As you go through treatment for your addiction, you will need to focus on and completely commit to the process. If you don’t, something is going to get missed. If something gets missed, you would be setting yourself up for a relapse. That’s the last thing you want to experience because it sets you all the way back to the starting point of treatment.
Conversely, you would be deserving of praise and admiration if you go through the process with a solid recovery is tow. It takes a lot of courage and fortitude to spend 30 to 90 days working face to face against a disease that wants to destroy you.
As you leave rehab, you need to keep in mind what you have accomplished. The journey from a severe addiction to recovery is not easy. It’s just as difficult to stay sober after treatment. As a point of reference, some experts suggest that 60% to 65% of all recovering addicts experience at least one relapse. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of that number.
The titled question is very relevant. How difficult is it to transition out of residential alcohol treatment? The answer to this question is very complicated.
Some people can walk right out of rehab and never look back. They put their addiction issues behind them and never again pick up a bottle. Unfortunately, the stats make clear that a majority of the people leaving rehab struggle with sobriety.
The truth is it’s scary leaving rehab where everything is structure and temptation gets squelched by a lack of access to alcohol. Once the door of rehab opens, it’s a brand new game. For the first time in months or even years, the recovering alcoholic is on their own to live life on life’s terms, hopefully without drinking. The truth is the transition is often very hard.
with all of that said, leaving residential rehab does not have to be the end of treatment. There are several aftercare resources that are available for people who still feel insecure about their recovery. For your benefit, the following section is going to address a few of those aftercare resources.
Aftercare Resources to Help the Transition Out of Residential Alcohol Treatment?
If you aren’t ready to face the responsibilities at home, maybe that’s not the right place for you to go after residential treatment. Maybe, you need more time to adjust to life as a sober person.
We would recommend you spend as much time as possible in a sober living home. Sober living homes are bridges between rehab and home. While living in a sober living environment, you would have some freedom. However, you would have to follow house rules, which are usually very much like the rules you lived under during residential care.
Here are some of the sober living rules you would have to abide by:
- Absolutely no tolerance for substance use without a doctor’s prescription
- Must submit to random drug testing
- Must commit to involvement in 12 Step meetings and or additional outpatient counseling
- Must stay up on chores and maintain employment as directed
- No inappropriate fraternization with other residents
If you follow the rules and make good progress, you’ll eventually be ready to go home. When you return home, you should have a solid foundation of recovery based on a better life structure and a good set of support resources.
If sober living won’t work for you, another great option would be to become actively involved with a 12 Step program. As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), you would be part of a group where everyone has the same goal. That goal is to support each other during the process of getting sober and staying over.
Finally, Additional outpatient counseling is always a good aftercare option. If things get a little shaky, an hour or two with a professional counselor might be all you need to keep yourself on the straight and narrow path of recovery.
We hope you find this information useful. Remember, there is nothing wrong with feeling a little insecure about your recovery. You are not alone in that regard. What really matters is how you react when you feel your sobriety slipping away. That’s where we can help you the most. If you need our help, you can contact us at 833-820-2922. After receiving your call, we will be ready to step up and make sure you have every reasonable chance to maintain your sobriety.