Long-Term Solutions
Home offers recovering alcoholics and drug addicts a contradiction. A home is supposed to be a warm and comforting place that is full of the people that love them, but it is also a place where recovering addicts dove deep into a destructive addiction. What went on inside their homes may even have been the cause of the addiction. Recovering addicts who have completed their inpatient treatments are faced with returning to these same homes again, and they are concerned that doing so might mean that they also return to their former drug-addicted or alcoholic lifestyles.
What Long-Term Solutions Provide
Some recovering addicts need a little more time to cement the lessons they have learned so that there is a minimal chance of a relapse. Long-term solutions give them a place to practice living a sober lifestyle after they leave the treatment center but before they return home. They also learn to cope with the cravings they may have and how they can keep one step ahead of the addiction. Because they will be in an environment surrounded by people who are struggling with the same issue, they will receive moral support that they would not have at home with people who do not truly understand.
What Is Different about Long-Term Facilities
Finding the long-term solution that works for you will make all the difference!
People must not expect to find doctors and nurses at long-term facilities. Their inpatient facilities have physicians, nurses and therapists on staff, but long-term facilities largely have non-medical personnel running them with help from the residents. This means that the residents must conduct themselves in the manner that is expected of them. They will need to follow the rules on how they conduct themselves, how they manage their drug or alcohol problems, attend counseling sessions and maintain a job. If they fail to follow the rules, they may be asked to leave the home. In most cases, the residents’ greatest desire is to remain in the facility, so they make sure that they follow every rule and help others to do so as well.
Rules at Long-Term Care Solutions
Long-term care solutions break the time residents spend at the facility into sections. The first is a 30-day period when residents will need to obey the following rules:
- Remain on the premises except when going to work or for counseling
- Offer urine samples for drug or alcohol screenings
- Do chores
- Be a part of the facility’s addiction meetings
- Meet with their assigned mentor throughout the day
After residents have proven themselves to be trustworthy, they may be granted the privilege of spending the night with their families. They may not have to do as many chores as they did when they first arrived, but this will depend on the long-term facility.
The Treatment Continues
Once people move into a long-term facility, this will not mean that they have terminated their treatment. They will still need to attend counseling sessions and take medicine that reduces their cravings if they need to. They may also need to attend group counseling sessions outside of the facility that give them support in remaining off of drugs and alcohol. Basically, the residents continue to do in a long-term solution what they started in their rehabilitation programs.
Who Does the Long-Term Solution Benefit the Most?
Living in a long-term facility would be an excellent solution for those who feel as if they are alone in their addictions. This feeling would certainly not apply in a long-term facility because everyone has the same problem, so there is always someone around who will understand the difficulties others have of remaining drug and alcohol-free. If they would be returning to an environment where the people are unfamiliar with drug addictions, these recovering addicts may have their needs served better in a long-term facility.
A long-term facility is a wonderful option for those who are worried about what they would do with total freedom. In a long-term facility, every minute of their day is controlled by someone else. They have few opportunities to begin thinking of their drugs of choice and any cravings they may have. Their activities are confined to living a drug-free or alcohol-free lifestyle and enjoying time with the other residents.
The Main Consideration
Before deciding to enter into one of these long-term solutions, people must be sure that they are prepared to be away from their families for a long period of time. The inability to remain with the program because they miss their kids, their pets and their significant others has made completing long-term treatment programs impossible for some people.
