What Can You Expect from Aftercare?
You’ve done the hard work of inpatient treatment.
Along the way, you’ve built new relationships and created friendships with those who have been right by your side through the process. Now that you’re wrapping up your care, aftercare is something to look forward to for the promise and opportunity it provides.
What can you expect from this part of your recovery journey?
Why Connections After Treatment Matter
One of the things you’ll notice after residential treatment is that you view the people around you in a new way. Your friend that spends the day drinking is no longer the ideal person to be around. You may even feel that he or she is frustrating you. You just don’t want to hear about or be a part of that life.
Friends and family may treat you differently, especially at first. You don’t feel like you fit in with the people at work either. And, many times, you just don’t know how to feel comfortable.
Aftercare can offer a few key benefits that are hard to overlook:
- It gives you a chance to remain connected with the people that you have worked so hard with in the last few weeks or months.
- It’s an opportunity for you to talk about your day without any judgment or anyone trying to read into what you are saying.
- It helps you to continue to matter to your new recovery friends. You’ll get the chance to support them in their ongoing journey, too.
Maintaining these connections is critical for many people. You and the people you’ve worked with through the addiction recovery program at Victory have a unique bond that most people just cannot understand.
What Happens During Aftercare?
At our drug and alcohol treatment program in Lafayette, Louisiana, aftercare is a weekly opportunity to reconnect. There’s no pressure here. It’s going home to visit the people that “get you” after you’re back in your daily life. The program isn’t a requirement, but is an opportunity.
During aftercare, there is time for you to talk to friends and those you have gotten to know over the time you spent here. There is also an opportunity for you to build new relationships with other people who are also alumni of the program. You can create closer bonds with others who share the same path you are on. That’s quite powerful in a world where no one else seems to get you.
How to Be Successful in Aftercare
Aftercare is not about receiving one-on-one counseling or working through a meeting. It’s not established to be a true meeting, but rather an open and less structured opportunity for you to gather information, share thoughts, and let out your feelings.
To be successful in using this tool, consider these tips.
- Attend each week. It’s a short meeting with a lot of friends involved.
- Participate by simply talking to others. Offer your hand to someone who you don’t know to introduce yourself.
- Listen to others. Many times, aftercare is the place people come when they are overwhelmed with day-to-day life and need a friend.
- Start friendships both inside and outside of the program. These are the type of people that you want to be around after addiction recovery.
- Support others in attendance or those that you know could use a meeting.
Aftercare does not take the place of ongoing outpatient care and treatment, so you’ll still want to attend counseling during continuing care. It simply provides an opportunity for a more relaxed chance to talk. If you are struggling with your day or just feeling unable to communicate with your family, a meeting like this can give you a bit of a break.
Keep in mind that aftercare is just one component of the care you can count on at Victory Addiction Recovery Center. Check out our aftercare program. Come together with others on Monday evenings to chat.
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