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What to Do After Alcholism Rehab?

After completing rehab for alcohol addiction, it is very common to feel shaky and alone. After rehab, individuals are encouraged to change relationships with people, places and things, so until a new set of healthy friendships is established, some may feel isolated and cut off from old, unhealthy friendships.

There are a number of things an individual should do after completing alcohol rehab.

  1. Support Groups

    • Alcohol addiction is a life-threatening illness that if not arrested can lead to death. Recovery should be taken very seriously. After completing alcohol rehab, an individual will be faced with a number of challenges and daily struggles. Many support groups exist to assist in the recovery process. One of the most popular is Alcoholics Anonymous, with thousands of members all across the world. There is no fee to join AA; only a commitment to stay sober is required. Many people find comfort in AA due to the non-judgment format and the acceptance of people from all walks of life. Other support groups that individuals find helpful are Adult Children Of Alcoholics (ACOA) and Al-Anon. These groups are open to the families as well as the recovering individual. It is suggested that people new to sobriety attend as many support groups as possible and obtain several phone numbers to help enhance the recovery process.

    Replacing the Social Scene

    • After completing alcohol rehab, a recovering individual is encouraged to stay busy and engage in activities that do not include the socialization in bars or attending parties where alcohol is being served for a least the first six months of sobriety. Post-rehab activities include going to coffee houses that cater to the recovering population and offer such activities as guest speaking engagements and special nights build around sober activities.

      Individuals in sobriety are also encouraged to explore educational opportunities, mentoring programs and volunteer work so they learn not to focus on alcohol use and create a healthy daily routine.

    Continue Counseling

    • Recovering individuals are also encouraged to continue the work that they started in rehab. Obtaining a good counselor to help work through some of the issues associated with the alcohol use will only help ensure long term sobriety. It is suggested that people new to sobriety continue in counseling for the first 12 months of their recovery program.

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