Places to Get Support After Inpatient Drug Rehab
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Illicit drug use in the United States has been increasing. In 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older – 9.4 percent of the population – had used an illicit drug in the past month.” If you broke away from that destructive group, good job!
If you have made it through inpatient rehabilitation for drug and/or alcohol abuse, you deserve to be commended. You took an important, yet difficult task and you persevered. Inpatient rehab centers are the best because they offer you personalized service daily without the presence of drugs or alcohol. You get to focus completely on your recovery and you are free from the worries that plagued you in everyday life.
It can be a little scary to transition back into a daily routine after being gone for a month or more. Because of this, you might get a little tense and seek out additional support. That is perfectly normal and you aren’t alone in feeling a little adrift.
There are places you can look for a bit of extra support and one place is InpatientDrugRehabCenters.com, which you can call at 800-430-1407Who Answers?. Feel free to call 24 hours a day. But, there are other supports out there, as well.
Family Support
This may strike a negative chord with those of you that have dismissive or abusive families. That is understandable, but think of family as intentional family. The people you rely upon may be people you have chosen to forge a deep trust with rather than those who are blood related.
While in inpatient rehab, you presumably met with family counselors and having the presence of a third party with expertise in addiction probably helped those interactions tremendously. You can use those lessons and learned moments and carry them over into interactions with both your blood and intentional family.
Remember that the people you call family want to support you and you may need to lean on them somewhat heavily when you first get out of rehab. That’s OK. Let them know that you need them and don’t try to go it alone. You don’t have to.
Online Recovery Support
If large groups or socialization with strangers cause anxiety that triggers an urge to return using, then you will need to ease into those situations. One way you can get additional support without panic is to access online support systems for recovering substance abusers.
These forums often include message boards, links to news stories, tips for remaining sober, discussions about health and fitness, discussions about the role the arts can play in recovery, humor, and discussions about parenting and interpersonal communication. They provide a wealth of knowledge and are a great testing ground for entering into the world of recovery.
If even the thought of online connections is stressful, enter the forums and lurk. You can just read the conversations until you feel ready to join in.
Traditional Support Groups
If you are completely ready to jump into social interactions and the idea of meeting other people and being part of a community is appealing to you, there are a ton of active support groups across the country.
Groups like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous seem obvious and they are because they have a long history of success, which has made them spread far and wide. But, you don’t have to go to an Anonymous meeting.
Look for state funded recovery programs and access their resources. Look for faith based recovery through your place of worship. Ask the staff at your inpatient rehabilitation center. In fact, many rehab centers maintain groups that former patients can attend.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse writes that no single treatment is appropriate for everyone. The same is true of groups. You don’t need to pick one group and stick to it. To find the best group for your needs, sample them all. Attend a few meetings (one isn’t enough) and determine which works for you. It might even be a blend of them.
Just because you left inpatient rehabilitation doesn’t mean you are alone in recovery. There are support systems waiting to back you up. Take advantage of them. For more help locating support, contact InpatientDrugRehabCenters.com at 800-430-1407Who Answers?.