Getting your affairs in order after treatment for addiction and associated mental health issues can feel a bit overwhelming. Before diving into other responsibilities or social interactions, make sure to spend time getting your affairs in order and transitioning into life in the way that works best for you. However, it is important not to use that time to do nothing and isolate from other people. Treatment for addiction, with its many luxuries and therapies, is also very hard work. Wanting to take a “break” after treatment is common, but oft advised against. Creating a barrier of time after leaving treatment and before fully transitioning into life is a way to move slowly at a progressive pace. Clean up your personal space, buy groceries, prepare foods, sort your bills, and go to meetings.
Prioritize Your Tasks
Make a list of everything you feel you need to get done after graduating treatment. As you’ve learned in recovery, it is best to take things as they come, one day at a time. Your tasks can only be completed one at a time, unless there is logical, practical room for more. Starting with the easiest tasks will help reduce your list quickly and give you a boost of confidence in your abilities to get things done. You’ll feel encouraged to get more done and have the small things out of your mind when you focus on the larger tasks.
Meet Your Needs
Having high expectations of what you will be able to do and accomplish promptly after graduating treatment can lead to disappointment. Though you have made remarkable progress during your time away, you are still in the early phases of the recovery process. It is important to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, nourish your body with a balanced diet, and take time for rest.
Change Your Environment
Sometimes, subtle changes in decoration or even the arrangement of furniture can be helpful in making a transition after treatment. You might feel inspired to start completely anew. After experiencing extensive transformative change in a new place, it might feel odd to be back in a familiar place, full of new energy, thoughts, and feelings. During treatment, you worked hard to unearth your truest self and create a peaceful representation of who that is. Translating that into your home life can help you keep the momentum of your growth going as you continue your journey of recovery.
After care is an important part of the recovery journey. For two years after graduating treatment, Castle Craig stays in touch with patients, checking in on their recovery and helping them stay on track. Our proven treatment programmes for addiction and associated mental health issues have served over 10,000 patients for more than 25 years. For more information on our Scotland location and other services, please call our 24 hour free confidential phone-line: 01721 546 263. From outside the UK please call: +44 808 271 7500 (normal charges apply)
