According to the classic 12-Step approach, the First Step is admitting that your life is unmanageable due to alcohol or drug use. But it’s what comes next that is the key to truly changing your life. When you leave your residential or outpatient program, you will be facing the same challenges, stress, and issues you had when you first left for rehab. How will you deal with those still angry with you? Who poses the greatest risk to your sobriety? How do you deal with the stress of your job and remain abstinent? How do you deal with triggers and temptations? To deal with these life challenges and maintain sobriety long after intensive treatment, clients need a long-term comprehensive recovery plan that includes a continuum of care services.

What is Continuing Care and Why Is It Important?

In the short version – continuing care after intensive treatment is a system of support and care to keep you substance-free. The more in-depth explanation of this form of care involves understanding how important long-term counseling and participation in support groups can be in lowering your chances of relapse. During rehab, your days were highly structured and organized. You woke up early, ate healthy meals, and had your daily list of activities and therapies at your fingertips to help keep you motivated and in-line with your sobriety goals. You were in the safest, most supportive setting, and utilized alternative therapies such as meditation or yoga to keep you relaxed and focused. Moreover, group and individual counseling were at the core of your treatment program. You had a place to vent, cry, share your story, develop skills and coping mechanisms to live life without drugs or alcohol, and any stress was kept at the lowest level possible.

Now you are outside of your program – how will you manage in the real world? Yes, you were given the tools to deal with post-discharge life – but following through takes enormous support from family, friends, counselors, and support groups. This is where a continuum of care services can make a substantial impact on your long-term recovery.

The Power of Support

Studies show that long-term counseling and participation in support groups can significantly lower your chances of relapse. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Self-help groups can complement and extend the effects of professional treatment. The most prominent Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Cocaine Anonymous (CA); all of which are based on the 12-step model. Most drug addiction treatment programs encourage patients to participate in self-help group therapy during and after formal treatment.
These groups can be particularly helpful during recovery, offering an added layer of community-level social support to help people achieve and maintain abstinence and other healthy lifestyle behaviors over the course of a lifetime.”

With a continuing care program, you can have access to long-term treatments as well as the many other resources that come with maintaining a connection to a recovery community. The Mayo Clinic offers compelling reasons why participating in support groups can benefit someone’s life including:

Feeling less lonely, isolated or judged
Reducing distress, depression, anxiety or fatigue
Improving skills to cope with challenges
Talking openly and honestly about your feelings
Staying motivated to manage chronic conditions or stick to drug treatment plans
Gaining a sense of empowerment, control or hope
Improving understanding of a disease and your own experience with it
Getting practical feedback about treatment options

In addition, forming an alliance with a therapist who specializes in addiction, is essential during your sobriety journey – even life-saving. After rehab, you will face complex psychological, emotional, and social issues that can trigger a potential relapse from dealing with a family argument to major life-changing events such as a death or divorce. Having a therapist who understands your unique situation can help de-escalate your stress and bring you back to a calmer state, keeping you centered and sober. You do not have to face your new life in recovery alone – continuing care services can help.

How Will I Know a Continuing Care Program is Right for Me?

If you have successfully completed a residential or intensive outpatient treatment program, a continuing care program may be right for you. The purpose of a continuing care program is to help you transition from the organized and structured life of your rehab program to a new life in sobriety. However, this process can sometimes feel overwhelming, and this is where the fear of relapse can creep in. You may have questions like, “Where is there a support group near me?” “How do I find the right counselor or therapist for my needs?” But just like in rehab – you need to take this one day at a time, and we can help. At The Kimberly Center, we understand how difficult this transition into real-life can be. At this stage of your recovery, you may be dealing with legal issues, interviewing for new jobs, assimilating into family life, or starting college. Time is precious, and researching addiction support resources in your area can feel intimidating.

The Kimberly Center offers access to group and individual therapy appointments, life skills lectures, family education sessions, and 12-Step support groups. When you complete a continuing care program, you will have all the tools you need to settle into your new, sober life. Our program lasts approximately 12 weeks and is available at flexible times to fit your schedule. If you or your loved one is preparing to finish an addiction treatment program and might benefit from continuing care, contact The Kimberly Center today at 855-452- 3683 to find out if our continuing care or other programs are available to you.