If you are struggling with addiction, it can be important to know what happens during treatment, but equally important to know what comes after treatment. Many people have some idea of the level of support and structure they get during an inpatient or outpatient program but worry about how they will cope as soon as their program is over.
What Comes After Treatment Ends?
So what comes after treatment is over? There are many possible steps that you can take once your treatment is concluded.
Outpatient Treatment
If you started with an advanced level of care like an inpatient program, once your treatment ends, you might transition to an outpatient rehab program.
This is ideal for someone who feels like they’ve made progress but still wants a modicum of support. The types of outpatient programs available include:
- Partial hospitalization programs which are typically two weeks and require full-time participation every day of the week, but you live at home or in a sober living facility
- Intensive outpatient programs which are typically three or four weeks and require part-time participation a few days per week, and you also live at home or in a sober living facility
- Regular outpatient programs, which are typically comprised of group therapy or support group meetings on a weekly basis for a few hours
You can move from one level of care to another if you are not yet ready to tackle the new phase in your life on your own.
Sober Living
Another step that might happen after treatment ends is that you transition into a sober living facility. A sober living facility is designed for people who don’t have stable housing and still need a little bit of structure and support.
With a sober living facility, you have either a shared or individual room in a larger facility where you must abide by certain rules like:
- No drugs or alcohol on the premises
- No being drunk or high on the premises
- Attend weekly group meetings, usually on the premises
- Abide by a curfew or quiet hours
Otherwise, however, you are free to come and go as you please and start to structure other parts of your life, like a new career or stable housing.
Sober Companion
If you have stable housing, what comes after treatment ends might be a sober companion who moves in with you or who comes to your house every day on a full-time basis.
A sober companion is someone who is there to guide you in the next stage of your recovery and to offer full-time support while you are learning to live with sobriety. There are a lot of flexible options when it comes to a sober companion, and you can pay someone to be there long-term, as soon as you leave your treatment and lasting for several months or years. Alternatively, you can pay someone short-term to be there when you are particularly stressed or dealing with a significant trigger.
Support Groups
Support groups are often what comes after treatment and are a cornerstone to your success in sobriety. During your inpatient or outpatient rehab program, you will participate in regular support groups like:
- NA meetings
- AA meetings
- SMART meetings
These are meant to be a weekly part of your routine at the very least and something that you utilize whenever you are particularly stressed, triggered, or at risk of relapse. Whenever you need support, these meetings are a viable way to get it.
What Comes After Treatment with Sequoia Recovery?
At Sequoia Recovery, our team is here to support you not just during your first few weeks or months of treatment, but to give you the tools you need for life after treatment ends.
This extends to things like coping skills. During your individual and group therapy sessions at our luxury facility, you will learn different coping skills that you can apply to your life when things are stressful, when you are triggered, or when anxiety starts to creep up on you.
This also extends to recognizing personal triggers. A big part of individual and group therapy is there to help you recognize what your triggers are. Triggers are different for everyone and knowing yours alongside having coping skills can make it easier for you to deal with unexpected challenges, attend the right group meetings or turn to a sober companion.
We provide aftercare support and can help connect you to support group sessions in your area, sober companions, or sober living options depending on what you need. If you don’t feel like you are ready to be on your own again we can help you find a lower level of care that offers continued support.
Don’t wait to get help. Contact our team today.
