How to Create an Environment that is Best for Life After Drug Rehab

Living a drug-free life isn't just about getting the best treatment program, but also managing a careful transition back into daily life. Even with the best possible drug treatment, it's all to easy to slip back into old patterns when put into an environment that does not support the goals of rehab. Therefore, recovering drug abusers and their family and friends should pay attention to several ways they can create an environment that is ideal for living a productive life after drug rehab.

Remove Drug Paraphernalia

Recovering drug abusers should never move back into an environment that's full of drug paraphernalia. It will just provide temptation around every corner and make it too easy to return to old habits of drug use. Therefore, family and friends should make an effort to go through the home before the person returns to get rid of anything related to drug use. If this isn't possible, someone should take the person home after finishing residential treatment and dispose of drug paraphernalia at that point.

Consider Moving

Even without the drug paraphernalia, the home or apartment itself may provide many environmental triggers for drug use. People who often used drugs at home probably had their favorite spots and many memories associated with the place. If this is the case, it may be helpful to move to a different home or apartment after completing drug rehab. This provides the opportunity for a fresh start in a place that doesn't have the environmental triggers. Living with roommates who are very supportive of the efforts to quit drug use can also help. Moving back in with family for a time may be a good option to consider. A halfway house can also be an ideal transitional space because it's full of other people who are actively recovering from a time of drug use.

Develop Healthy Relationships

Having supportive friends and family members is one of the keys to avoiding relapse after drug rehab. An environment is made up as much of people as it is of stuff, so recovering drug abusers should surround themselves with people who support their new lifestyle. Rather than returning to circles of friends who are heavily involved in drug use, it is critical to spend time with people who participate in other types of social activities. Mending relationships with family members may be more difficult, but it's perhaps even more important, especially if they live nearby. It's critical to talk to family members about ways they felt wronged in the past, and to apologize for these behaviors. Only after doing this can recovering drug abusers and their family members move forward together. Family often provides the best support, so this is a key part of having a successful recovery and avoiding relapse.

Find New Hobbies and Activities

Whether time is spent with friends or independently, it's important that it be filled with productive and enjoyable activities. Boredom is one of the triggers that can lead people into relapse after completing drug rehab. Especially if life before rehab didn't include many activities besides drug use, it's critical to fill time with new activities after rehab. Exercising, gardening, and getting involved in a church or community organization are all good ways to spend time.

Avoid Stress

A stress-free environment promotes overall mental health and avoids driving recovering drug abusers back to their old ways. It's important to identify stressors in everyday life, whether they're the physical environment, people, difficulties at work, or financial problems. The support network should also help come up with ways to deal with these sources of stress. For example, financial counseling and budgeting help can drive away some financial stress.

Participate in Aftercare

Going from an intensely regimented environment of drug rehab straight into the freedom of everyday life is an environmental shock that should be mediated. Recovering drug addicts should enroll in aftercare programs to provide ongoing support during the transition. Some people choose to participate in formal counseling, while others prefer more informal 12-step recovery programs. Aftercare may continue for years as a way to maintain the new life begun in drug rehab.