Methods of Treatment Offered in Aftercare
Drug or alcohol addiction is a lifelong disease that a person will continually battle with. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drug addiction is a chronic brain disease that is often relapsing, and which causes a person to compulsively seek out and use drugs.
Although there are numerous treatment programs available to help people overcome drug or alcohol addiction, they only help a person detox and learn to manage their addiction. Relapsing on drugs and alcohol is extremely common, but with continuing treatment a person has a better chance remaining sober. This is why there are aftercare treatment programs available to people who have recovered from a drug or alcohol addiction.
Aftercare treatment programs provide a person with the support and resources they need to continue living a drug or alcohol free life, and they help a person remain strong in staying away from drugs or alcohol. There are various types of aftercare treatment programs a person can involve themselves in, and there are even programs that specifically call themselves aftercare treatment programs, however, these aftercare programs are commonly provided by drug rehabs and may cost money.
Methods of Treatment Offered in Aftercare
Sober homes help ease the transition into a drug and alcohol free life after addiction treatment.
The two main methods of treatment in aftercare programs are support and therapy. Since addiction is a lifelong disease, a person should continue to see a therapist after their treatment, so that they can healthily deal with any emotional problems they are experiencing. In addition, some people have mental side effects from their drug or alcohol abuse years later, and attending therapy can help a person catch these side effects early and receive the proper medication they need to treat them.
Other aftercare treatment options include 12 step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). These twelve step programs are filled with people who have been through the recovery process of drug and alcohol addiction, and who will support and help a person to remain living a drug or alcohol free life.
Another aftercare treatment option a person can involve themselves in is sober living. Sober living is where a person will live in a house with other people who have recovered from their drug or alcohol addictions, and will begin to take on responsibilities once again and begin to slowly build a life for themselves again. Through sober living a person will begin to do household chores, and have assistance with finding a job, and they will have the ability to save up money and move out on their own.
