When a person completes drug and alcohol treatment, they typically meet with a counselor or staff member to discuss aftercare options. Addiction is a chronic, lifelong disease, which means that relapse is always a risk, regardless of whether a person receives formal treatment or how long they’ve been sober.
Aftercare consists of ongoing support to promote continuous sobriety. Some of these supports may be short-term, such as halfway housing to help with reintegration into day-to-day life after inpatient treatment, and others may be long-term, such as regularly attending 12-step support groups and therapy.
Having an aftercare plan encourages people in recovery for substance use disorders (SUDs) to continually work toward becoming better versions of themselves and remain connected to a larger recovery community. The notion is that the more connected someone is to other people in recovery and other recovery-based resources, the easier it will be for them to receive added support during difficult times. Accessible support counteracts the likelihood of returning to drinking or using drugs as a coping mechanism.
Read on to learn more about aftercare for addiction, including the goals and benefits of aftercare, different types of aftercare, and the types of care we offer at Bedrock Recovery Center.
What Is Aftercare For Addiction?
Aftercare refers to any of the various, ongoing support avenues that a person may become involved in after completing inpatient or outpatient treatment for an SUD. Completing formal treatment is only the beginning of the recovery journey. As a person readjusts to life beyond the walls of a treatment center, they must learn how to manage responsibilities and stressors while remaining sober. The experience typically involves coping with cravings to use drugs and alcohol, and interacting with triggering people, places, and situations.
Many people with SUDs learned how to use substances as a coping mechanism, albeit a maladaptive one. Perhaps they weren’t taught how to, or allowed to, express feelings as a child or had a traumatic experience that went unaddressed. Regardless of the reasons why someone develops an SUD, the disorder causes distorted thinking that becomes ingrained in the mind and takes time to undo. Recovery entails more than simply abstaining from drugs or alcohol; it entails a total change of perspective. To encourage continued progress and growth, aftercare is necessary. Without aftercare, there is a greater likelihood to revert back to old ways of thinking and behaving, which increases the risk of relapse.
Goals Of Aftercare
Regardless of the type of aftercare activities that a person may partake in post-treatment, the goals of aftercare for addiction recovery are the same.
The goals of aftercare include:
- to abstain from drugs and alcohol
- to prevent relapse
- to maintain contact with the recovery community and build supportive relationships
- to experience a sense of purpose by actively participating in the recovery community
Benefits Of Aftercare
Benefits of aftercare programs for people in addiction recovery can be lifelong and extend to all areas of life.
The greatest benefit is that aftercare programs keep recovery in center focus. Addiction is often described as a lifelong disease because for most people with SUDs, any amount of sobriety cannot reduce the severity of an addiction if relapse were to occur. In support groups, it’s common to hear the analogy, “Once a cucumber becomes a pickle, it can never go back to being a cucumber.” Though perhaps silly, this analogy is used to describe patterns of thought and behavior associated with SUDs, which can never be fully eradicated regardless of how long a person remains sober or how much work they’ve done in recovery. According to Alcohol Research, aftercare is acknowledged as a critical part of treatment for SUD, especially for people with addiction issues that require medical or psychological intervention.
Support groups encourage people in recovery to take life “one day at a time,” but in the grand scheme of life, any given day can bring an array of challenges. Aftercare programs provide people in recovery with support, guidance, and community. A fellowship of other people in recovery, or the outlet of a therapist, for instance, can offer help during times when it’s needed most. Even for life dilemmas that aren’t related to addiction, aftercare exists to prevent people from returning to using substances, and much of that is accomplished by helping them deal with the issues that can trigger substance use. Further, aftercare activities involving the recovery community, specifically, can allow people to develop a sense of purpose by helping others overcome hard times, understand their SUD, and navigate life in sobriety.
Types Of Aftercare After Rehab
There are many forms of aftercare available to people who complete inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment. A person can partake in one or several forms of aftercare, though it’s recommended that people in recovery consistently participate in at least one aftercare activity.
Aftercare options include:
- outpatient treatment
- sober living / transitional housing
- alumni program
- 12-step and/or recovery meetings
- working with a sponsor and/or recovery coach
- one-on-one and/or group therapy
- medication management
- case management
Outpatient Program (OP)
Attending an OP is a form of aftercare for people upon completion of inpatient and/or residential treatment. An OP can be accessed as part of a step-down model, in that it’s less intensive than residential or inpatient treatment but still entails certain requirements for clients to meet. There are partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), and general outpatient programs (OPs) depending on a person’s needs. OPs can help people continue to navigate cravings and triggers, and develop a relapse prevention plan.
Sober Living / Transitional Housing
Sober living or transitional housing is typically the least restrictive offering in a step-down model of addiction recovery. These facilities act as boarding houses, where people in recovery—typically men-only or women-only—are required to perform assigned chores and attend house meetings, and also possibly attend 12-step meetings, get a job, and agree to random drug screenings.
Homes are typically managed by a live-in house manager who ensures all rules are being adhered to. The environment surrounds a person with like-minded people in recovery, thus keeping recovery at the forefront, and adding an extra layer of safety for those who aren’t yet ready to fully and independently reintegrate into society. Bedrock Recovery Center partners with local sober living facilities to provide clients with the chance to continue their treatment after completing residential care.
Alumni Programs
It’s been said that the opposite of addiction is connection. Likewise, remaining part of a recovery community is among the most widely encouraged forms of aftercare. Alumni programs offer people in recovery the opportunity to stay involved, remain connected, and enhance their sense of purpose through helping others.
An alumni program is a network of people who completed their full scope of inpatient or residential treatment from a treatment center. Alumni programs are specific to individual treatment centers. Some treatment centers, like Bedrock, hold sober events and invite alumni to participate, such as summer barbecues and holiday parties. Alumni programs also may also feature access to specialized support tools, such as a phone or text line, and opportunities to work and/or volunteer at the treatment center.
12-Step And/Or Recovery Meetings
Recovery meetings and 12-step meetings are among the most accessible forms of aftercare. Meetings consist of peer-led groups of people who are also in addiction recovery, and are free to attend. Recovery meetings are available around-the-clock virtually and meet in every U.S. city and state, and in many countries worldwide. The virtual aspect emerged more prevalently after the pandemic and now makes it easier to attend a meeting if a person is physically unable to attend.
According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, programs that work to bring recovery to the individual and meet them where they are, literally and figuratively, such as virtual meetings, make aftercare more effective.
Not all recovery meetings are 12-step meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are considered the original 12-step groups, with steps outlined in “The Big Book,” the official text of AA. Non-12-step recovery meetings include Refuge Recovery and SMART Recovery. Some people only choose to attend traditional 12-step meetings, while others attend non-12-step meetings, and still others attend both.
Working With A Sponsor And/Or Recovery Coach
When a person regularly attends 12-step and/or recovery meetings, they will likely be encouraged to work with a sponsor. A sponsor is essentially a guide for the program. These people are also active members of the program and are in recovery themselves, thereby offering firsthand experience and insights. Sponsors explain how the program works, serve as a confidant, and, in the case of 12-step support groups, help the individual complete the 12 steps of recovery. Maintaining contact with a sponsor provides a direct connection to the recovery community and ensures added accountability.
Recovery coaches do not have personal experience with SUDs or recovery, but have professional training to provide needed support. While sponsorship is a pillar of programs like AA and NA, recovery coaches are paid professionals who help clients remain sober by addressing potential obstacles to recovery and promoting abstinence.
Addiction Therapy
There is a vast array of benefits associated with talk therapy. People of all ages and in all stages of life seek therapy to develop a deeper understanding of themselves, improve their self-talk, learn healthy coping mechanisms, and deal with past issues, as well as simply to have an unbiased, non-judgmental professional to confide in. When it comes to addiction recovery aftercare, therapy can help a person delve deeper into the issues that may have contributed to their SUD, as well as understand their triggers and build healthier habits around their newfound sober lifestyle. A person might seek therapy at different times in their life as they see fit, or continue a relationship with the same therapist for years.
Medication Management
Not everyone with an SUD also has a mental health condition, but a large percentage of them do. According to the results of a 2021 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 13.5% of people ages 18 to 25 had both an SUD and a mental illness. For people with a dual diagnosis, medication may serve as an effective form of aftercare. When dual diagnosis is a factor, it is vital to treat both conditions to achieve recovery, since SUDs and mental health conditions directly affect each other.
Case Management
Case management is a highly adaptable means of supporting people with SUDs in recovery. Services are driven by the client’s needs. Case workers strive to provide clients with the least-restrictive resources needed to maintain their recovery, so as not to disrupt their day-to-day life, or to do so minimally.
Case management also takes into account the client’s lifestyle, such as their home, work, and social life, and potential barriers to treatment, such as lack of transportation, legal issues, mental illness, and more. Case management is especially helpful for people who receive services through multiple agencies, as the case worker can be the single point of contact between the client and all of these agencies.
Other Resources Available In Aftercare Programs
Aside from strictly providing support for addiction recovery, aftercare programs can connect people with a wide range of resources to help them succeed. Addiction, especially long-term, severe addictions, can have a serious effect on a person’s life, from their career and financial status, to their housing, schooling, family relationships, and more. Fortunately, many aftercare programs offer different services to help people in recovery for SUDs regain their footing and flourish.
Some of the other resources available in aftercare programs include:
- academic support
- career counseling
- coaching
- community building
- financial planning
- legal support
- long-term support through life transitions
- substance monitoring
How Do You Find An Aftercare Program?
When a person receives treatment in an inpatient or residential treatment facility, discussions with a counselor about aftercare options typically occur before the client leaves. Most treatment centers hold workshops, such as on relapse prevention and coping mechanisms, and support meetings. By participating in these services, people learn about an array of aftercare activities that are available to them after treatment, and can receive contact information for these activities, their locations, and relevant dates and times.
Once an aftercare plan has been determined with a counselor, treatment center staff will typically work to provide the client with the necessary services. For example, if an outpatient program (OP) and/or sober living home is determined as the next route of treatment, staff at the treatment center will arrange for the client to attend these programs immediately upon finishing treatment, so as to prevent gaps in care.
If a person needs further assistance after leaving formal treatment, there are helpline and virtual resources, such as SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP), and phone apps to support recovery.
Find Freedom From Addiction
Addiction is a lifelong and life-changing disease, but you never have to attempt recovery alone. If you or a loved one is ready to get help for a drug or alcohol addiction, contact Bedrock Recovery Center today.
