You have just finished medically monitored detox. Believe it or not, this is one of the riskiest times for your recovery. Because addiction is a chronic and relapsing brain disease it takes an ample amount of time for the brain to completely rewire itself. Immediately following medical detox your drug cravings are still incredibly strong and your neurological pathways are not yet healed. Because of this it is extremely common for people to relapse immediately after detox – sometimes within hours of their discharge. Because the brain is still hijacked by the addiction and because it has not yet had ample time to heal, it is absolutely essential that a personalized aftercare plan is in place. At Princeton Detox & Recovery Center we offer comprehensive medical detox services geared towards helping our clients undergo a safe and pain-free drug or alcohol withdrawal. However, we believe that detox should focus on more than physical stabilization. We adequately prepare each of our clients for long-term success in sobriety by developing a personalized plan for aftercare.
Aftercare Plan Options
While you are in detox your assigned case manager and clinical team are going to develop a personalized aftercare plan that includes an immediate transition into the next appropriate level of care. The level of care you require depends on your personal needs. In most cases, it is recommended that a person who has recently completed detox enter into an inpatient treatment program. However, inpatient treatment might not always be the best option. Potential options are as follows:
- Residential inpatient treatment. It is highly recommended that a person who has been struggling with a moderate or severe substance abuse disorder transition into a residential inpatient treatment center as soon as detox concludes. Most residential programs last for between one and three months and include intensive behavioral therapy, 12 Step program education and immersion and a variety of holistic treatment options. Clients stay in a homestyle retreat facility overnight where they have 24/7 access to support and whatever else they might need. Residential inpatient treatment centers often cater to the unique needs of different demographics – for example, many offer group sessions that are gender-specific and age-specific, or offer programs specifically designed for people struggling with dual diagnosis disorders or working professionals. As your personal needs are catered to you undergo intensive therapy and begin to heal on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual basis.
- Partial Hospitalization (PHP). PHP is one step down from inpatient treatment and the main difference lies in the fact that clients are able to return home every evening. If you are in a PHP program you meet between five and seven days a week and undergo intensive behavioral therapy in an individual and group setting. Participating in a PHP program is essentially the same time commitment as working a full-time job. However, clients are expected to prioritize their recovery outside of therapeutic group sessions as well by attending at least one 12 Step meeting every day and working through the Steps with a sponsor. If a person transitions directly from detox to PHP it is important that he or she has a supportive home environment (a family that supports his or her sobriety or a sober living house environment).
- Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP). IOP is one more step down from PHP seeing as clients meet less frequently for fewer hours every day. In this level of care a client is able to maintain part-time employment or continue with schooling part-time. Transitioning directly from detox to IOP is only recommended if you move into a sober living home simultaneously.
- Sober living. Some people opt to transition from medical detox directly into sober living. Sober living provides a safe and supportive living environment for men and women who are new to sobriety. This level of treatment is often utilized as a transitory phase between inpatient treatment and completely independent living seeing as it provides residents with accountability as they learn to navigate life on their own. Transitioning from detox directly into sober living is appropriate if you experienced a short-lived relapse after an extended period of sobriety and you are looking for extra support, or if you have been struggling with a very mild substance use issue and you have no underlying mental illnesses or unresolved trauma.
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Coverage Options Made Simple
Therapy in combination with the 12 Step program of addiction recovery. If you do decide to go this route it is absolutely critical to go to a meeting within the first two hours of your discharge from detox. This is the time period when you are most susceptible to relapse. At the meeting, make sure that you get phone numbers, get a sponsor and stick around after the meeting to let people know where you are at in your recovery process. Afterwards make sure that you arrange attendance at at least one meeting every day and call your sponsor on a daily basis. It is also crucial that you have built-in accountability at home and that you set up regular drug or alcohol tests with a family member or a friend in order to maintain accountability. Find an individual therapist immediately (the clinical team at your medical detox center is going to help with this) and meet with that therapist at least once a week.
How Long Will I Be in Treatment?
The length of your stay in addiction treatment depends heavily on your personal needs. You might require a more intensive level of clinical care or a longer stay and treatment if you have unresolved trauma, an underlying mental health condition or a particularly severe substance use disorder. If you choose to transition into a residential inpatient treatment center it is always suggested that you stay for three full months, seeing as this is how long it takes to break a habit and replace unhealthy ways of thinking and behaving with healthy and productive ones. Most PHP and IOP programs last for around six months. If sober living is a part of your individualized aftercare plan you can expect to live in the sober house you choose for between six and nine months. As a general rule of thumb, the entire addiction treatment process takes roughly one full year from start to finish.
If you have never been in a treatment program prior to this, you might feel like you are signing away a big portion of your life. A one-year commitment might seem completely overwhelming – even unnecessary. Keep in mind the fact that the longer you stay in treatment the less likely you are to relapse, and if you have suffered from active addiction you have already signed away a significant portion of your life to compulsive drug or alcohol use, drug seeking behaviors and recovering from the effects of your substance of choice.
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Princeton Detox & Recovery Center
In addition to offering medical detox, Princeton Detox & Recovery Center offers several addiction services including addiction assessments, case management services, individual, group and family therapy and thorough and personalized aftercare planning. As part of the Guardian Recovery Network we have numerous options for every level of care. We also maintain professional relationships with other providers and are happy to arrange the transition whenever need be. For more information on detox or aftercare, contact us today.
