It can be difficult to convey to loved ones how serious you are about your recovery when you exit treatment. Understandably, after years of substance use and breaking trust, your loved ones might not understand how much you went through to reach sobriety and are skeptical about your recovery, which can be frustrating.
Alternatively, your loved ones may show doubt because they worry and might need reassurance that you are putting your recovery first. Therefore, you will want to ensure them that you are on the right path, and having a strong aftercare plan will help show them.
Aftercare is critical for maintaining long-term sobriety. Without an aftercare plan, it can be hard to reassure yourself, let alone others, that your recovery is in good hands. So what can you do?
The most important thing you can do is work with healthcare professionals while in treatment to develop an aftercare plan that will suit your needs. You want to make sure you pick an aftercare plan that will help you continue to build on the skills you learned during treatment and strengthen the relationships made with professionals and peers.
Some plans may involve sober living options or attending community meetings. Whatever you decide, inform trusted family, friends, and peers about the plan. Doing so will help you and your family, friends, and peers hold you accountable when things become challenging. It will also show them that you have a plan and are serious about maintaining it.
Another way to ensure those around you know how serious you are about recovery is to create an action plan. Action planning involves setting goals and putting them into action. Such goals should promote putting your recovery first. Ways you can start developing an action plan include:
A great way to incorporate your family into your action plan is by continuing to work with them. This may be through group therapy or simply visiting them regularly. Ultimately, when you keep your family involved, they will continue to understand your addiction and can start to identify warning signs of when you might feel overwhelmed. Additionally, depending on your relationship, you can also provide your family with a list of things to watch out for when you are beginning to struggle. Such signs may include:
Crisis planning is by far the most difficult aspect of an action plan. For this, you have to be honest with yourself about when you have become out of control, and you need someone to intervene. Crisis planning will incorporate those closest to you to come to your aid and help when you need to de-escalate. This could involve:
In the event of a worst-case scenario, and you have to go away, you will want to discuss the following:
While it may be hard to include loved ones in your crisis planning, doing so will continue to strengthen the bonds and trust between you and your family. Remember, the people around you do not want to see you fail. They are there to help, and this can help them understand how to help in the best way.
It can be difficult talking to friends and family about aftercare. Sometimes people want to interject their thoughts into what you are aftercare should be. It is easy to get frustrated in this kind of situation, but you should try to understand that their opinions come from wanting to help. Ultimately, the decision of how you plan your aftercare is yours; you are the one who controls your sobriety, and only you truly know your experience.
Discussing aftercare with others can be difficult, and you want to ensure them that you are on the right path. The ultimate goal is to be able to live a happy life and show those around you that you can. Ultimately, it should be about putting your recovery first, and NorthStar Transitions can help. Our programs incorporate both conventional and holistic practices to ensure that you have treatment to meet your needs. With us, not only will you develop the skill necessary to handle the challenges of early recovery, but our group therapy programs will help you and your family understand addiction and how to manage it together. We will also help you set up an aftercare plan, so you're ready to start recovery with a sense of direction and motivation. To learn more about our programs, reach out to us today and call us at (303) 558-6400.
