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Man thriving in life after addiction treatment

Life After Addiction

Life after addiction will never be exactly like before, but that’s true of any life-changing experience. What matters is whether people leaving rehab walk away with enough fortitude and awareness to stop addiction before it starts. While it’s hard to determine how many people relapse after rehab, estimates put the figure at anywhere between 40% to 80% of Americans nationwide. This surprising statistic shows a failure on the part of patients and rehab centers alike for failure to prepare for post-rehab life.

At The Right Step Houston, we emphasize the importance of going to rehab as we feel it’s the most challenging part of recovery. However, we know that there’s more to recovering from drug addiction after you have completed your rehab program. The rest of each patient’s life is still to consider, and a rehab program falls short if it fails. See how our approach to treatment is suited for a lifetime by calling 1.844.768.0169 today.

What Is Life After Rehab Like?

After attending a rehab program, many former patients will return to their lives as usual, able to sustain themselves, hold a job, and build meaningful relationships. These skills may not always have been present or possible, depending on the state of their lives. While the objective is to return to life as closely as possible, it’s natural to fall short of that goal. Even years after recovery, the draw of addiction can be suddenly enticing after a tragedy occurs, or even just “as a small reminder” of what used to be. There are numerous justifications for returning to an old addiction, and some of them might feel particularly convincing.

The six months following rehab have the highest likelihood of relapse. This likelihood may be because most people are once again their primary caretakers after rehab. Being handed that responsibility back doesn’t always go smoothly. One drawback to inpatient care is that while environmental displacement can help foster new behaviors and skills, returning home can bring feelings of familiarity and temptation to the point of relapsing. After all, home is where the largest share of substance use disorder-related habits occur for most people struggling with addiction. 

Transitioning to Life After Drug Addiction

The solution is not to remain in rehab forever. The goal of rehab is to take the requisite time to get a patient’s life back on track and to ensure they have the skill set to persist in their rehabilitator’s stead. The safest guarantee that someone leaving rehab will not relapse is making sure they depart with valuable skills. A skill is something that sticks with you for as long as you continue to practice it. Here’s a list of anti-relapse skills that we impart to our patients:

  • Form coping skills for cravings
  • Join a self-help group
  • Reconsider the kind of company you keep
  • Set long-term goals
  • Track and celebrate sobriety milestones
  • Recognize and stop addictive triggers

Life after addiction is possible with the proper support from The Right Step Houston.

The Right Step Houston Makes Returning to Life Simple

When returning to life after addiction, there’s going to be some feeling that the odds may be against you. For all the statistics that show the national average or the success rates, know they aren’t blind chances. You have the most detailed personal assessment of your strengths and weaknesses in this position.

If you’re unsure about your decision, The Right Step Houston is here to help bring clarity to the matter. To get an assessment of what rehab can do for you and learn how you can learn to live independently afterward, call our trained experts at 1.844.768.0169 today.

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