Aftercare and continuing care treatment programs for substance abuse in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, British Columbia – Options Okanagan Treatment Centers in Kelowna, British Columbia treating opiate and alcohol addiction and recovery.
The recovery journey never truly ends, although it does change as time goes on. In the beginning, the focus is on detoxification, which allows the addict to prepare to go to inpatient treatment. While at inpatient treatment, the addict receives therapy and counseling. He or she also learns about life skills and practices what they need to do to be successful when they leave the in-house setting. At the point at which inpatient treatment ends, substance abuse aftercare begins. Substance abuse aftercare helps the addict get back to “normal.” It assists them as they move from a very structured setting back to their live and their previous living environment.
How Do Aftercare Programs Help?
It is not easy to leave a rehabilitation center and go back to dealing with the world at large. The center is a place where the addict is relatively sheltered and can feel safe. The outside world is, at times, very stressful. While struggling with substance abuse, the addict likely experienced physical, psychological, social and financial issues. In addition, he or she may have run into trouble with the law, and those problems may need to be resolved once inpatient treatment is over.
Aftercare programs give addicts the support they need to be successful. Without such a program, it is very difficult to continue on the path to recovery. Relapses are most common after the individual leaves rehabilitation, during the first six months that they are on their own.
What Do Aftercare Programs Provide For Participants?
There are a number of different components involved in an aftercare program. While each is different, the following are some things to look for.
Preventing Relapses
Education on relapse is important for anyone that is recovering from substance abuse. Relapse prevention programs typically center on the thoughts that the former addict has. For example, he or she may believe that it is okay to relapse under certain circumstances. In addition, relapse prevention goes over the decisions involved in a relapse, as well as guiding participants to think about what life would be like if a relapse takes place. Finally, as part of the prevention process, participants figure out how to handle their stress, so that they are not as likely to start abusing again.
Counseling
It is important to receive counseling throughout the recovery process; it will help the former addict figure out why they turned to their addictions in the first place. It is most common to attend counseling in a group setting, but individual appointments can also be arranged. The frequency of the counseling sessions decrease over time, with more sessions being held right after the individual gets out of rehab. There may also be a need for crisis counseling or drop-in counseling.
Regulating Emotions
Emotion regulation is a new component of many aftercare programs. It assists individuals as they determine what emotional states may be causing problems for them. It works to stop the patient from using drugs as a result of those negative emotions. Smoking cessation is one area where emotion regulation is being used.
Cognitive Therapy
Aaron Beck first discussed cognitive therapy more than fifty years ago. It delves deeply into the patient’s conscious and unconscious belief system. Cognitive therapy is based around the idea that an individual’s beliefs erroneously cause them to think that drugs will do something good for them. In addition, they may think that using drugs is okay over time, even if doing so does not bring about good results. In cognitive therapy, patients review their core beliefs and learn why they may be hurting them.
Are you interested in an aftercare program for substance abuse? Talk to someone today to see what options are available to you. There is no time like the present to get help for yourself or someone you love!
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, heroin drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331