Many believe that successful treatment begins with the end in mind. Because while you can do a great deal of important work inside of rehab, there will be challenges that you cannot even imagine once you leave treatment. Getting sober is hard. Staying sober is even more challenging, and that’s why addiction aftercare is essential. Think of addiction aftercare as the roadmap for your new life in recovery. Staying sober forces you to change so many things in your life, and you will need support as you navigate new ways of approaching life. At Thrive Treatment, we understand that attending treatment and getting sober is just the beginning of the journey. Staying sober will require that you apply all of the things you’ve learned in treatment, and aftercare is a way to support you as you do this.
What Is Addiction Aftercare?
Addiction aftercare is the collection of activities that you will participate in to maintain the sobriety you find in rehab. When you go to rehab, you get sober and begin to learn how to live a sober life. Addiction aftercare is where you continue to build those skills and learn new ones as you face challenges in your new life. Early sobriety is a time that is filled with landmines. Relationships with others, stressful situations, and more will put your newfound sobriety to the test, and there is no reason for your to face these challenges alone. Aftercare activities might include group therapy, peer support recovery groups, individual counseling, or a combination of all. You may start with a higher level of support and then wean down as you gain more practice in living a life in recovery.
Why Addiction Aftercare Is an Important Part of the Recovery Process
Getting sober can be compared to learning how to walk. Once you know how to walk, you still have to watch where you are walking, maintain an awareness of your surroundings, and navigate away from hazards. You decide which path to walk on, which direction to go, and what shoes to wear. When you get sober, you have to learn how to live sober outside of the safety of rehab. You have to learn how to recognize the triggers or hazards in your life. You also have to learn what to do once you have identified them.
Early recovery involves a lot of decision-making, and participating in aftercare can provide you with a space to talk through those decisions. You will decide who you will include in your life, where you will work, and where you will live. Life is a series of small choices and, over time, you will learn how to make the choices that best support your long-term recovery. While you are learning how to do this, the best choice you can make is to participate in addiction aftercare. There is nothing quite like talking to others on their own sobriety journey as you work through the days of early sobriety and beyond.
How Thrive Treatment Can Support Addiction Aftercare
At Thrive Treatment, we know that the work to stay sober never really ends. So we blend modern and traditional practices to help your teen. We utilize relational and behavioral therapies along with holistic, medical, and psychiatric interventions.
Located in beautiful Santa Monica, we will develop an individualized plan to help your teen during inpatient treatment and beyond. We’re also here to support you in understanding the treatment and your role in the process as you keep your teen. So contact us today and let us help you and your teen faces their addiction and build a life in long-term recovery.
