While obviously a recovering addict needs and wants to move forwards with their life, the participation in continuing aftercare recovery programs is the best way to increase the probability of long term success.
At a minimum, recovering addicts should continue to attend peer group recovery sessions and intermittent therapy sessions with an addictions professional or psychologist. These need not take place with the residential rehab environment, but many recovering addicts prefer to continue working with the people who have already earned their trust, and with whom they have developed a comfortable working relationship.
These group and private sessions allow addicts to continue to express their recovery needs amongst like minded recovering addicts, and to discuss how best to integrate the lessons of rehab into their newly drug and alcohol free lives. Private sessions are very beneficial, and recovering addicts can continue to develop and modify a recovery plan in response to newly emerging stresses and challenges to recovery, and develop recovery plans modified to meet the current and changing realities of their recovery. The lessons of rehab need continual reinforcement, and for many addicts, a life free from use means a completely changed existence on all levels of their personal and professional lives. Recovering addicts undergoing a life disruption of this magnitude benefit from continuing care and guidance.
For recovering addicts with a dual diagnosis of mental health issues, aftercare programming is particularly vital. Depending on the severity of the mental illness, standard aftercare programming may or may not be sufficient. Patients with serious mental health challenges often benefit from participation in normal aftercare proceedings, but with the inclusion of a community case worker who helps the transition back into the environment, ensures pharmaceutical compliance, and intervenes when relapse occurs or seems imminent. Patients with mental health challenges need continuing medical care as they continue their recovery from addiction.
page last update Aug 05, 2010
