Rehab Aftercare & Life After Addiction Treatment

What is Aftercare?

Rehab aftercare is care that supports your recovery progress after you have left more formal addiction treatment. Over the years, research has demonstrated the value of  rehab aftercare plans for relapse prevention and sustained recovery.^{3,4, 5}  Transitioning back to your day-to-day life when you’re ready to leave inpatient rehab near Tampa can be challenging; aftercare aims to make this transition smoother by: ² 

• Supporting gains made in treatment by keeping you connected to a peer community.
• Providing ongoing support and monitoring from addiction treatment professionals.
• Helping you to maintain the benefits and goals made during treatment.
• Connecting you to additional services if you’re at risk for relapse or experiencing a return to substance use.

Benefits of Rehab Aftercare Programs

Rehab aftercare programs may provide a variety of benefits for your continued recovery. This can include:

• Receiving ongoing support through therapy, group sessions, or other forms of connection. Community and staying engaged with others can be an important part of continued recovery.⁹
• Teaching you healthy coping strategies. Different forms of therapy can help you cultivate increased insight and help you strengthen healthy coping skills, which is vital for relapse prevention.⁶ This can include helping you recognize the early warning signs of relapse, knowing when to reach out for help, cultivating healthy self-care methods, and developing healthier stress management strategies that do not involve using drugs or alcohol.⁶ 
• Offering continued contact with the treatment facility. This can provide additional support during addiction recovery and help you re-engage with treatment should relapse occur.¹⁰
• Providing co-occurring disorder treatment and management. Co-occurring mental health disorders like depression or anxiety are often cyclical, recurring illnesses, like substance misuse and substance use disorders. If you have a co-occurring disorder, you may benefit from a long-term continuity of care that supports your progress, monitors your condition, and provides assistance if you resume substance use or you experience a return of symptoms of your mental health disorder.²
• Helping you learn from setbacks. Setbacks, which means anything that moves you closer to relapse, such as not asking for help, are a normal part of the recovery process, but it’s important to avoid viewing them as failures.⁶ Aftercare programs for substance abuse can help you focus on your past successes, your inner strengths, and the accomplishments you’ve made so far, which can strengthen your recovery efforts.⁶

Creating a Rehab Aftercare Plan

Before you leave drug and alcohol rehab, you’ll work with your addiction treatment team to develop an aftercare plan. Aftercare plans vary based on unique factors and individual circumstances. For example, if you have limited social support at home, you might benefit from transitioning to a sober residence or attending additional group therapy sessions.

Aftercare programs for substance abuse recovery can be adjusted as your needs change and as you work through post-recovery treatment. This can include increasing treatment or changing the types of care you receive should you experience a return of your symptoms.⁶

A rehab aftercare plan can look different for everyone but can include:

• Finding supportive sober housing (sometimes called “sober living”) arrangements.
• Attending group meetings.
• Attending individual counseling.
• Participating in family therapy.
• Participating in outpatient treatment programs as a step-down from inpatient care.
• Finding and establishing a support network to help provide support when the urge to use occurs.
• Continuing medication on a maintenance program.
• Participating in alumni programs offered by your treatment program.