After completing a drug or alcohol detox program, you may be feeling a bit tentative about re-entering society. Moving back into your everyday routine can seem overwhelming, and the safety of a rehab center probably feels comforting. Fortunately, you can continue with quality care through an extended care program. It’s crucial that you get the most out of your extended care time, so you will be prepared to re-enter society when you leave.

How to Benefit from Extended Care

There are a few things you can do while in long-term recovery that will help you get the most out of it.

  1. Participate in therapy
  2. Develop a schedule
  3. Take advantage of self-care

Individual therapy is the bedrock of any addiction treatment program, and it’s especially critical when working to transition after detoxing. Through therapy, you will explore why you started on drugs or alcohol initially. It will help you with understanding addictive behavior and how that may be a factor in the future. Through cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical-behavioral therapy, you can heal from any inner mental health trauma that could be driving your addiction issues.

Furthermore, during extended care, you will learn the tools and strategies of relapse prevention, thereby making you stronger for the future. It’s critical that you have these tools, so you can be successful when temptations and cravings occur. An exercise therapy program will be beneficial as you make a move from a life of substance use to one of sobriety.

Getting into a new routine is critical to ensuring your old habits don’t creep back in. This means developing a schedule and routine of new events and activities. When a person lives life on substances, their routine is rooted in that. They are thinking about when they will do the next drug or how they will get the drugs. It’s not much of a routine of regular living. So, it will take some time to build a normal routine. A program like life skills training is effective at helping you learn life skills and move forward.

One of the extended care tips that you might not have thought of is engaging in self-care. During your extended stay, you can make sure you are eating healthy, exercising, taking care of your mental health, and pampering yourself. It doesn’t hurt to have plenty of self-care during this transition time.

Consider an Aftercare Program in California

One type of extended care is an aftercare program or a sober living program. An aftercare program will allow you a longer period of time to transition to the re-entering phase. You can stay in some of these programs for up to a year. This gives you ample time to rebuild your life.

Extended Care at Soledad House

Begin your journey of living a sober life today by reaching out to Soledad House for help. Our caring team of therapists will get you on the right path for an extended care program so that you can transition safely and successfully to your new life in society. You don’t have to go through this alone or try to move too fast. Take your time and do it right.

By using evidence-based treatment programs, we aid people in the recovery of drug and alcohol addiction. A care coordinator will point you in the right direction for a treatment program. Some of the treatments we offer include:

Begin your journey by verifying your insurance with a rehab coordinator today. Don’t let addiction issues hold you back. Now that you know a few extended care tips, take advantage of the programs that promote aftercare living at a rehab center. Contact Soledad House at 866.314.3222 for further information.