Drug Facts

November 22, 2022

An effective codeine rehab program lets you learn and sustain healthy habits. After rehab, the changes in your body and mind are profound but also fragile, especially in the early days post-rehab. Relapse is a possibility if the good habits you learned from rehab are not maintained. Even if you are dedicated to recovery, it still pays to take measures to prevent relapse. According to research, 80% of individuals relapse after finishing rehab.

To help you keep the new skills you learned in codeine rehab, it’s a good idea to undergo aftercare. The goal of any aftercare program is to help you maintain a drug-free life even after you have completed your rehab.

How is aftercare planned?

Aftercare may be one of the most essential parts of codeine rehab. Planning your aftercare program begins as soon as you enter treatment. As you undergo rehab, your therapists are already identifying the skills you will need to stay sober after treatment is over.

Once your aftercare has started, it can continue for as long as you are committed to your full recovery. In fact, people who remain sober long after rehab report that aftercare is what brought them success.

When planning an aftercare program, you and your therapists need to keep these factors in mind:

• Severity of your addiction
• Potential barriers to good treatment outcomes
• Expectations for outpatient care
• Setting appointments for therapy sessions
• A sustainable plan for self-management
• A protection plan that can be implemented right away in case of drug triggers
• A regrouping plan in case of relapse

What are the different kinds of aftercare programs?

Alumni Programs

Many rehab centers have alumni organizations for patients who have completed their treatment programs. This way, you can reinforce the strong bonds you made with your treatment team. Also, you can keep in touch with your fellow recovered addicts. That way, you can motivate each other to stay on the path of sobriety.

Sober Living Homes

If you’re in the transition period from rehab back to normal life in the outside world, you are most vulnerable to relapse. Sober living homes, also known as halfway houses, provide a drug-free setting where you can practice and master the skills you learned in rehab.

Sober living homes operate on strict rules, especially against drug use. No addictive substances are allowed in these homes. Also, there are regular house meetings, drug tests, and you need to take part in the upkeep of the house. These rules give you accountability and structure, which make you more disciplined in staying drug-free.

Support Groups

When you are in a support group, you regularly meet with others who have recovered. In each meeting, you will share experiences and learn coping skills from each other.

Popular support groups include 12-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous (NA). NA groups are widely available, both in small towns and large cities. You can join any NA group free of charge, making it an attractive option for many. The things you say in each meeting are kept confidential.

If you want a more secular support group, you can sign up for organizations like Smart Recovery. You can also ask your local mental health center for more support groups if you need them.

Ongoing Therapy

After you complete your codeine rehab program, your therapists may suggest that you transition to a less structured recovery program. Here, you can keep getting counseling, medications, and group support while performing your everyday routines. You can go back home and continue working while receiving consistent therapy and support.

What are the advantages of aftercare?

Aftercare makes you more effective as a recovered person, and this protects you from relapse. Even if you are dedicated to your recovery, relapse rates are still high. But if you go through aftercare, your risk of relapse is much lower.

Aftercare helps you achieve the following:

• Commitment to recovery for life
• Finding a support network outside of your rehab center
• Maintaining physical health
• Continuous mental healing from addiction
• Avoiding relapse through maintenance medication, if necessary

Most importantly, having a predetermined aftercare plan even before you step out of the rehab center is the best way to start your new life outside of rehab.

How do I avoid relapse after codeine rehab?

Addictions actually have almost the same rates of recurrence as health conditions like depression, hypertension, and diabetes. If there are drug triggers around you, you become especially vulnerable to relapse.

This is where aftercare comes in. The different therapies and programs you go through will help you acquire the skills you need to actively avoid the desire to use drugs again. You will be educated regarding drug triggers and what you need to do to stay away from them.

Ultimately, the aim of aftercare is to keep you on the path to recovery as you transition from the rehab center to your community.

What are the goals of aftercare?

The main goal of aftercare is to help you develop and sharpen healthy coping strategies. Most likely, you were using codeine as a way to cope with stress. As you go through aftercare, you will learn to replace substance use with more productive means of coping.

Sober life can be challenging too, especially if you’re fresh out of rehab. Aftercare will help you in these ways:

• Making healthy lifestyle choices
• Reinforcing coping strategies that you learned in rehab
• Identifying what triggers you to use drugs and avoiding them
• Minimizing the damage done by relapse (if it happens)
• Getting in touch with people and groups who can support your recovery

How will I find an aftercare program fit for me?

If you’re just starting in rehab, ask your treatment team for an aftercare plan. This is the best time for them to personalize an aftercare plan to fit your future needs.

If you’re already out of rehab, and you want additional support to maintain a drug-free lifestyle, reach out to your former therapists. They are more than willing to help you in your recovery journey.