Manor Care Health Services

Congratulations, you’ve made it through most or all of treatment and you’re going home. Over the last month of treatment you’ve learned a lot about your addiction and a lot more about yourself. You’ve made some friends, jotted down numbers and addresses and you’ve made promises to keep in touch. Now has come the time to say goodbye and walk back into the world, bright eyed and full of anxious worry about what might happen to your sobriety when you’re back in your old environment. What can you expect when you get there?

Your nervousness is a good sign. A little fear of the unknown can be healthy, especially when dealing with a life and death situation like addiction. But do your best not to be too worried and try to relax. It is possible to worry yourself into a relapse if you’re not careful. But more than likely you will be just fine if you do what has been taught to you over the last month in rehab. You have been armed with the facts about your disease and you know what to look out for and what and who to avoid. You know which meetings to attend and what to do when you get there. You know that there is a support group in virtually every city in the world. No matter where you go, you don’t have to drink or use if you give your program a chance before picking up that first drink or drug.

As you already know from your personalized recovery program, we have prepared you to go home. But again, when you get home one of the first things you should do is plan for a meeting as soon as possible. If it’s late, do it first thing in the morning. Don’t wait and don’t put it off. This is your support that will help you maintain what you’ve worked so hard to attain. In rehab you were surrounded by people who were trying to stay sober like you. There was camaraderie there and now you need to find that near your home. Without a support group, your chances of staying sober by yourself diminish drastically. You know this by now so don’t put it off. The quickest way to relapse is by not doing this first, vital step. When you find a group, go at least once a day. Try your best to share openly and honestly and get to know people. If we haven’t helped you find one already, find a temporary sponsor and get numbers. It may be uncomfortable at first but don’t give up. You’ve worked too hard to quit now.

When arriving home, you may be faced with certain dilemmas which may have little or nothing to do with drinking or using. There will be without a doubt some person or people that will have little faith in what you’re doing. That may be a result of years of seeing you try over and over again to quit. You may or may not have made solemn promises and broken them time and again. Whatever your situation, try and remember that even though they may not have faith in what you’re doing today, one day they will. Just keep doing what you’re doing, regardless of what is happening around you.

Another thing to consider is the possibility that those close to you, the ones that have either taken care of you or have had to live you while you were drinking or using, may still treat you like you are still using and drinking though you are not. They may walk on eggshells around or try to run your life. Remain calm. They are only doing what they have been doing all along, especially during the times you were unable to do it for yourself. It will take time for them to see you are sober and aware now. In fact, it may be a challenge for them to change if they’ve made an entire life around taking care of you and cleaning up your various scrapes and messes. Again, remember that they were there with you through the worst of times. Now is an opportunity to pay that debt back with patience, love and understanding.

There will more changes to come in the following months of sobriety. If you are conscientiously following the suggestions made to you in rehab and at the aftercare meetings you attend, you will not fail. It’s not going to always be easy but nothing worthwhile is. Hang in there and don’t quit five minutes before the miracle happens.

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