Making the decision to go to rehab is one that can reshape your future for the better. That being said, the path ahead can come with its fair share of challenges. Rehabilitation means returning to life as you know it, and you will need to plan things out in order to move forward successfully. If you want to get a fresh start and hit the ground running, here are some tips on how to navigate life after rehab.
Make it a priority to continue treatment.
Spending time at a rehabilitation center can help you jumpstart your sobriety, but it’s not enough on its own. Instead, it serves as the solid foundation that you need before you continue the recovery process in a more independent fashion. Make sure that you work with a local rehab facility (for example, if you live in LA, look for the rehab center of Beverly Hills) that is capable of offering support for substance abuse disorders, support for coexisting mental health disorders (like anxiety or depression), and can give you ongoing counseling as you navigate sobriety. Having the right rehab center and treatment plan on your side can go a long way in supporting your addiction recovery efforts.
Create short-term and long-term goals.
The impact that substance abuse or alcoholism can have on someone’s life is massive. Some people may have lost a lot over the years, whether in terms of finances or interpersonal relationships. Fortunately, your life can be rebuilt. Make sure to establish a long-term plan that helps you move ahead and focuses on areas like your friendships (finding sober, supportive friends), reestablishing ties with your family, landing a job and becoming financially stable, finding a place of your own, and reconnecting with what you’ve wanted to truly do with your life before substances became involved. This may mean spending some time with job ads, getting to know people in your new neighborhood, or finding a therapist with who you feel comfortable.
To better illustrate this point, let’s imagine that you’ve left rehab and you’ll be staying with a family member. Your immediate next steps may be to find look up “storage near me” where you can store your belongings until you find a new place for yourself, start developing a resume and perusing job ads so that you can land a job as soon as possible, and taking a look at any areas of your life that may need mending so that you can move forward more successfully. Finding a storage unit can be a way to have some peace of mind since you know that your belongings are in the right place with security features and humidity control. You won’t have to feel pressured to find a new place quickly if you have your valuable in a storage unit instead of stashed in boxes in a friend’s or family member’s basement. While it can certainly be tough, it’s more than worth it as you watch your progress in life.
Find ways to cope with the stressors of daily life.
The difficulty of going through the recovery process can lead many to relapse along the way. Remember, relapsing is often a part of recovery, but the goal is to ensure that you can maintain your sobriety. Along with developing plans around your day-to-day life, create a plan that’ll help you cope with some of the challenges you may face. This personal resource may include items like your common triggers and identifying when you may be at risk for a relapse, coping mechanisms that’ll help you overcome stress and urges, and reminders about daily exercises and lifestyle choices you should make to avoid using. The more ingrained this knowledge becomes, the easier it’ll be to ensure you avoid any substances that could threaten your recovery.
No matter what, having the strength and resolve to seek out help and go to rehab should be commended. However, while this is a great first step, there are plenty more steps after this that’ll need to be taken. If you’ve just come out of rehab and want to know what to do next, the tips above will provide you with some of the next areas to focus on as you navigate your new life and the sobriety that you’ve earned.
