty of more opportunities to practice!
After-Care
Once you leave your treatment program, you will likely need to continue to get support in some way. Just totally stepping back into your life and navigating it completely on your own is often too much to handle, and understandably so. That may involve individual and family counseling, support groups such as 12-steps and meeting with your sponsor. Another option is attending an outpatient facility, where you can continue a similar line of treatment as in-patient, but while still living your day-to-day life. The exact nature of outpatient treatment depends on many individual factors, such as the severity of your addiction, whether you have a dual diagnosis and your personal schedule.
Most drug treatment centers offer an outpatient program, as do many hospitals. If you are looking for outpatient rehab Orange County, for example, you will have many at your disposal. The more centers available to you, the more important it is you do your homework in choosing one as there are many differences amongst them, namely price.
Don’t Try to Do Too Much Too Soon
Now that you are trying to make this fresh start, you may feel compelled to make lots of major changes. You hear about the importance of keeping yourself busy. While it is certainly a good thing to consider what you could do differently in your life to support your sobriety, and keeping occupied to reduce temptation and too much ‘thinking’ time, it is important you don’t take all of this too far. Being able to sit with your discomfort, and examine it, is a crucial part of staying sober, and figuring out what you need to do, what you want and who you want to be. By always pushing it away, or always being engaged in some sort of change, there will likely be some denying and pushing down. And when this happens, the negative feelings fester and grow, and will come back more powerful than ever.
