Overcoming a substance addiction is a difficult process that takes time and professional support. Detox and recovery centers help people with every part of this process, with individual treatments including detox, medication treatment, behavioral therapy, and aftercare support. In order to break the bonds of addiction once and for all, it’s important to engage with each of these programs in a sequential fashion. While detox and rehab are both integral to addiction treatment, aftercare and recovery resources are always advised to help people recognize triggers and develop new lifestyle habits.
The Importance of Aftercare
Successful recovery from drug and alcohol addiction requires ongoing commitment. Recovery centers play an important role in this process, with recovering patients given the practical and psychological support they need to turn their lives around. Access to aftercare is crucial, with various programs offered through commercial treatment centers and community-based organizations. Relapse prevention programs are often initiated during aftercare, including behavioral and motivational programs that teach patients how to recognize triggers and cope with challenging situations as they arise. Practical support may also be offered, including training and education, job placement, accommodation services, and sober lifestyle coaching.
Relapse and How to Prevent It
Recovery programs for addiction should always include relapse prevention programs. Relapse is a common outcome of drug addiction, with roughly 50 percent of all patients returning to drug or alcohol use following formal treatment. In order to reduce relapse rates and promote long-term recovery, patients have to be taught how to recognize potential triggers, avoid high risk situations, and develop the psychological coping skills needed for healthy decision making.
Drug addiction is based on progressive brain changes that take place due to continual drug exposure. Addiction is a direct result of compulsive behavioral responses, with recovering addicts needing to replace old unhealthy habits with new habits in order to overcome their addiction. Patients are much more likely to break the bonds of addiction when they have access to professional aftercare support, with therapists and counselors helping people to channel negative triggers into positive new habits.
Triggers and How to Overcome Substance Addiction
Drug treatment Recovery centers and aftercare programs help people to recognize triggers and turn them into positive habits. Recovery programs for addiction are often based on the principles of mindfulness, with people taught how to overcome their addiction issues by paying attention to their sensations, feelings, and thoughts. By recognizing triggers as they arise, people can learn to steer them in a positive direction before they influence compulsive and impulsive behavioral responses.
Common triggers include stress, isolation, tiredness, anger, depression, anxiety, spending time with old friends, location proximity, and drug cravings. While detox enables the cessation of drug use and rehab addresses the precedents of addiction, true recovery happens when people learn how to deal with the challenges of life after treatment. Every comprehensive recovery model includes an element of relapse prevention and trigger recognition, with patients learning how to identify potentially damaging triggers and channel them into healthy lifestyle practices.
If your loved one is suffering from an addiction, call The Discovery House today at (818) 452-1676 or connect with us via social media at The Discovery House or tweet them to us @TDHRehab !