The Biggest Mistakes People Make After Treatment

December 26th, 2023

By P. Casey Arrillaga, LCSW, LCDC

It
is a tough decision to go to treatment, and it is often made in the midst of a
crisis. Almost as soon as a person gets to the treatment center, both they and
their loved ones start thinking (and often worrying) about what comes next.
Unfortunately, many people who go to treatment make mistakes that can lead to
relapse and all the consequences that come with it. In this post, we’ll look at
three of the biggest pitfalls and what you or your loved ones can do to avoid
them.

What
We Know So Far

Even
though Windmill has some of the best success rates in the business, we know
that it is ultimately up to our clients to stay sober and healthy after treatment,
and this will come down to what they do after they leave.

While
family success rates are harder to measure, the need for family members to
follow through is no less important. While family members can’t keep the people
they love sober and okay, they can have a powerful effect on their own lives
and positively influence the whole family if they work on their own recovery. This
is why we say that the most powerful thing you can do for the people around you
is to work on yourself.

This
leads to the number one mistake that people make after treatment: they stop
doing the work of recovery. Some say it’s too much trouble, that they worked
hard during treatment, or that they don’t have time. Others acknowledge that
they should be working on their recovery but just can’t find the motivation. No
matter the reason, the result is all too often the same. They relapse into old
behaviors, with a return to chemical use being the most prominent.

Family
members may similarly tell themselves that their loved one has completed
treatment, so the family member has nothing more to do. Alternatively, they may
try to arrange everything to be “perfect” for the person leaving treatment,
thinking it is up to the family to get it right, go to meetings with them, etc.
Rather than this, we recommend that the time after treatment is when family
members should focus most on their own recovery. In the months after treatment,
family recovery meetings are even more important than when their loved one was
at the facility.

How
can someone know the best course to take? Almost any treatment center will give
each client a written discharge plan that details what should be done next.
This may include going to recovery fellowships meetings, such as Alcoholics
Anonymous or SMART Recovery for people with addictions, NAMI for people with
other mental health issues, and Al-Anon or SMART Recovery Family & Friends
for people whose loved one is the person getting sober. It should also include
a referral for an individual therapist. Depending on the circumstances,
continuing group therapy such as an Intensive Outpatient Program [IOP] may be
recommended. At Windmill, we have vetted many therapists, sober houses, and
recovery groups, so our clients are being encouraged to see trusted
professionals and people with solid recovery. No matter where you or your loved
one goes, insist on no less.

The
second mistake that clients often make after treatment is not following up with
medical providers and thus going off prescribed medications. This will
inevitably happen whether by default or by design when medical appointments
aren’t made or kept. The chances of relapse are much higher for people who
don’t take their medications after treatment, especially if they were just
getting stabilized at the facility. At Windmill, we try to minimize the number
of medications our clients are taking, but what is prescribed is prescribed for
a good reason. Going off these without medical supervision is courting
disaster.

The
third common mistake people make after treatment is letting the personal
connections they formed during the program slip away. While in treatment, most
people become close with sponsors, mentors, fellow clients, and people who are more
experienced in sustaining recovery. Maintaining these connections through
in-person meetings, phone calls, social media, and any other way that people
connect is one of the best predictors of ongoing recovery. In fact, people who
connect with others at recovery fellowship meetings have been shown to be twice
as likely to stay sober. This reinforces the importance of human connection in
getting and staying better. At Windmill, we have a robust and active alumni
group, with weekly meetings, social media groups, outreach calls, and special
events. We also welcome alumni and their families to keep attending our family
workshop and SMART Recovery Family & Friends meetings. We do all this because
it encourages clients and their families to stay involved long after treatment
ends, thus increasing their chances of success.

The
Bottom Line

It
is easy to struggle after treatment, but you or your loved one can avoid some
of the pitfalls outlined in this post. Keep up the recovery work, keep
following medical directions, and stay connected. By doing so, you and/or your
loved one have much better chances of happy and successful outcomes after
treatment.

About The Author

P. Casey Arrillaga is the Team Leader for Education at
Windmill Wellness Ranch, and he is the author of books including “Realistic
Hope: The Family Survival Guide for Facing Alcoholism and Other Addictions”.
His book