Tips for Transitioning From Treatment to Recovery in California
The transition from treatment to recovery is not always a smooth ride. There is no actual end of the road regarding addiction, but thankfully, real-life recovery is happening all around us. Recovery from addiction is a life-long process that takes a lot of hard work and determination. The journey will undoubtedly have its bumps, but the ride is beautiful if you are willing to travel it.
There is also a transition process from treatment to recovery. Treatment provides time for your mind to reconnect with your body, for them to heal together, and for you to learn methods, practices, and techniques for achieving recovery, maintaining recovery, and preventing relapse. It is also a time for you to reevaluate what you want your life to look like and set goals you’d like to achieve post-treatment.
Avoiding Feeling Overwhelmed
Taking on too much all at once is not always conducive to your well-being. Becoming overwhelmed can lead to anxiety, fear, and worry, even triggering a lapse or relapse in recovery. Thankfully, many factors can help make your transition from treatment into recovery a bit smoother. These include having a game plan of the meetings you’ll attend, how often you’ll continue attending both individualized and group therapy sessions, and how often you plan to check in with your sober community.
To learn more about the transition from treatment to recovery, we encourage you to continue reading. If you want to start your path to recovery, let the Lakehouse Recovery Center help you today.
Long-Term Care and Long-Term Recovery
An article from the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment on the transitions from long-term residential substance abuse treatment acknowledges there are, of course, factors that “hinder and help individuals during the transition from long-term residential substances to the community.” The article references the “socio-ecological model, barriers, and facilitators to transition across five levels: individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy.”
The following can help improve these transitional outcomes:
- Access to stable housing
- Employment
- Child care services
- A strong support system
Long-term care discharges are often accompanied by harsh situations such as difficulty finding employment, residency, available resources, and of course, a lack of support from the people in one’s life. Whereas acute substance use disorder treatment often leaves a person to figure things out on their own post-discharge, long-term care has the potential for discharge planning referrals to the resources that will help a person with their transition.
Transitional Assistance and Resources
Today, many resources are provided to individuals once they are discharged from treatment. Before continuing, if you or someone you know is looking for resources and services post-treatment, visit the California Department of Health Care Services website above. Some of these services include:
- The SUD Non-Emergency Referral Line, an automated line for those in need of treatment services in California
- The California County Alcohol and Other Drug Program Administrators Directory
- The Substance Use Disorder County Access Lines, which lists County contact information for those in need of treatment services
While resources such as these can be highly integral and effective in helping you to transition from treatment to recovery and preventing relapse, there are also things you may try to aid in smoothing out your transition.
Making Healthy Connections With Peers
For starters, the work you do outside of treatment begins with your work while in treatment. Make connections with your peers to ensure a strong support group and sober community post-discharge. Also, cutting people out of your life who were complacent or even aided in addictive behaviors may be necessary.
If your past circle of friends struggle with addiction or are even recreational users of addictive substances, you would be wise to discontinue exposing yourself to their negative influence. You may need to cut those ties especially given how vulnerable you may be fresh out of treatment.
Recovery-Oriented Activities
Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) provides individuals, families, and communities with various options that allow for better-informed decisions about care and recovery. As a result, these services are more easily accessible to those who need them. According to this 2010 recovery-oriented resource guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), other recovery-oriented services are described as “long-term care-related activities that occur after a formal substance use treatment episode.”
Recovery-oriented activities also include prevention. In some cases, struggles with SUD can be preventable. ROSC helps educate people on those preventions and the services that can help with untreated disorders. Be sure to prioritize researching the resources available to you to ensure a successful transition from treatment to recovery.
It is normal for your transition from treatment to recovery to be difficult. Like any life change or transition, entering back into the world after treatment requires you to have a game plan, support system, resources, and maybe most importantly, patience and compassion with yourself. Many factors that might hinder a successful transition include lack of resources, residency, employment, or support system, while access to these can result in a smoother and more successful transition. It is also important for you to use your time in treatment as a self-reflective period to redefine the goals you would like to meet post-discharge and how they align with maintaining long-term recovery. At the Lakehouse Recovery Center, we emphasize the importance of relapse prevention within our program to prepare you for your journey post-treatment. To learn more about the possibilities of treatment and recovery — and how to transition from one to the other — please call us today at (877) 762-3707.