There is an unfortunate misunderstanding about addiction and alcoholism that is prevalent in modern society. The misconception a person’s decisions revolving around drugs and alcohol are derived from the substances themselves, and that 30, 60, or 90 days at rehab can help abate this issue, even solving it completely. Fortunately or unfortunately, rehab is just the beginning.
Rehab is just the beginning
Let me be clear, rehab can be an incredibly integral and beneficial part of the recovery process for almost anybody. The issue lies with the assumption many people make where it is the only thing they need in order to overcome alcoholism or drug addiction. Really, rehab is just the beginning.
Whether someone has been abusing drugs for a short period of time or over the course of decades, more often than not they need to be brought back down to earth. Whether that requires medical supervision, readily available emotional support or both, that is what primary treatment, or rehab, provides them with. For the first 30, 60, or 90 days of sobriety, it’s important. If an individual has been using drugs consistently for any period of time, they have become physically dependent on the drug and need a safe place to wane from them. Oftentimes they are in the same facility or program and they are just the place for this.
Sober Living and Aftercare is Important
But what happens after that? An adult or even an adolescent cannot have their hand held indefinitely, as they need to learn new life skills. They need to be taught a way of living that will help guide them through their new lifestyle free from the grips of drugs and alcohol. This is where sober living and aftercare come into play. Where rehab helped wane the individual back into reality, sober living and aftercare help wane them back into society.
Aftercare is significantly different from rehab in the respect that much more freedom of choice in the decision making process is given back to the individual, yet for good reason. An individual needs a healthy and supportive environment with peers and accountability in order to make those kinds of healthy decisions. Sober living and aftercare facilitate just that.
Find Sober Living and Aftercare with Rehab
That being said, it is important to find a sober living and aftercare facility at the same time when you are devising a treatment plan for yourself or a loved one. Even calling a sober living first can be effective as they more often than not will have specific rehab facilities they work with directly.
Remember that getting free from drugs and alcohol is a process and that the expectation that a short-term program can help the issue entirely should be smashed. For the best chance of success, long-term treatment has proven time and time again to be the most effective route. The introduction to a sober lifestyle and detoxification from drugs is meaningless if they are not coupled with an structured and long-term environment to help expand upon them.
Last Updated on May 24, 2022
