Why Rehab Aftercare Programs are Important for Sobriety

The recovery journey from drug & alcohol addiction doesn’t end after treatment. Often, this is just the beginning, which makes aftercare in recovery extremely important.

Life after treatment can be complex and challenging. Adjusting to everyday life can be stressful, and it’s tempting to fall back into old patterns. The risk of relapse is highest immediately after a person leaves drug rehab. In fact, around 40-60% of people who get treatment for substance abuse experience a relapse.¹

Aftercare in recovery, also called continuing care, is designed to help prevent relapse. The goals of continued care are to keep you connected to support systems and prevent isolation. Aftercare provides ongoing accountability during early recovery, to reinforce the things you learned during treatment, and help you achieve long-term sobriety.

What Are Rehab Aftercare Programs?

An aftercare plan outlines the support systems and activities that will be put into place once you leave addiction treatment. These resources and interventions will help you cope with the challenges you’ll face, such as triggers, cravings, and stress.

The plan will include steps you will take, ongoing supports that your treatment center will provide, and any other crucial resources that need to be in place to help you maintain sobriety. This varies based on individual needs well as the type of addiction treatment program you complete. For example, someone who has had a substance use disorder for 20 years, has little family support, and just completed a 90-day inpatient rehab needs a different aftercare plan than someone who recently started abusing drugs and has a strong support network in place.

Typically, if you receive care at a higher intensity level (inpatient, partial hospitalization program, or intensive outpatient program), your aftercare plan will be more involved. In this situation, aftercare in recovery might include ongoing treatment in an outpatient setting, or transition to a sober living home. If you completed a standard outpatient program, your aftercare plan may include joining a 12-step support group and finding a counselor to provide continued therapeutic and social supports.

The length of an aftercare plan also varies, again depending on personal needs and situation. Some aftercare support lasts a few weeks or months, while others last for more than a year. For most people, aftercare in recovery is recommended for at least one year.³

5 Common Elements of Aftercare Programs

While aftercare in recovery is tailored to each person’s needs and situation, there are some aspects of aftercare that should be a part of every plan. These elements include:

#1 A Relapse Prevention Plan

How are you going to avoid drug or alcohol relapse? What steps do you need to take? What challenges would most likely cause you to relapse? It’s impossible to predict every event or circumstance, but your relapse prevention plan is designed to prepare you as much as possible for crises and help you overcome them.

A good aftercare plan in recovery will include a list of known triggers, safe emergency contacts, and self-soothing techniques. The plan should also include best practices that you commit to doing in order to avoid relapse. These might include crisis hotlines, daily calls to your safe contacts, maintaining a structured schedule, enjoying sober hobbies, and asking for help.

#2 A Strong Support Network

A healthy support network will provide the care you need in all areas of your life. They include peer, professional, and environmental supports.

Peer support: This type of aftercare is typically found in support groups. Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Celebrate Recovery help you build a strong sober support network. Experts recommend attending 90 meetings in 90 days when you first leave treatment.²

Professional support: This part of your aftercare plan provides ongoing expert care after you complete a treatment program. This may include additional treatment at a lower level of intensity. Common professional support services for aftercare in recovery include:

Medication management with a healthcare provider
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
Outpatient therapy
Professional monitoring services
Recovery specialist coaching
Counseling
Family and/or couples therapy

Environmental support: Your surroundings during early recovery can make or break your efforts at sobriety. Where you are – and who you are with – matters. Your aftercare plan will address what might need to change in your life so you can maintain sober living. Environmental supports may include safe, sober employment, safe, sober housing, religious support, and supportive sober friends. A sober living home often provides these supports for individuals leaving a treatment program.

#3 Drug & Alcohol Aftercare Recovery Resources

As you continue your recovery journey, you may need a variety of resources for success. You may have employment needs, housing needs, relationship needs, and more. Rehab aftercare recovery resources help you meet these needs. These resources might include job training, education, housing assistance, spiritual support, counseling resources, medical assistance, and financial guidance. Your aftercare plan should include any resources that will be crucial to helping you achieve a successful recovery.

#4 Healthy Coping Strategies

How will you cope with the challenges of sober living? Aftercare in recovery includes outlining healthy coping strategies. These strategies allow you to plan for challenges in advance, so you know what to do when you encounter a trigger or stressful situation. For example, you may decide to develop a habit of prayer, or commit to exercising each day to relieve stress.

#5 Ongoing Contact with Your Treatment Facility

After you complete a treatment program, your contact with the facility should not end. Aftercare in recovery involves maintaining that relationship for continued support. You may check in on a regular basis with a counselor, or return for peer support meetings. Your interactions with the facility will depend on what type of programs are offered and your personal situation. Often, this continued contact happens in the form of Alumni Programs.

What Are Rehab Alumni Programs?

Rehab alumni programs are available for individuals who have completed a drug treatment program. They allow you to maintain contact with the treatment provider and also connect with others who have completed addiction treatment. These services are usually provided for an extended period of time or as long as they are needed. Benefits of substance use alumni programs include:

In-person or phone check-ins
Online support through email, social media groups, and message boards
A hotline to call for support
Sober events held weekly or monthly

These supports allow you to share common struggles, receive advice and support, and begin to enjoy a sober lifestyle.

How Are Rehab Aftercare Plans Created?

Each person in drug or alcohol rehab helps to create their aftercare plan. You’ll meet with a counselor, case manager, or therapist to create your plan together. This process often begins as soon as your treatment begins. Then, as you near program completion, you’ll solidify your aftercare plan based on current needs. For example, if you need a sober living environment, your aftercare plan will include housing resources or possibly a transition to a sober living facility.

The specifics of your aftercare in recovery may change as circumstances and needs change. The ultimate goal is to keep the supports in place that you need to attain long-term recovery from drugs or alcohol.

Sources

Addiction: What to know about relapse. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved May 18, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/addiction-what-to-know-about-relapse
Why 90 meetings in 90 days? (2016, March 17). 12 Step. https://www.12step.com/articles/why-90-meetings-in-90-days
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2008). What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families.