What Happens After Residential Treatment?

Recovery requires a lot of change. Residential treatment is the first step on the path. To keep walking that path, and living in Recovery takes effort, patience and most of all: help from others.

Maybe you can do this alone, but you don’t have to. The more support you have, the better your chances.

Residential treatment was a great start. It’s an immersive, conducive healing experience, and provided you with the space and tools necessary to begin your recovery. You had a solid support system and qualified team around you, all the time. But what happens after you’re home? Here are some things to remember for your next stage of recovery:

Your Feelings Are Normal

As you leave residential treatment, it is not uncommon to wonder what your next steps in recovery might be. Anticipation — both positive and stressful — about leaving is normal. The stress of the unknown or, perhaps, fear of the familiar, might begin to set in. So, how do you prepare?

You Can Plan for Success

You can do this. The key is having a support system in place. Leaving residential treatment doesn’t mean you’re on your own now. In fact, just the opposite. Before you go, we’ll make sure you have outpatient sessions set up, both individual and groups, with Arbor Place, or wherever you are living. The support doesn’t end when you leave treatment. 

Be patient with yourself. Going through residential treatment doesn’t mean you’re cured now. Remember, it’s just the first step in a process. You are going to have good days and bad days, your emotions will be up and down. This is part of recovery. 

Having a plan when you leave can set you up for success. A combination of a professional support system (counselors and group classes) and community support (12-step groups like AA/NA, religious groups and churches, family members, and peer support to name a few) can all help you stay on target. 

It can be difficult to return to a place you lived in the midst of your addiction, so you’ll want to intentionally keep yourself busy. A schedule and structure can help with this. Again, be patient. Recovery is a process, not an event.

Your Possibilities Are Endless

Without a doubt, life after residential treatment and in early recovery will be different. It is going to feel strange at the beginning. But you will start to notice there are now endless possibilities available for you. Working a recovery program can give you, and your family, hope and a future. Whatever you would like that to be.  

Addiction is hard, treatment can feel challenging, and re-entry into society can be scary. But at Arbor Place, we know that you can do this. And we’re here to help.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re ready to help. Contact us today.