The Importance of Aftercare in Addiction Treatment
You have completed an inpatient treatment program and now you’re cured! Unfortunately, that is not the case. There is no known cure for addiction however there is treatment and rehab is only part of that treatment.
Statistics and common sense dictate that the longer someone receives treatment, the better their success rate at achieving and maintaining sobriety. This is where the importance of aftercare in addiction treatment comes into the picture.
What is Meant by Inpatient Rehab?
Inpatient rehab, or residential, refers to the stage of addiction treatment that involves staying in a facility and receiving intensive therapy. Inpatient treatment is the first step of addiction treatment and usually lasts for about 30 days.
What is Meant by Aftercare in Addiction Treatment?
Aftercare refers to further interventions and treatment that follow rehab. It is additional support that is given following completion from the residential part of the program. Aftercare in addiction treatment can take many forms and can be any combination of these forms of support that involve teaching new skills and coping strategies.
The Importance of Aftercare in Addiction Treatment
The importance of aftercare in addiction treatment becomes clear in its results: people who receive some type of aftercare are less likely to relapse and more likely to live longer. Aftercare in addiction treatment can help you to stay motivated and provide support when your journey gets a little bumpy. You will acquire knowledge and skills from the treatment facility but, the most important learning takes place during normal everyday living. Aftercare in addiction treatment will support you in finding new solutions as new problems in recovery arise. In this way, the importance of aftercare treatment becomes evident: you will bank new and effective coping strategies in the time you spend out of inpatient but while getting aftercare support.
Relapse and the Importance of Aftercare in Addiction Treatment
Unfortunately, relapse affects a great many in recovery. Relapse is not inevitable, though. It is known that people who have a strong aftercare treatment plan are more aware of their relapse triggers and so they are more likely to spot the warning signs that they are heading for a relapse. The importance of aftercare in addiction treatment when it comes to relapse patterns is that these preventive measures are the most effective at stopping a relapse in its tracks.
Types of Aftercare
Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP)
IOP is the perfect supplement to inpatient rehab because you get to attend individual and group therapy during the day and then have the afternoon and evening for getting back to work or enjoying hobbies or having simple down time. IOP is a good idea because you can continue therapy and the progress you were making while in rehab instead of abruptly stopping after completing treatment.
Halfway House/Sober Living Community
After completing an inpatient program, it is an extremely good idea to live in a halfway house or sober living community before returning home or getting your own place. Halfway houses, sober houses, and sober living communities provide a supportive environment where you live among other people who are staying sober and working towards their recovery. It’s a good stepping stone to rejoining society at-large: there is less structure than rehab but more structure than living alone.
12 Step Meetings and Other Support Groups
There are 12 Step fellowships and Non-Twelve Step groups who hold meetings as a form of a recovery-based support group where members can attend at no cost and share in their experiences with others like them. Members find empathy, encouragement, and even networking at these meetings.
Booster sessions
Former patients of a rehabilitation program are sometimes offered what is called “booster sessions” depending on the facility and its policies. Booster sessions are a way for recently graduated patients to continue to receive counseling once they have completed the program.
Private Counseling
Continuing previous or beginning new counseling and therapy with a private therapist is another form of aftercare. Counseling address issues relating to recovery and addiction as well as to a dual diagnosis such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. A great many addicts also have a co-occurring mental illness.
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