Once you’ve successfully completed residential rehab treatment, you are set to live your life in recovery. All the hard work of overcoming drug or alcohol addiction is over, and you will be ready to start sober living after rehab.

Unfortunately, going to rehab is just the beginning of your addiction treatment and recovery journey. Not only do you need to overcome your physical and psychological addiction, but you will need to navigate away from relapse and continue your recovery for the rest of your life. Generally, the first year in recovery will be the toughest, but with the advice we provide below, we are confident you can achieve your recovery goals and find out how to succeed at sober living after rehab without alcohol and drugs.

When you return home following the completion of your rehabilitation programme, you will then be exposed to all the relapse triggers that caused you to experience addiction in the first place.

Below we have compiled tips and tricks to help you avoid relapse and succeed at sober living after rehab.

 

How to Stay Sober After Rehab

Staying sober after rehab can be very difficult, especially after residential rehab treatment. This is because private rehab offers a comprehensive centre and space to recover where you are surrounded by 24/7 support. Once you have completed your programme, you will need to learn how to succeed at sober living after rehab to maintain your recovery.

Read some top tips for staying sober here:

Avoid Relapse Triggers

During your rehabilitation programme, you will have undertaken exercises that help you understand and recognise your relapse triggers. These triggers are generally physical and psychological in nature. Triggers include real people, real places, and real emotions.

Most people are usually able to identify their relapse triggers and is an important thing to do to ensure you maintain your sobriety.

During your rehabilitation programme, you will be provided a relapse prevention plan where you will identify workable strategies for navigating any potential triggers without relapsing. Keep your notes close to you after treatment and continuously revise your triggers so you are able to recognise them if they arise.

If triggers are avoidable in your life, we recommend you choose not to expose yourself to relapse triggers in the first place. If triggers are unavoidable, then you will need to implement some of the relapse prevention techniques you learned during your rehabilitation programme.

 

Avoid Boredom by Staying Busy

It’s essential you avoid boredom by keeping your mind busy, as thoughts about drugs or alcohol can threaten your sobriety after rehab. One easy way to accomplish this is to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, as there is a strong relationship between a sober lifestyle and a healthy lifestyle and that is why so many people in recovery take up fitness.

It is important that you get structured and regular exercise, you eat well, and you have a healthy sleep schedule. Living a healthy lifestyle is one of the best ways to succeed at sober living after rehab.

You may also consider taking up a non-physical activity. If possible, try to join a group that’s social and supportive. For instance, you could join a sewing, painting, or reading group. Surrounding yourself around non-drinkers may also be beneficial, as well as people in recovery who can support you.

 

Build a Support System

If you are worried about how to succeed at sober living after rehab, building a support system with loved ones such as friends and family is one of the best ways to do it. The care and support you receive from loved ones are one of the best ways to keep you motivated during your recovery period.

Aftercare sessions held by rehab centres such as ours also extend a beneficial support system to help you stay sober after rehab. Weekly sessions offer you a space to talk about your successes and concerns, any relapse triggers, and how you are managing your recovery with peers and support workers.

 

Identify Your Relapse Triggers

As mentioned above, understanding your relapse triggers is a key way to succeed at sober living after rehab. Triggers can range from certain environments, people, events and stress.

By understanding what threatens your addiction recovery, you will be much less likely to relapse and maintain sobriety long after you have completed rehab treatment.

 

Maintain Outpatient Treatment

Another way to keep your mind busy is to join a local support group to continue your recovery and access to experts. Outpatient treatment options available include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and SMART Recovery.

When you are new to recovery, we recommend you undertake weekly meetings held by AA or NA to keep you on the right track. This will ensure you are busy for the initial three months of your recovery, however, how many meetings you attend is up to you.

To succeed in recovery after rehab, you need to do what is best for you. Every person who experiences addiction is different and many people cope with recovery differently. This is why it is so beneficial to maintain outpatient treatment and attend aftercare services to continue recovery.

 

Consider Long Term Rehab

Another option open for you is to consider attending a long-term rehab centre. This will mean you avoid relapse triggers for around a six-to-twelve-month period by residing in an assisted living rehab facility.

Here, you will adjust to sober living without any bad influences in a more controlled environment than staying at home and is a recovery method that some people choose if they have severe substance abuse problems and feel they need more intensive and long-term treatment.

 

Get Support Today to Stay Sober After Rehab

Maintaining sobriety after rehab can be difficult and is a big step to take on your recovery journey. Detox in rehab is the hardest physical stage of recovery, but managing sober living after rehab is another milestone that requires constant work to succeed.

For more information on rehab clinics and the aftercare we offer, contact us today on 0800 880 7596. We are always here for support and guidance if you need it.

John Gillen - Director at Ocean Recovery

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: October 11, 2023

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.