Life After Treatment: Managing Addiction as a Chronic Illness

There’s a common fallacy in addiction medicine that going through rehab is a “cure” for substance misuse disorder. However, the day you get discharged from inpatient treatment is when the genuine work of recovery begins.

Like other chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma or Crohn’s disease, addiction is a lifelong disease. A significant part of your success in recovery is learning to manage your symptoms and maintain your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

A Critical Transition

Before you exit your treatment facility, you will need to work with your family and team of clinicians to create an aftercare plan that addresses your short- and long-term needs and helps you avoid relapsing. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all aftercare plan. Some people return home, while others choose to enter a sober living house or an inpatient treatment program to continue working on their recovery goals in a structured environment.

Factors to consider when deciding how you will manage your illness immediately after getting discharged from treatment include:

• Your history of drug and alcohol use
• Any co-occurring mental health disorders, such as depression or anxiety
• Your decision-making ability and impulse control
• Your family’s ability to provide support
• Your unique sobriety goals
• Your willingness to participate in individual and group therapy

What Is a Wellness Recovery Action Plan?

A wellness recovery action plan, or WRAP, for short, can be a tremendously helpful tool for people in early addiction recovery. Creating a WRAP is a largely self-directed process and can take whatever shape is most helpful to you. Since the WRAP concept initially emerged in 1997, researchers have identified its effectiveness, and it has been listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.

Though everyone’s WRAP will be different, here are some elements to include in yours.

• A sober support network: Loneliness can be one of the most dangerous relapse triggers. Before leaving treatment, plan to continue seeing a therapist and participating in regular group meetings. Have friends and family members who understand what you have been through and why it is essential for you to protect your sobriety above all else.
• A medical treatment plan: Before leaving treatment, have your health care plan lined up, including a general practitioner as well as a psychologist or other specialists, as appropriate. Make sure all your health care providers are aware of your unique needs and that you are managing addiction as a chronic illness.
• A list of known triggers: In recovery, you will need to avoid specific people, places and things that remind you of when you were in active addiction. Doing so will reduce the likelihood that you will backslide into your old habits.
• Relapse prevention planning: While you can take steps to control some of your triggers, others might pop up without warning. For example, perhaps you’re watching a movie, and one of the scenes takes place in a bar. Having a contingency plan in place can help you turn to healthy habits to cope with sudden cravings or powerful memories that might arise. You can also establish what you will do if a relapse occurs.

Moving Forward With Your Life

Admitting you have a chronic illness and that you need help to manage it is part of getting better, but you also need a robust short- and long-term set of strategies to support a lifetime of wellness and recovery.

At Hope Academy, we can help you learn to manage your addiction and establish new, healthy habits and coping skills. To learn more about our programming for young adults, contact us today.

Recovery: A Lesson in Patience

You’ve likely heard the quote, “patience is a virtue.” Well, in our world of instant gratification – where you can click on a button to get almost anything delivered to your door – it’s likely lost much of its meaning. You might even go so far to say that smartphones and social media have made many of us even less patient in our daily lives. 

What is patience anyway? Some define it as “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.” For those in recovery, patience may mean the capacity to stick with the process. After all, sobriety is a lifelong journey that requires time – to fully heal the mind, body and spirit, as well as any relationship damage caused by active addiction. 

We all need to slow ourselves down sometimes and make an effort to be more patient. Start with these steps:

Make patience a habit: Becoming a patient person takes practice, so there’s nothing wrong with taking a few minutes each day to intentionally make yourself wait. Some ideas: Count to 20 before responding to a text message or intentionally hold out before having that second cup of coffee. 

Remember to breathe. This may seem too simple, but breathing really works wonders when it comes to quelling the stress and anxiety caused by impatience. The next time you’re losing your patience, give it a try: Inhale slowly and count to 10. Now exhale and repeat this three times. You’ll be surprised how much it helps. 

Enjoy the process: While it’s normal to want to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, it’s also important to embrace the time it takes to get there. Try to enjoy the lessons, friendships and different emotions the recovery process has caused you to feel. 

Remember: All good things take time. If you expect things to happen instantly, you’re more likely to get impatient. In the words of author Susan Gale: “The longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives. The harder you have to fight for something, the more priceless it will become once you achieve it. And the more pain you have to endure on your journey, the sweeter the arrival at your destination. All good things are worth waiting for and worth fighting for”.  

Don't Wait to Get Addiction Help

Our treatment model prepares young adults with the skills needed to succeed in sobriety and in life after rehab. To learn more about how you can start on your journey toward sobriety, call us today: 866-930-4673. 

September Is National Recovery Month!

Ready to celebrate? It’s the 27^th annual National Recovery Month – started by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to promote the benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery for mental and substance use disorders. 

Recovery Month celebrates the millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery. It also spreads the positive message “that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover,” notes SAMHSA.

This year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Our Families, Our Stories, Our Recovery!,” highlights the value of family support throughout recovery – and it reinforces the fact that you don’t need to walk the tough road of lasting sobriety alone. 

In fact, the right support system can help ensure that your are addressing what SAMHSA refers to as the four key aspects of recovery: health, home, purpose, and community.

• Health: Managing your condition(s) or symptom(s) and making informed, healthy choices that support your physical and emotional well-being 

• Home: Having a stable and safe place to live

• Purpose: Participating in meaningful daily activities (job, school, volunteer opportunities, family caretaking, or creative endeavors), and having the independence, income, and resources to become an active member of society 

• Community: Developing relationships and social networks to provide support, friendship, love, and hope

How to Get Involved

Each September, tens of thousands of prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and facilities around the country participate. And if you or someone you love is in recovery, you can join in too. Simply click here to tell your story. You'll not only help to stop the stigma and increase awareness, but you'll provide people with a greater understanding about mental and substance use disorders. 

Start Your Recovery Journey
Many young adults long for a fulfilling life outside of addiction and substance dependency but don’t know where to begin. Hope Academy is a proven, affordable way to seek recovery alongside your long-term goals. To learn more, call today: 866-930-4673.