After Detox; What’s Next?
Detox can play a vital role in breaking free from substance abuse. The detox process can be uncomfortable. But detox centers can provide medically supervised detox to make the process easier.
After a person goes through the detox process, their body is rid of the harmful substances. But breaking an addiction also usually involves psychological addiction as well.
After detox, ongoing treatment is needed to move forward with recovery. Ongoing treatmentmay include the following:
- Inpatient treatment
- Outpatient treatment
- Individual counseling
- Support group 12-step programs
In addition to continuing treatment, there are several other steps to take after detox to work towards recovery, including:
Consider your environment: Immediately after detox,your old neighborhood may provide too much temptation to return to. If you do not want to return home, consider a sober living home.
Spend time with sober friends: Building a group of supportive friends that do not use drugs is helpful to stay sober. Pausing or cutting friendships that may increase your risk of abusing drugs or alcohol is vital. It can be difficult to stay away from friends or family that are using drugs. But it may be needed during this early stage of recovery.
Attend support meetings or counseling appointments: Recovery is an ongoing process.Attending support groups help you gain peer support. It also may provide you with ideas on ways to effectively deal with triggers and prevent relapse.
Take care of your health: If you had a substance abuse problem, you might have neglected your physical health. Now is the time to pay close attention to your physical well-being. Eat a healthy diet, exercise, and try to get enough sleep. Also, find healthy ways to deal with stress.
Keep follow-up appointments: Keep your follow-up appointments with counselors, healthcare providers, and support groups. Maintaining these types of appointments helps keep you accountable and promotes sobriety.