Who should you call if you feel close to relapse after leaving inpatient substance abuse detox? Here’s the answer. You should call a friend to come over and help you find an inpatient or outpatient drug rehab treatment center immediately. Detox is only the first step towards sobriety. It was never intended to work alone. Detox only rids your body of drugs, not your mind. Your brain will still crave your drug of choice, and you still have untreated emotional issues. You probably have genes that make you more susceptible to drug abuse. You can’t fight substance abuse alone.
You Can’t Do it Alone
It’s impossible to be objective about your own drug use, especially if you’ve been abusing drugs and using them as a coping mechanism for a long time. Denial allows you to remain in your addiction without seeing what it’s truly doing to you until it’s too late. A small number of people have stopped using drugs and alcohol for long periods of time on their own, but they are not the norm. Most people need help to get sober and stay that way.
Ideally, you should go straight from detox into rehab that very same day. Residential rehabs that offer both detox and rehab also offer their clients a much better chance of success. Someone who has just detoxed isn’t strong enough to resist the urge to use again on their own. In fact, the drug craving, especially for opioids, may be stronger than it ever was. There is also the danger of overdose. Someone who has abstained from their drug of choice long enough to detox has also lost some of their drug tolerance. Tolerance means that the body gets used to a drug and needs more of it to produce the same effect. Tolerance also protects against overdose to some degree.
Someone who uses their customary dose of their drug of choice after a period of absence from it can easily overdose and die because their system is no longer tolerant to that substance. That’s yet another reason why detox should be immediately followed by treatment.
Staying Sober
After you have completed drug detox and rehab, you will be discharged from the facility. The length of time you will be there depends on both you and the rehab’s policies. Many offer programs no longer than 90 days. Some are much longer, even up to a year and more. Some are affiliated with sober living homes. These are a great way to ease back into your regular life.
Sober Living
If you feel like you’re not yet ready to leave the treatment environment completely, you should listen to that feeling. You probably still need a structured setting, but you can’t stay in treatment forever. You have to move on. Sober living homes offer a bridge between treatment and getting back to your regular life and routine. These homes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are standard residences on a city street. They may have two, three, four or more bedrooms. Some of the bigger ones may be co-ed, but the sexes’ living quarters are always segregated. Some facilities are former motels that have been converted for sober living. Others may be small apartment buildings. Whatever they are, they are not prisons. They aren’t rehabs, either, but they do offer a structured environment with other people who are trying to stay sober just like you are.
More About Sober Living
There is a lot of group support in these places. In fact, the only requirement for entry is the desire to remain clean. Anyone can attend, but it’s recommended that you complete drug rehab first. You will pay rent, but it’s usually reasonable. You will probably share a room with one or more residents of the same sex. Some allow outdoor smoking; some do not. There will be a curfew, but it’s not a prison. You can work or go to school or both. You will probably be required to do something constructive with your time, but that could also be doing volunteer work or working in the home or on the grounds. You can leave the program at any time but if you’re worried about relapse, you should stay for the entire recommended time period.
Help is Available
If you’re concerned about relapse and feel like you’re going to cave, you can also call us at 833-497-3812. A professional drug counselor will take your call and help you get back on track. Don’t give up hope. We can help, and we look forward to your call.