After you leave rehab, it should never be the case that you are out there in the world completely unsupported. When this happens it is all too easy to fall back into the old ways and start taking drugs or drinking alcohol like you were before. What is important is for you to have the correct community support and this is something that the rehab center itself will help you to set up.
Even though you may believe that you have beaten your addiction you need to constantly work on yourself to stop going backwards. This means you need the right team around you who can advise you on your health, deal with any questions you may have, and to generally help you on those days where things just seem to be so tough.
Medical Profesionals
Once rehab is over, you need to ensure that your own doctor is aware of you having been there. They can often be one of your first ports of call especially if you feel that you are still suffering from anxiety and the stress of trying to avoid falling back into your old life. You should also look at having access to a counselor who can help you even over the phone or deal with any questions by email. Quite often just knowing that there is somebody there who knows what you are going through and knows how to help you can make a huge difference.
Support Groups
Obviously one of the major thing is to get along to either Alcoholics Anonymous, or Narcotics Anonymous. You will often find that you can get someone to sponsor you, as they work in this way, from the rehab center you were at. There are a number of people who have been in the same situation as you, so the fact that you can talk to somebody who went to the same place and had the same treatment and is now doing well for themselves really can be a weight off your shoulders.
Loved Ones
Finally, you need your family and friends to rally around you and to appreciate what you have gone through and how tough it has been. People are now more willing to help those that have been to rehab and indeed they often look at it from the point of view that at least the person is trying to clean up their life. Clearly you need to be quite strict here especially if family members or friends were the reason as to how you get into trouble in the first place. Surround yourself with people that genuinely care and want to help along with those that just create a positive atmosphere and life after rehab really will seem so much better.
In short, to successfully beat your addiction you also need to plan ahead and never just think that rehab itself will solve all of your problems. Instead, be prepared to have a network of people that you can contact when times are hard along with those who will support you through those dark days and help you to keep your chin up. Beating addiction does not have to be lonely.
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