Someone you love has been struggling with chemical dependency and has been receiving treatment at a drug or alcohol rehab center. But now the course of treatment is ending and it’s almost time for him or her to come home. While it may seem as though the worst is over, the first weeks after rehab can be some of the hardest for many recovering addicts and alcoholics.
When your loved one comes home from rehab, he or she will have completed a period of sobriety in a supportive, substance-free environment. Treatment will have involved working on uncovering the roots of the substance problem and teaching your loved one how to cope and resist the temptation which will now be all around. The trials and tribulations of the real world will be more real than ever for this person since he or she will have to face them without the comfort of drugs and alcohol for the first time in what may be many years.
How can you support your loved one to continue in recovery after rehab ends? You’ll need to be able to communicate openly, and you may need to cope with your loved one’s mood swings and emotional outbursts for a while. The two of you should make a recovery plan, and you should both seek the help of a support group or counsellor. Finally, you should encourage your loved one to find new activities, hobbies and supportive friends.
Outline Your Communication Strategies
The best way to know how to support your loved one when he or she comes home from rehab is to come right out and ask. Talk about what things your loved one is and isn’t prepared to discuss, regarding the experience in rehab or struggles with addiction, and how you will proceed should these feelings change. You should also outline how you will communicate with one another if things get emotionally difficult between you.
Ask whether your loved one needs some emotional space or whether they want closeness. Talk about how your loved one can communicate these needs.
Make a Recovery Plan and Stick to It
After all the hard work your loved one has done in rehab, you shouldn’t leave ongoing recovery up to chance. Make a recovery plan that will lay out what’s expected of your loved one (staying clean and sober after rehab), how to accomplish this (going to counselling, 12-step groups, etc.), and what the consequences will be in case of a relapse (return to treatment).
Talk about this with your loved one as soon as he or she comes home or before, if possible. Writing it down might be helpful. The most important part of the recovery plan may be the consequences for relapse; it’s important that you stick to your guns if your loved one falls off the wagon, because if you don’t, there may be no incentive to return to treatment and try again.
Join Support Groups
Your loved one can benefit greatly from joining a recovery support group after leaving rehab. A recovery support group will help your loved one make new social connections, learn new coping strategies from others who’ve had similar experiences and overcome the feelings of isolation that can come in early recovery. Support groups have helped thousands of addicts and alcoholics turn their lives around.
You can also benefit from joining a support group for the loved ones of addicts or alcoholics for many of the same reasons. A support group will help you share your experiences, receive advice from others and break down the walls between yourself and the outside world.
Encourage Your Loved One’s Personal Growth
When your loved one comes home from rehab, he or she will likely still be struggling to fill the void that was once filled with drugs and alcohol. Hobbies, activities, new friends and other forms of personal growth can help take your loved one’s mind off of substances and provide something to feel passionate about. This way, relapse becomes less of a possibility.
Encourage your loved one to try new things, or support him or her in returning to hobbies and activities that were a part of life before addiction took over. Sports and other forms of exercise can be especially helpful for people in recovery. Artistic pursuits, like music, painting, drawing or writing can be cathartic and help in expressing difficult emotions they may be feeling.
Support your loved one in forming new friendships with positive people who will support a recovery lifestyle. Be a good listener and try not to criticize. A life free of addictive substances is a challenge in itself for your newly clean and sober loved one, and your support and stability will be much appreciated.
If your loved one is coming home from rehab, remember that the next few weeks and months will be difficult. Though going to rehab is an important step in the right direction, you should be prepared to support your loved one in making many more necessary changes once he or she comes home.
About the Author:
Contributing blogger Nancy Benet is a certified addiction counselor. She has worked in inpatient facilities for more than 15 years.
