Tips for Organizing Your Life After Leaving Rehab
If you’ve recently left drug rehab, then your life may be disorganized during the transitional period. What to do in this situation? How can you get help?
The first day out of rehab and into the world is when the real recovery work begins. Unfortunately getting treatment is no guarantee of sobriety and the statistics support that fact. According to the National Institute of Health, after rehab, the remission rates for a successful recovery vary between 20 percent and 50 percent on average (NIH).
But compare that to the relapse potential of untreated individuals (between 50 and 80%) and it’s obvious that getting professional help is much more effective in retaining sobriety than not. The following article is a list of tips to organize life in those critical first moments out of treatment whether it be for you or your loved one.
Some Tips to Stay Organized After Addiction Treatment
Continue the Program – The more you make recovery a part of your life, the more like you are to stay there. Fortunately for you, sobriety is everywhere as long as you look. Freshly out of rehab, you should already have a sponsor and be working the steps. In addition to the work, take a volunteer opportunity for a meeting or fellowship even if it’s just as simple as greeting people as they enter the door (or chat room!). Seeing those who had the same issues as you but who have overcome them to lead happy and successful lives is integral in keeping on the right track.
The Contact Sheet – Another essential item for the newly sober person is about 50 people you can call if there is a danger of relapse. It’s so heartbreaking to hear about relapses when so many could have been prevented by picking up the phone and making a call. Sober people have a bond akin to those who have been through battle… because they have been. Make a few calls in a tough time and you will see the watch fellow recoverees come running.
Idle Hands – Getting back to work or staying busy has got to be one the most important components of early sobriety. The addict-mind surfaces in boredom and encourages unhealthy behavior. The busier one can be the better, within reason. This doesn’t necessarily have to be work! You can stay busy by being creative or by learning that new skill you’ve always wanted to learn. Go ahead, give yourself more reasons to be joyful in sobriety! You deserve it.
Establish a Routine – Since addiction reigns chaotic for so many, consistency might feel like a pretty foreign concept to someone freshly sober. Establishing some sort of routine is helpful for some addicts in retaining healthy thinking during times of hardship. Having something to look forward to (whether it be a favorite meeting, social event, or restaurant they go to) is a great way of showing that sobriety is working…even if it feels like it’s not. New sobriety is tough and sometimes just putting some temporal distance between you and your past life is what is truly needed, What better than a routine to get through the days without using; it’s not on the schedule, can’t do it!
Make Health a Priority – No matter the addiction, it’s pretty safe to say that there was some adverse impact on the body of the drug abuser. Substances not only hurt the body with toxins, but they also discourage the user from participating in any other healthy activities that would counter those negative effects. Retaking control of one’s health after a substance dependency is a transcendent event. Making the switch creates a tangible effect in the body and your cells thank you. And when is there a better time to do so than new recovery! Don’t forget to drink plenty of water as well! We always forget about that.
