Recovering from an addiction can be very complex, engaging, and challenging. However, with adequate treatment, people who struggle with addictions can get their lives back in no time.
Beyond recovery, aftercare treatment is also necessary to rid the patient of potential risk factors associated with previous addictions or new ones.
Aftercare treatment is a kind of treatment given to those recovering from addiction. It is an integral aspect of rehabilitation, especially in the case of substance addicts.
People recovering from one addiction or the other should consider aftercare treatments as an advanced or continued treatment, but for a shorter period.
The principal purpose of an aftercare treatment is to avoid relapse and manage withdrawal symptoms. People often undermine the need for aftercare treatments, believing that recovering from addiction is a one-off event and requires no additional medications or attention.
Research conducted in the United States shows that between 37% to 56% of addicts who claim to have recovered from addiction later go back to their previous state.
The relapse rate is this high because more than half of the people recovering from addiction opt-in for aftercare treatment. It implies that people recovering from an addiction should consider putting in for post-treatment care.
There are various types of aftercare options that will help patients develop ways to cope and prevent relapse. The two most popular options are:
- Inpatient treatment: This is the case where a patient applies to stay in the hospital or rehab for a longer time. It is usually to conduct a thorough check that they are better before going to the outside world. Only people experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms customarily take this option.
- Outpatient treatment: As the name implies, outpatient treatments are those done outside rehab centers or hospitals. It could be a periodic group discussion or an individual therapy.
At group discussions, patients share their experiences concerning their addiction and how they have tried to curb it. It helps them build a social network of like minds, tracking each other’s progress. An individual can as well schedule a session with a therapist to discuss his addiction and recovery progress.