Our outpatient detox Delray Beach program is the first step towards a drug free life. Entering our outpatient detox program is an achievement. If you’re like most people who finish our outpatient detox program, you’ll be feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future – ready for a brand new start.
Drug addiction is a chronic disease with a high relapse rate – just like diabetes or any other chronic disease, it’s not something that you can simply cure with treatment in our outpatient detox Delray Beach program. Beating addiction takes tremendous will power and courage, but our detox program will allow you to start your journey strongly. You’ll have to manage your condition for the rest of your life. You will be able to stay drug free once you finish our outpatient detox Delray Beach program, and the longer you stay drug free, the easier it gets.
Of course, there will be temptations once you leave our program or other treatment. Follow these tips to resist the urges to return to drug use once you finish our outpatient detox or any other addiction treatment:
Have a Relapse Prevention Plan Before You Leave
As part of our outpatient detox Delray Beach program, you and your counselors will develop a relapse prevention plan. For at least the first 12 months after you leave our detox program, you need to follow your relapse prevention plan to a T. If you follow your plan carefully, you’ll be able to recognize the warning signs of impending relapse and head them off before they lead you back to drug use.
Practice Good Self-Care During and After
You should make taking care of yourself a priority both while you’re in our outpatient detox Delray Beach program and after you leave it. That means you should eat regular, nutritious meals, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest. You also need to look after your emotional and spiritual needs. Hunger, fatigue, anger, stress and loneliness are triggers that are capable of driving you back to drug use. If you feel like giving up and using again at any point during or after your time in our outpatient detox Delray Beach program, ask yourself if you’re feeling hungry, angry, lonely or tired instead – and if so, take care of that feeling. You’ll find that your urge to use drugs quickly recedes.
Stay Busy
When you enter our outpatient detox Delray Beach program, there’s a good chance you’re going to have to stop hanging around with your old drugging friends. Hanging out with them will only make you feel tempted and perhaps pressured to start using drugs again, and in any case, you’ll probably find you don’t have much in common with them now that you’re making an effort to change your life in our outpatient detox Delray Beach program. You’re going to have a lot of time on your hands, now that you’re not busy using drugs all the time.
Start building friendships with the other people you’ve met in our outpatient detox Delray Beach program. They’ll support your recovery goals and you’ll come to depend on one another during the rough times. Find new hobbies – having things you are passionate about can give you a reason to say drug free and help you cope with stress and cravings.
Build a Support Network
You should start building your social support network before you leave our outpatient detox Delray Beach program. Everyone needs a social support network, but as a recovering addict, yours is particularly important. Your support network can consist of your new recovery friends, other new friends you may meet, old friends who don’t use drugs and who support your recovery goals, and your family. Recovery support groups are a great way to get social support during and after our outpatient detox Delray Beach program.
Stay in Therapy After You Leave
The biggest mistake you can make is to assume that just because your outpatient detox Delray Beach program is over, you don’t need any more addiction counseling. You should continue to seek addiction counseling from a qualified therapist for at least a year after you leave our outpatient detox Delray Beach program – but preferably longer. Many former graduates of our outpatient detox Delray Beach program remain in counseling for years or even the rest of their lives.