Thoughtful entrepreneur in a cafe
You have made it through treatment; now what? “Now what” is a common question that many people ask when they leave treatment.
When you decided you needed help with your addiction, you made a huge step toward improving your life. You focused on improving your physical health and learning more about your mental health. Treatment was a fantastic time of discovery, learning, and growth. If you chose an inpatient treatment option, you were able to separate yourself from your daily life. You got to focus on your struggles, create goals, and work on your mental health in a safe setting free from the demands of day-to-day living.
When you leave treatment, you enter back into society. So much of your life looks different, and you probably want large portions of your life to look different than before treatment. If you struggled with addiction, your life probably centered around that addiction. Your relationships may have been negatively affected, your actions revolved around your substance of choice, and your goals may have been nonexistent.
Now, as you exit treatment and go back to your life, it is time to make healthy decisions and choices. Set yourself up for successful recovery and sobriety. Here are a few suggestions on what you should do after leaving treatment.
Rebuild Broken Relationships
Addiction is powerful, and it typically consumes lives. It affects everything from your health, to your relationships, to your employment. Many people say that their relationships were a major area affected by their addiction. Addiction breaks relationships. It damages trust.
You probably have certain relationships that are important to you that were negatively impacted by your addiction. Often we see family members or friends desperately trying to fix or solve someone else’s addiction because they love them. When that becomes impossible, relationships become strained and broken.
Think about how your actions have affected others in your life. You cannot control other people or how they choose to treat you. You can, however, take accountability for the part that you contributed to damaging the relationship and how you treat people you are close to now.
An essential aspect of a healthy recovery is surrounding yourself with healthy relationships. Not every relationship from before treatment should make it into your life post-treatment. Learning what is healthy and what is not healthy is something you should continue working on with your mental health professional. Focus on your recovery and those relationships that bring out the best in you. You will probably notice that some of your past relationships centered around your substance of choice.
Secure a Support System
After you leave treatment, work on creating a solid support system. While recovery is an amazing time, you will face challenges that you have never faced before. Your support system should include people who you can rely on, who you can open up to, and those who you can seek support from.
Having people around that have your genuine best interests at heart can be truly wonderful. For some people, a support system looks like family members and friends. Other people will seek a support system that includes groups of people with similar recovery journeys. Having a support system that includes people with similar backgrounds can be very beneficial. These people will be able to understand your struggles personally and can tell you what worked and did not work for them on their journey of recovery.
Whatever support system you choose, make sure it is one you are comfortable with. Recovery can be a fantastic time where you can learn and grow. However, you will also come across struggles and stigma that you may not have planned on.
Therapy taught you that you have the power to face all of your struggles head-on. Now is when you need to put all of the skills you learned into practice. You may find that a skill or tool felt different when you were in the safety of therapy than the skills feels now that you are out in the world. Rely on your support circle to give you the confidence to go full steam ahead, face your challenges, and reach your goals.
Find New Interests
If you struggled with addiction for some time, then your addiction probably began to take up a lot of your time and energy. As you enter back into society after treatment, you may realize how much of your time you spent on your addiction. That time is now open. Try new activities, seek out new groups, and explore what the world has to offer for you as a sober person.
You may be surprised by what you find enjoyable or entertaining. Addiction has a way of diminishing interests outside of substance use. You may have even forgotten what you used to enjoy. Take time and explore your interests, both old and new.
Completing treatment is a significant accomplishment. You worked so incredibly hard. Now it is time to enter back into society and begin to live the life you have always wanted. Often people wonder about what happens after treatment is complete. Your life will look a lot different after treatment, and your days will be filled with creating a new lifestyle that incorporates your goals. You will work on mending broken relationships, exploring new activities, and securing a solid support system to lean on. Taking time to rediscover who you are and what you enjoy doing. Seek out activities where you can meet others with similar interests. Here at The Guest House, we know that reentering society after treatment can feel frightening and overwhelming. We are here for you every step of the way. Call us today to discover our treatment options and how we can support you on your long-term recovery journey at (855) 483-7800.