If you or a loved one have gone through a programme in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation centre, you know that much of the time spent in rehab focuses on preparing you for your move back home. It can be a dangerous and scary transition if you are unprepared. Although throughout your stay in rehab you’ve accomplished many things and overcome dangerous and difficult hurdles, the toughest challenges lie ahead.
Returning home will make you want to settle into familiar routines, which could be a dangerous mistake. When you consider that most relapses take place only weeks after leaving rehab, you can value the importance of making immediate changes to accommodate your new, healthier lifestyle.
Clean Up
If possible, have a friend or loved one remove all drugs, alcohol and paraphernalia from your home before you return. If this isn’t possible, recruit a sober friend or your sponsor to help you clean up as soon as you get home. There may also be other reminders or triggers of your former lifestyle in your home. Throw or give these away. Take the time to clean your house and make it comfortable and cosy. Rearrange furniture or change décor to refresh your place as much as possible.
Locate a Support Group
There are lots of sources for continued support for your life after rehab. Seek out an individual therapist you can meet with on a regular basis, find support groups with like-minded individuals, or start attending a local 12-step meeting.
Find New Friends
Immediately delete contacts of friends from your former way of life. It’s vital for those in recovery to make new, sober friends. The temptations and cues to use will drop if other sober people surround you. To maintain your sobriety, it’s also essential to identify and cut out harmful or toxic people from your life. Recovery means creating a more positive and healthy experience for yourself, and that includes choosing the people you surround yourself with.
Recovering from addiction will probably be one of the most difficult challenges you’ll ever face. It is a lifelong process and commitment and one that’s not without bumps along the road. However, by taking it one day at a time, you’ll acquire strength from every passing moment of sobriety.
If you would like to talk about creating a safe environment for yourself post-rehab in your relationships, please give me a call.
