What to Expect When You Leave Rehab

July 31st, 2023

Going to rehab can be one of the biggest decisions you can
make, yet it is only the beginning of a lifetime journey. While choices about
where to go to rehab are often made on the fly in the middle of a crisis, the
decisions about what to do after can be made with a clearer mind and a little
less pressure. This post will talk about some of the things to expect and the
decisions that can be made to best meet the unique challenges that come with
leaving rehab.

What You Can Expect

The first 60 days after rehab are statistically the hardest.
It is during this roughly two-month stretch that people are the most vulnerable
to relapse. This doesn’t mean that this time will always be awful, only that
there are sure to be hurdles to overcome. Some of these include:

·
Facing any wreckage that may have resulted from your
addiction

·
Feeling like everyone is watching you to see if
there are any signs of slipping back into addictive behaviors

·
Rebuilding trust, learning how to do the many
little and big things that go into daily life while sober

·
Navigating relationships, especially when they
have been warped or even defined by the addiction

·
Rebuilding finances

·
Dealing with legal issues

·
Being thrust back into responsibilities like
work and childcare after some time of being able to focus only on
self-knowledge and growth

·
Figuring out how to fit recovery into daily life

It’s also important to see how much good can come out of
this period. For instance, it can be a time of tremendous growth and
revitalized self-image. Old relationships that seemed doomed can be brought
back to life as recovery changes the dynamics. The most important of these is
often the rebuilding of relationship with self. The time shortly after rehab
offers a golden opportunity to see what once seemed impossible become possible,
such as feeling useful in the world and being proud of yourself.

Big Decisions and How to Make Them

Coming out of rehab without a plan is equivalent to starting
a football game without having any plays or getting onstage to play a concert
without having rehearsed any songs. In the movies, this may seem heroic and
lead to glorious improvisation, but in real life it usually ends in disaster.
The winning strategy is to have as solid a plan as possible and follow it
closely. This is usually known as a “discharge plan” and it’s never too early
in the treatment process to start putting it together.

A a reputable rehab center, the staff will help. For
instance, if you are a client at Windmill Wellness Ranch, both your primary
therapist and your recovery coach will start discharge planning within the
first few days of admission and then work with the you to build a list of
meetings, appointments, and actions that can dramatically improve your chances
of staying sober not only through the crucial months following rehab but also
for a lifetime of ongoing recovery.

This illustrates an important point: don’t try to make the
big decisions by yourself. Many of us have trouble accepting help or are afraid
to ask for it, but this is a time to push through this internal resistance. This
is because it’s easy to talk yourself out of good ideas and into bad ones,
especially in early sobriety. Instead, let professionals and people who have
been through these situations successfully be your guides.

A sample list of big decisions to make includes:

• Where to live (sober living will usually be
  better than living alone or returning to an unhealthy environment)
• What meetings to attend and how often (90
  meetings in 90 days is a good start)
• Whether to engage in outpatient treatment
  (people who follow residential rehab with IOP usually fare better)
• What therapist to see after treatment (look for
  someone experienced with the issues of early recovery)
• How to rebuild relationships (consider
  couples/family therapy)

The Bottom Line

Everyone will have their own experience after rehab, and
there is no one perfect set of actions, but there are some common moves that
lead to better outcomes. One of the biggest of these is accepting help in
making a solid discharge plan so you can meet the challenges that come after
rehab.