What Happens After Rehab?
Aftercare and what happens next is something many people only start to think about when they are approaching the end of residential rehab care. It is, however, an important thing to consider when you are choosing a rehab. We only work with rehab centres and home detox clinics that provide free aftercare as a standard.
As for what is next, the answer is – the rest of your life and what you want to make of it. During rehab or a home detox, you will have therapy and join support groups to help you understand your addiction and work out how you are going to stay clean and sober.
This will give you the knowledge and empower you to decide how you want to live your clean and sober life. What works for one person might not be right for the next, so your plan must be personalised and developed with your counsellor.
Since detox deals only with the physical dependency on alcohol or drugs, all our detox options are available with integrative Aftercare programs.
Multiple Aftercare options are available and encompass both:
- Programs addressing the precedents of addiction, e.g. social factors, psychological aspects, and the often complex behavioural and emotional issues which present alongside addiction
- Additional treatment options for the ongoing prevention of relapse
The types of support we offer are outlined below. In all cases, your aftercare package is specific to you.
What is Aftercare?
– CBT – The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy program helps nurture acceptance of past events and traumas and how they affect our behaviour patterns. CBT works on self-esteem, how you behave and react to things and what you want to work on and improve.
– Alternative Therapies – A hand-selected range of alternative therapies are available as part of your program, including massage, reflexology, reiki, and meditation; all help relax the body and mind. They help with self-awareness and mindfulness about addictive behaviours.
– Mutual Aid Programs – These help you get started with a support group that suits you. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Integration into AA meetings held locally, as well as attendance at closed AA meetings held weekly.
– Weekly Aftercare Meetings – An opportunity to attend and share support with others in their recovery journey. Those who choose to manage their aftercare from the start can begin attending meetings as soon as they feel able. Even during detox treatment, a support network can be hugely beneficial.
Rehab Aftercare Options
Residential Treatment
Patients can travel directly from drug detox treatment to one of our drug rehabs in the UK. In rehab, specialist treatment and therapy can help you understand how to move forward away from your addiction. Many rehab centres also have facilities for detoxing, so you may only have to move rooms when you finish detox. You will then get therapy and join support groups to help you understand your problem better and how to deal with it in the future.
Once you finish rehab, you can return home unless that is part of your problem. You also have the option of sober housing, where you can stay with others who have recently left rehab or detox. These are places where no drugs or alcohol are allowed, similar to rehab. It won’t have all of the facilities and supervision of rehab but is a great place to take time and work out your next steps.
Outpatient Aftercare
Once you have completed your rehab or detox programs, you can attend clinic-based sessions on a day-patient basis.
Available with:
– Addiction key work sessions
– Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
– Rational Emotive Behavioural therapy
– Patient recovery forums
– Support group meetings
– And additional therapeutic approaches, attending aftercare on an outpatient basis allows you to share in the full therapeutic value of a residential rehab program while returning to the comfort of home afterwards. Also suitable for those returning to work or with childcare and other life commitments to accommodate.
Anti-Craving Medication
Anti-craving medications might be available in your detox centre or rehab clinic. These are different to long-term anti-craving medications for aftercare. A long-term prescription for antabuse or acamprosate can help reduce the chances of relapse. You can ask the rehab centre doctor about this feature of aftercare before you leave the clinic.
Relapse After Rehab
Rehab aftercare is so important because it greatly reduces the chances of relapse. Making sure that the aftercare works for you is a big part of this. Not every support group or approach is right for everyone. Be strong about your terms and feelings about what happens after rehab. It is important that you are happy, or your efforts may be negated.
Can I Drink After Rehab?
If you are addicted to alcohol, then the answer from any qualified rehab professional will be absolutely no. You cannot go back to social or casual drinking. Countless studies and surveys show that complete abstinence is the only option once you are addicted to alcohol. Regarding people addicted to drugs, you may be able to return to social drinking if you are not addicted to alcohol as well. Bear in mind that if you are predisposed to addiction, it will be easy for you to develop a new alcohol addiction. You should at least take a long break from any intoxicating substances after rehab.
