What to Do After Rehab?
It is a nerve-racking moment for everyone involved with family worried things will go back to how it used to be before the addict got sober and the now sober addict worrying about what they will be facing when they get out. For many addicts, they are returning to tense relationships with their family and friends. They could also be facing legal charges and possibly even financial problems that grew while they were using and in treatment.
While some of these issues may have been addressed and some even handled while they were in treatment, the transition is not necessarily stress free for those involved. For this reason, Narconon New Life Retreat has put together a list of actions to make everyone more comfortable during the transition.
The things on this list are not only there to keep the addict accountable but also to allow the addict to avoid being falsely accused and further escalate the tension with their family.
1) Drug testing - Either start or continue random drug tests. This may not be the easiest thing to set up, but it is well worth it. Drug testing gives the family assurance their loved one is still doing well, while keeping the former addict accountable and eliminating stress and suspicion.
2) Change of Phone Number – This one is very easy to do. Changing your number is as simple as calling your service provider and changing the number. When you do this, make sure you go through the contacts and delete the people you have used drugs with and purchased drugs from, eliminating the chance of those persons reaching out to you while you are in recovery. Deleting any of the contacts who could be trouble, makes it less likely there will be trouble by taking the temptation away.
3) Deleting or Deactivating Facebook - You can apply this to any social media account. Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram are all places old bad influences can pop back up. Eliminating these or at the very least cleaning them out and setting the accounts to private can go a long way.
4) Setting up an open bank account – Giving another family member access to the recoveree’s bank account to keep an eye out for irregular behavior in their accounts. This can be one of the first signs that not all is well.
5) Refraining from Alcohol - This may seem self-explanatory, but some former addicts will say that alcohol was not their drug of choice. While this may be the case, drinking is not a good idea. Alcohol can sometimes be the catalyst for a relapse which is why we recommend you refrain from allowing your loved one to drink. We also recommend that you, as a supportive family member do not drink alcohol around them. Also, something to remember is non-alcoholic beers are not completely alcohol free and contain a small amount of alcohol, which is why we do not recommend them for persons in recovery.
These are our recommendations. Even following some of them will be beneficial, though we recommend using all of them.
Any tips you think we missed? Feel free to comment on our Facebook post.
