So You’ve Gone Through Detox, What Now?

Detox is not the end of treatment. It is only the first stage in the recovery process. It is possible to make the mistake of leaving drug treatment too early and find yourself right back in the middle of addiction. There are a variety of services that treatment centers offer that can help you stay on track and avoid relapse after you’ve gone through detox.

Counseling

Counseling is one of the most valuable tools treatment centers offer. There are two main types of counseling, individual and group. Both types of counseling are extremely valuable for recovery. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, counseling is designed to:

• Help you create a recovery lifestyle
• Discover and treat underlying mental illness
• Discovery and treat mental issues that were created by the drug use
• Make changes in your behavior that will improve your life and prevent future use
• Repair the damage that drug abuse causes in your life
• Build relationships with other addicts to help you understand your own addiction

Counseling can begin during detox or after if you are not up to it during detox.

Skill Building

Skill building is an essential part of drug treatment. It can range from simple self esteem building to subjects like:

Skill building courses can help you reintegrate into society.

• Employment skills
• Stress management
• Money management
• Time management
• Nutrition
• Social skills
• Anger management
• Communication skills

All of these are valuable skills that can help you reintegrate into life without drug abuse. You only have to take the classes that you want or need.

Medication

Some treatment centers provide medication for help in managing your addiction and help you remain healthy. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, some of the most common medications are:

• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Methadone
• Buprenorphine
• Naltrexone
• Acamprosate
• Disulfiram
• Herbal remedies

Some of these drugs help with the symptoms of your addiction while others help you rebalance your body and restore it to its pre-addiction state.

A Support Structure

Developing a support structure is extremely important when it comes to addiction. A support structure goes beyond making friends or talking to family. This is building a group of people who understand your addiction and are willing to help when you need someone just to talk with.

Aftercare

Aftercare is continuing care to make sure that you do not relapse back into drug use. Some of the types of aftercare are:

• Group housing
• Transitional housing
• Sober housing
• Continued counseling
• 12 step programs
• Medication maintenance
• Ongoing treatment for mental illness or chronic pain
• Continuing life skills training

These are all supportive aftercare resources that you can take advantage of to help keep you from relapsing.

Finding a Detox and Treatment Center

Finding the right detox and treatment center is extremely important to your recovery. You need to find a treatment center that offers all of the services you want after detox. To find one, call 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) . We can help.

Sources

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2008). What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families. 
2. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction.