People struggling with addiction often ask, “what happens when rehab ends?” and “will I still get help?”. Getting treatment can be scary, but even more alarming is trying to figure out what happens after rehab ends, and figuring out how to transition from a facility where you get lots of support to a regular life where you might get limited support.
From women’s transitional living in Santa Barbara to our lifetime aftercare program, Casa Serena, you can find relapse prevention programs to help.
What Happens After Rehab Ends?
What happens after rehab ends depends on the program you are in. In most cases, you have the opportunity to go back to regular life and live with complete independence. This can look different for everyone.
Sober Living
Some people might choose a transitional living house where they can reside with others transitioning from an inpatient or residential treatment plan.
Shared Living
Others choose shared living, where they have roommates or reside with family or friends while they get back on their feet.
Individual Living
Some people are ready and able to transition smoothly back to individual living. Those who complete an outpatient program might already have a regular home environment they can go back to.
But no matter your living situation, it’s still important that you participate in relapse prevention programs. For many people, this means continuing with group therapy and possibly individual therapy on a less frequent basis than during rehab. You might go from 20 hours per week of inpatient or outpatient treatment to just a few hours per week of things like art therapy, individual therapy, and group meetings.
Simply graduating from rehab doesn’t mean you don’t still need resources and support you can lean on.
What is Relapse Prevention?
Relapse prevention programs are designed to help you avoid a relapse or bounce back if you have one. Relapse prevention is any type of program or meeting designed to increase your coping skills and self-efficacy so that you don’t return to drugs and alcohol as a form of self-medication or stress management. The National Institute for Drug Abuse has found that 50% of people relapse if they don’t have relapse prevention programs.
Examples of relapse prevention include:
- AA meetings
- NA meetings
- Ongoing individual therapy
- Yoga therapy
- Meditation
- Art therapy
- Sober activities
Relapse prevention can include individual or group programs.
Group programs can provide a safe network and community of supportive individuals. You can learn from other members in your group, expose yourself to different coping skills, find support, and move away from potential feelings of isolation or depression.
Some group programs, like art therapy, music therapy, yoga, or meditation, might not rely heavily on talk therapy but still involve other people.
Individual therapy can take the form of individual psychotherapy, music lessons, hiking, meditation, and more.
What is the Importance of Relapse Prevention Programs in Addiction Treatment?
Relapse prevention programs are very important because relapse is a common part of the recovery process. Most people think that a relapse is something that will never happen if they complete rehab and get addiction treatment.
In reality, it will likely happen at some point after rehab. When it happens, how severe it is, and how you recover from a relapse can all be controlled by participating in relapse prevention programs or activities.
However, one study found that people struggling with alcohol addiction relapse within the first three years if they don’t participate in ongoing relapse prevention programs. By comparison, people who participated in things like AA meetings and other relapse prevention programs could avoid an initial relapse for up to 16 years following treatment.
How to Find Relapse Prevention in Santa Barbara
Relapse prevention programs can look different for everyone. What matters most is that it’s something you are comfortable with and something that helps reinforce the skills most valued in your recovery.
If you undergo treatment, one of your best resources for finding relapse prevention programs in your area and answers to questions like “what happens after rehab ends” is the facility you used. Casa Serena offers a lifetime aftercare program so you can participate in relapse prevention long after leaving rehab.
We can help you determine whether things like gardening, meditation, and yoga are ideal holistic treatments you can continue to pursue in your local community or at home once you complete rehab. Instead, you might prefer AA or NA or individual therapy, just on a less frequent basis than you had during rehab.
We are here to help, no matter your situation.
Reach out to Casa Serena today to learn more about relapse prevention programs.