The role of Aftercare programs plays in staying sober long after rehab ends.
There is an old saying “Everyone in rehab is sober.” And that’s true. It’s what happens after you leave the treatment center and reintegrate into life’s patterns that truly forms the foundation for lasting sobriety
This is why here at Sobriety.ca Foundation we have a plan to ensure you won’t have to face this challenging time alone, our Aftercare programs begin before you even leave us, and we have found that integrating this practice into our residents’ weekly routines helps them learn to integrate this into their new lives.
Our online community provides former residents with a uniquely safe and relational space to share their triumphs, triggers, and tales. Aftercare is a special space where there is no judgment, only supportive and caring partners in recovery.
Accessible and informed group discussions are led by facilitators who have shared experiences combined with extensive training. By offering these sessions online over Zoom we can ensure all of our graduates can easily access meetings over a variety of devices.
We augment these closed sessions with SMART recovery meetings, based on the SMART approach to sustained sobriety. These meetings are open to a wider range of participants, however, they are facilitated by one of our in-house trained staff, so we can ensure that they are conducted in a safe and respectful environment. And perhaps most importantly all graduates are provided with an additional 4 weeks of extensive one-to-one counseling sessions with their therapist.
All this is to ensure that those ever-important first few weeks are fully supported, and guidance is always readily at hand. We also provide our graduates with access to our Recovery App, so that through this mobile device they can virtually check in with their therapist, note how they are doing each day, record events that they find challenge their newfound commitment to sobriety and through this reinforces the positive routines learned while in care through CBT, REBT, and Emotional Interview therapies.
What is it that makes Aftercare programs an integral aspect of recovery?
If we think of life after rehab as taking a series of steps then having a clear plan that takes a wide variety of possibilities into account would be step one.
Step two, maintaining a dialogue with trained professionals who have experience with the process of reintegration into life, and returning to jobs. Families and relationships without falling back into a cycle of self-medicating.
Step three is learning which connections need to be severed confident in the new connections that will be there to support this process, which is one of the wonderful things the aftercare community can provide. Each member of this community has been through rehab, has hit the same lows, and roadblocks, and faces many of the same challenges and setbacks that you may encounter on this journey. This shared experience pool of resources is priceless for people who are seeking a sustained recovery.
Step four, adhering to those practices, and routines and using every tool in your tool kit to continue the good work you undertook while still at the centre. Just as every treatment plan is unique to the individual so too are the tools that work for them. Maybe it was the mindfulness practices that helped you find a way to examine anxiety that arises and dissect the reasons, employing your CBT superpowers to uncover triggers and lay them to rest. Or journaling was your way out of that dark space, into a place of enlightenment. Maybe it was the recreational therapy that reminded you how much joy you got from swimming, running, and exercising. Whichever tool you felt aligned most with your vibe, in the weeks, months, and years following your graduation the very practice of turning to that instead is one of the ways your investment in your recovery will be realized.
Step five, showing up every day for yourself and those who you care about. And at the end of the day, this is what matters most, we know that every graduate given the right support from therapists, community and loved ones has the greatest chance of maintaining their newfound freedom from the heavyweight that addiction places on them.
