Committing to rehabilitation to treat you (or a loved one’s) addiction to alcohol or drugs is no mean feat. You deserve a “pat on the back.” It is, however, just the first step towards a clean and sober life. The tendency to relapse is huge. According to Alcohol Rehab.com, the possibility can be as high as 50 to 90 percent.

Fear not, though, because aftercare can significantly increase your chance of preventing relapse. “It is most often those who are not adequately supported in recovery that end up returning to their addiction.” Logically, there is a way to stay positive and confident that you can manage to overcome the urge to go back to substance abuse. The key is to seek and commit to a serious program of professional aftercare.

What is Aftercare?

Alcohol Rehab.com says, “Aftercare refers to any subsequent interventions that follow the initial treatment… it will often refer to the additional support that is given following release from the residential part of the program.”  The support is important to keep you going despite the difficulty. There will also be knowledge and skills that you will pick up in the process that can equip and prepare for the tough days ahead.

There is always the possibility that the lifestyle, people or issues that drove you to substance abuse will still exist after rehabilitation. Thus, the tendency for you to relapse can still be there. With the aftercare, you can be helped by a professional to be more aware of the relapse pattern or process and to recognize the triggers that can make you return to substance abuse. This is how you can spot the triggers and avoid them.

Repeated Relapse Can Be Dangerous

Recovery from substance abuse doesn’t start and end during rehabilitation. It is an ongoing process that can take a long time, if not for life. Addiction is powerful. While there are interventions that makes the condition treatable, it can recur like any chronic ailment. Aftercare can help you manage it successfully. This is why it has to be the next best step following a successful completion of rehab. Don’t be deterred by fear, cost, and by the other roadblocks that can hinder you from seeking professional help.

Of course you can always start all over again with each slip, but that can be dangerous, not to mention costly. As you relapse again and again, it can be difficult to say if you can find the courage and commitment once more to go through the difficulty of going through the treatment. Think also of the growing damage that addiction inflicts on your mind and body with each relapse – it can take a longer time for you to get better. It also damages your confidence and self-esteem, as you become engulfed by frustration and guilt.

Having experienced sobriety, it can give you the idea that you can always stop it anytime. It is a dangerous mindset. It can encourage you to continue your substance abuse. Repeated relapse does not only damage your mind and body – it can also ruin your relationships.

Preventing Repeated Slips

The feeling of helplessness against substance abuse can make you sink into it and even depression. This is what you have to quell during the aftercare. With the help of a professional therapist you can develop a conviction that recovery is possible and that life can be better without alcohol or drugs. Developing a positive mindset is necessary to make you believe that there are other options available to help you resolve the issues that make you seek the substance you are addicted to.

With aftercare you can recognize that you have the power to stay clean or sober, if you can embrace it and make it part of your life. With professional help, you will realize that staying clean or sober takes commitment and resilience, but it comes with rewards – renewed health, reestablished relationships and a second chance to pursue your life goals again. With an effective program and therapist, the lessons of the past failures can fade into the background, but the lessons can be learned to help make you a stronger person.

Find the Right Aftercare

Keeping the gains you earned during rehabilitation can be threatened by relapse. Be realistic that it can happen, but believe that staying clean and sober for life is possible. Tough as it may sound, you have the power to change your life with the help Carolina Counseling Services – Sanford, NC. An independent therapist that CCS contracts can help you with an intervention program tailored to meet your needs.

Remember that you do not “graduate” from addiction or alcoholism with rehabilitation. It is just a “commencement” – the day that marks the beginning of more challenges. The lure of returning to your old vice can be stronger. You can benefit from counseling and aftercare. This is why you need professional support from a caring and trustworthy expert contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Sanford, who understands how relapse can weaken your resolve and what you need to stay in control.

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