What's After Rehab?
If you have recently been successful in completing a drug rehab in Los Angeles , know that you have already accomplished one of the biggest goals on the path to recovery.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than a million people are admitted to rehab programs across the United States each year.
While every step of the process takes hard work, completing rehab absolutely sets you up for success moving forward. Diving into the momentum that you’ve created can ensure you keep your head straight and that you’re able to get through those first few months of sobriety with ease. By taking the courageous first step of getting treatment, you’ll be joining many others on the path of recovery.
Here are some quick facts that may be relevant to your current situation:
- Between 2005 and 2015, methamphetamines were the leading substance of abuse for treatment admissions in California.
- Each year, roughly 20% of all California treatment admissions are for alcohol, which is a completely legal substance for those 21 and older.
- Treatment admissions for heroin addiction in California have nearly doubled in the last decade.
Thankfully, while the path to recovery is a long one, there are always more steps you can take to continue giving your sobriety a fighting chance. While some people find success by going it alone, you may find that your sober lifestyle is strengthened by regularly meeting with others who are also in recovery. For people in the Los Angeles area, that means finding an NA meeting or an AA meeting. Here’s some information about the 12-step lifestyle and insight into what types of programs you may also participate in when not attending meetings.
12-Step Program Overview
Pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs center around a simple philosophy that people can help each other to maintain abstinence from substance abuse.
Nearly two-thirds of all treatment centers around the United States look to 12-step programs as part of their overall treatment program. These programs focus on building self-awareness, self-confidence, and compassion in very clear ways. The meetings themselves are often a valuable tool and one that you will have available for the rest of your life.
For many individuals, 12-step programs can be a huge part of the aftercare process as well. No one is immune to the risk of relapse, transitioning from a drug rehab in Los Angeles into a 12-step program can help you to reintegrate yourself into the real world.
Everyone working a 12-step program will operate at a different speed. This will likely be similar to your detox and rehab experience in that you will need to go at the pace that works for you. Each of the steps in the program is designed to help you to alter not just the way you are living with your addiction, but the way that you are thinking about it as well.
In addition to physical cravings, someone with an addiction issue will also spend a tremendous amount of time thinking about their drug of choice. These thoughts become a compulsion and impossible to control, which leads to drug-seeking behavior that can sometimes be criminal.
Feelings of depression, sadness, anxiety, despair, and the like are often at the root of substance abuse. The substance might temporarily mask these feelings, but they return once the high wears off, creating a vicious circle of drug abuse.
Taking a substance will temporarily stop the cravings and compulsion for it, but soon the same feelings return. In time, it takes more and more of the same substance to achieve the same effect it once had.
People addicted to drugs and alcohol may feel like they have no control over their drug use. Refraining from using or stopping seems to be an impossibility for them. The substance controls them, rather than the other way around.
Someone addicted to drugs or alcohol will continue to seek them out even if their addiction has made them lose friends, family, spouses, and jobs. Drug-seeking behavior can even lead to diseases such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.
Benefits of 12-Step and NA Meetings in Los Angeles
To enjoy the benefits of attending 12-step or NA meetings in Los Angeles, your first task will be to find one.
While the greater Los Angeles area can feel spread out or hard to navigate, there are meetings you can go to within the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, Orange County, parts of the High Desert, and the Eastern Sierras. Many people pick a location based on how close it is to work or home so that attending meetings regularly is not a burden when it comes to traffic and other commuter worries.
Then there are the “hidden” benefits. Many individuals suffering from addiction also suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder, making public forums the absolute last place they want to talk about their personal life. Thankfully, there are options for “closed” NA meetings in Los Angeles, where only individuals who are actively in recovery may attend. This can help to take a great deal of the stress off of sharing your story and actively engaging in the meetings themselves.
If you are considering treatment for yourself or a loved one, call us today.
Coupling 12-Step with IOP/OP
As you likely learned while attending your Los Angeles drug rehab program, success in recovery is linked more closely with discipline than inspiration.
This means that if you want to keep yourself on a healthy path, you’ll need to develop habits that help prevent you from relapsing. Attending 12-step or NA meetings in Los Angeles can be one of the most important habits to form, so beginning right away is absolutely crucial.
Beyond that, you may look into an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), depending on your need. These programs are perfect for individuals who still need to keep their schedule as packed as possible to ensure they don’t run into any harmful triggers or run with the wrong crowd. You will participate anywhere from three to five days a week, engaging in group therapy sessions, family therapy, or other activities that help to deal with trauma.
On the other end of the spectrum is the more standard Outpatient Treatment Program (OP). This is an equally effective program that is more suited to individuals who have a few months of sobriety under their belt. These programs are great for breaking your way back into the community, getting your budget and financial life right, and transitioning into general aftercare.
There is no better time to get started on your road to recovery than right now. Reach out to Nexus Recovery today and let us help you find your way to a happier, healthier lifestyle. The combination of 12-step meeting attendance and an IOP/OP program may be just what you need to ensure lasting sobriety.
If you or a loved one are suffering from alcohol or drug addiction, we’re here to help. Contact us today and speak with one of our trusted recovery advisors.
