Importance of Aftercare in Addiction Treatment Programs in Shreveport, LA

Addiction is a lifelong struggle. No one is ever completely "cured" of addiction. Addiction aftercare is an essential part of the recovery process as you move from an addicted state into a healthier lifestyle. This means making some major changes to your behaviors that need to be carefully maintained. Addiction aftercare counseling is a common part of this process, where you check in regularly with therapists and physicians after completing rehab to remain focused on sobriety.

Enter an aftercare program for relapse prevention when you call Drug Treatment Shreveport at (877) 804-1531.

What is Addiction Aftercare?

Addiction is a chronic disease. It must be managed over a long period of time, like diabetes, Alzheimer's, or breast cancer. Ex-Addicts can live full and healthy lives, as do many ex-addicts, but the disease never truly goes away and takes real effort to overcome. Drug Treatment Centers Shreveport's addiction aftercare is the part of the management process where you determine a "game plan", a set of adjustments to your behaviors and lifestyle that can keep you sober indefinitely.

Aftercare Options

Addiction aftercare can include sober living facilities and outpatient treatment. Sober living facilities are the most common form of addiction aftercare because it is somewhat of an extension of the drug rehabilitation centers. Relapse after rehab is a very real threat to the ex-addict. For instance, as many as 50% to 90% of alcoholics ends up relapsing within the first four years of sober living. This can be disheartening, but many recovering addicts don't participate in appropriate levels of aftercare, which doesn't help their chances at all.

Aftercare can involve group support sessions, counseling, medical checkups, or even a prescription medication plan to help cope with lingering physical or mental issues. It is during the aftercare phase that you will attempt to ease back into a normal life after weeks or months of rehab: you will reconnect with friends of family, move back into your home, or start again on your career, always with the knowledge that a support system exists should you risk falling back into bad habits.

Why Rehab Aftercare is Important

Aftercare is designed to provide you with the skills and support you need to remain functional and healthy. It's a new chapter in your life opening up before you.

It is for these reasons that patients often feel extremely optimistic upon exiting rehab. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have made it through withdrawal, detoxification, and rehab, an arduous passage that you should feel proud to have beaten. On the other hand, it is much easier to be confronted with drugs and alcohol once outside a rehab program. Many friends or former drinking partners may come out of the woodwork to tempt you back into addiction. Relapse prevention aftercare provides you with many coping strategies to deal with these uncomfortable situations. Remember, if they can't respect your decision to remain sober, they're not worth your time.

This is only one type of relapse trigger that aftercare will teach you to cope with. Many addicts relapse during times of stress, during tragedies or career setbacks that cannot fully be prepared for. It is during these vulnerable times that aftercare is most essential. Any Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous chapter has dozens of like-minded survivors who have been through the worst life has to offer and come out better on the other side.

Many of these programs can also offer you job opportunities or skill development courses that can help you reinvent yourself further. Furthermore, aftercare programs and support groups are closely tied to mental healthcare professionals who can help you address any mental health disorders you may have should you suffer from a dual diagnosis.

Relapse is a very real threat to any addict as they move forward into a sober life. But with the help of a good aftercare program you can put the odds in your favor. Call Drug Treatment Shreveport now at (877) 804-1531 to start your recovery journey.