Life After Rehab

What Happens After You Get Out of Rehab?

Depending on the substance abuse treatment center you attend, they may connect you with step-down levels of care and other addiction recovery resources.

These resources may include support groups, like local Alcoholics Anonymous chapters or their alumni program.

Staff at your treatment center can help you find less intensive treatment options for your next recovery phase, such as outpatient counseling or evidence-based therapy (like cognitive-behavioral therapy). The ideal continuing care will give you the tools to embrace long-term recovery.

Continuing Care Options

In resuming your life after addiction treatment, connect with support systems or treatment programs geared toward people in early addiction recovery.

These follow-up continuing care options allow you to live independently in recovery while still accessing the support you need to avoid alcohol or drug abuse.

Sober Living Homes

Sober living homes, or sober homes, are residential houses where people in early substance abuse recovery reside.

These homes typically require that residents be enrolled in a treatment plan, usually a form of outpatient treatment, such as a 12-step program or individual therapy sessions.

In outpatient care, people in recovery can seek support from other recovering addicts, find vocational support such as employment or educational assistance, and begin to explore life after rehab.

Transitional Living Homes

Transitional living homes—also known as halfway houses—are often funded by the state or federal government and address several personal and healthcare issues that adolescents and young adults face.

Some ways transitional living homes help is by providing support for: 

• Substance use disorder treatment
• People facing homelessness
• Educational assistance
• Parenting skills classes
• Life skills courses
• Employment assistance
• Individual, group, and family therapy
• Interpersonal skill-building
• Aftercare services

Transitional homes may offer both professional and peer support for people who do not have access to a strong support system to begin their recovery journey.

12-Step Support Groups

One of the oldest and arguably most effective addiction treatment methods is the 12-step method, founded and championed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Since its founding, AA has branched out and founded groups that address other substance use disorders, such as Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and others.

Originally founded on principles of the Christian faith, these 12-step groups have altered over time and now only require that participants submit to a higher power as they know it.

Alcoholics Anonymous and similar support groups ask people in recovery to admit powerlessness over alcohol or drug abuse and call on the higher power to help conquer it.

Individual Therapy and Counseling

Therapy for alcohol addiction or drug use can help a person address the behaviors and thoughts that lead to substance abuse.

Over time, counseling can help a person identify life events or situations that may have prompted substance use, connect them with healing resources, and teach them critical coping skills.

The main goal of counseling in addiction recovery is to help a person maintain their recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. The secondary goal is to help them heal from the damage addiction has wrought on their life.

Sober Networks

Building a support system of sober friends is crucial to your new life in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse.

There are many ways to do this, but the end goal is the same no matter which avenue you choose: having a close group of friends/family with you on your recovery journey.

Some ways you may make new sober friends may include: 

• Attending 12-step group meetings
• Connecting with a sober group of friends at your local church or place of worship
• Keeping in touch with friends you made at the addiction treatment facility
• Trying new hobbies that are alcohol- and drug-free, like a spin club, hiking, or bowling
• Reaching out to others in recovery via a recovery mobile app
• Calling on your treatment center’s rehab alumni services, which may connect you with all the people in recovery who attended your treatment center

Why Is Continuing Care Important for Addiction Recovery?

Recovery from alcohol or drug use is a lifelong process — it doesn’t stop after you leave rehab. That’s why seeking aftercare is so important: it gives you the tools you need to succeed in recovery.

You wouldn’t expect someone with a chronic illness such as an autoimmune disease or diabetes to never seek treatment for their illness after initial treatment. And people with addiction, a chronic health condition, shouldn’t be expected to enter long-term recovery without help.

This is where continuing care comes in.

Step-down levels of care for substance abuse help you seek lasting recovery through:

• Managing your cravings and drug or alcohol use triggers
• Teaching you coping skills
• Helping you build a healthy lifestyle that promotes sobriety
• Connecting you with sober peers who are also on their recovery journey

4 Helpful Tips for a Successful Sober Life

Here are some practical tips to maintain a substance-free lifestyle that will promote your well-being during recovery.

1. Learn Your Triggers

Drug use triggers (i.e., events, people, or situations) that prompt you to use drugs or alcohol are unique to each person.

The best rehab programs will help you identify your triggers during therapy sessions and work out ways to confront and address them.

Keeping up this important work is crucial to your sober life after rehab.

2. Build a Support Network

The importance of a solid support system in drug addiction recovery cannot be understated. Find people close to you, whether current family and friends or new sober friends and mentors, and call on them.

Plan sober activities, seek help when needed, and attend events with your support group. Loneliness and self-doubt are enemies of recovery.

Having people you can trust and count on is important since many people in addiction recovery are also managing mental health issues, like anxiety or depression, which can make sobriety challenging to maintain.

Your support system can provide listening ears, offer a distraction, be your champion, and provide the behavioral health support you need.

3. Plan for Relapse In Advance

Relapse (a return to substance use) is sometimes part of addiction recovery. Addiction healthcare experts recommend teaching people in early recovery to recognize the signs of relapse as they are happening and have a plan for how to manage it.

Many drug rehab centers make relapse prevention training part of their treatment plans, so you may already have some knowledge of how to identify a relapse before it happens.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” – Benjamin Franklin

This is where your support network comes into play. You can call on your inner circle for help when you know a relapse is oncoming.

Some general signs of relapse to watch for include: 

• Feeling nostalgic about past alcohol or drug use
• Believing you may be able to ‘control’ substance abuse if you return to it
• Experiencing negative behavior changes
• Isolating yourself
• No longer taking part in hobbies or activities
• Spending time with people who actively do drugs or drink alcohol
• Feeling the recovery process doesn’t work
• Avoiding support group meetings

4. Put Your Recovery First

Perhaps the most important component of recovery is self-care, and one major aspect of this is putting your recovery first at all costs.

Prioritizing recovery can be tougher to do in practice, as it may require you to let go of jobs, friends, activities, or even family members who prompt drug use or don’t support recovery.

However, holding fast to a drug-free life after rehab means keeping your recovery as your life’s highest priority. Ultimately, you and those who love you will be glad you did.

Addiction Recovery Resources for You or Your Loved One

There is life after addiction rehab, and it often starts with seeking professional help.

You can contact your treatment center’s alumni group, find a 12-step program support group online, connect with recovery peers through mobile apps, and seek ongoing counseling.

Finally, your primary doctor or healthcare provider may be able to refer you to addiction treatment and post-treatment recovery programs that are best suited to your individual needs.

You can also check out the SAMHSA online treatment locator or call them at 1-800-662-4357.