Life After Rehab: What Happens?

Transitioning from an inpatient rehab facility to everyday life comes with many challenges. The recovery process isn’t just a one-time decision to get clean but rather a lifelong commitment, and rehab is only the first step. While there’s plenty of information out there about the different kinds of addiction treatment, our Cherry Hill rehab wanted to share more about life after rehab and how our addiction aftercare program can help. If you’re newly sober or know someone who is, then this is for you.

After successfully completing drug or alcohol treatment, it takes time to readjust to normal life. Personal and professional responsibilities can quickly pile up if you’re not prepared, so be sure to not take too much directly after leaving rehab. 

Some things to expect and be prepared for after rehab include:

• – Adjusting to life at home with loved ones
• – Adjusting to life at work 
• – Arranging meet-ups with sober friends
• – Establishing a healthy daily routine
• – Finding living arrangements
• – Keeping a distance from potential triggers, including people, places, and things
• – Learning when to ask for help
• – Looking for local support groups like 12-step meetings

Life after rehab can feel like a rollercoaster of emotions with plenty of highs and lows. As a result, only 20% of patients remain abstinent for a full year, and the relapse rate among patients who have been sober for two years is 40%.1 While this isn’t to say that relapse is inevitable or that it’ll happen to everyone, these statistics show that even a person who’s been sober for a while can still be at risk of relapse if they don’t develop a strong routine. 

What’s more, on the bright side, the longer someone is sober, the more their risk of relapse drops. For this reason, establishing a strong rehab aftercare plan immediately following rehab can set you up for success and reduce your risk of relapse.

What Is Aftercare Therapy for Addiction?

As we mentioned, achieving sobriety is a huge accomplishment, but there’s always room for support. Addiction recovery doesn’t end when treatment does, which is why addiction aftercare programs play such an important role in helping clients stay sober long-term. 

Aftercare therapy is a type of ongoing treatment service that’s provided to individuals recovering from drug or alcohol addiction after they’ve achieved initial sobriety. The individual may have undergone services such as our Cherry Hill detox and gone through the various levels of addiction treatment we offer. However, the transition from round-the-clock care provided at rehab to living at home is challenging for many people in recovery. 

This is where an addiction aftercare program comes in. This program can come in the form of inpatient care or outpatient services. It will help the individual develop the skills necessary to avoid relapse and change their lifestyle, so it’s conducive to their sobriety. 

At our drug rehab in New Jersey, we believe an aftercare rehab program offers various benefits, such as: 

• – Continued support: Addiction aftercare benefits all point to continued support. While the need for intensive treatment may wane as the individual gets healthier and more secure in their sobriety, some amount of support is helpful and sometimes necessary for helping the individual when they hit a roadblock. People in our addiction aftercare program engage in continued services such as our 12-step meetings and our individual and group therapy sessions.
• – Reduced risk of relapse: Long-term sobriety is the ultimate goal of recovery, which is why creating a relapse prevention plan after rehab is important. Much of the support offered at an addiction aftercare program focuses on relapse prevention and therefore reduces the risk of relapse. 
• – Building coping mechanisms: Coping mechanisms are one of the main tools people in addiction recovery use to avoid relapse. It’s impossible to properly avoid and cope with stressors and triggers without established coping mechanisms. These can be developed, however, in an aftercare program like ours.

Our Aftercare Program for Substance Abuse

It’s important to talk to our team about creating an addiction aftercare plan before completing your treatment program. This is also a great time to start addressing any concerns you may have with your living environment after rehab, which you’ll be around the most, your job, and more. 

As part of our aftercare services, rehab alumni will participate in individual and group counseling sessions where they can receive positive and effective advice as well as peer support. They may also have an opportunity to work with a sponsor who can keep them on track throughout their recovery. Family therapy sessions may also be offered to our alumni and their loved ones to help rebuild broken relationships and contribute to a strong at-home support system.

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