Aftercare Planning At Ohio Recovery Center

Your graduation from treatment is a huge accomplishment and indicates a clear turning point in your life. One of the best ways to support your substance use disorder recovery going forward is through ongoing care, which is why Ohio Recovery Center offers robust aftercare planning. 

Our aftercare coordinator will collaborate with you, your treatment team, and your support system to develop a continuing care plan that’s best for you. 

Your Aftercare Plan

The coping skills and other addiction recovery tools you will discover during your time at ORC can support you throughout your life. 

However, most people find that having additional support beyond the scope of formal treatment helps sustain their recovery in the long term.

This includes resources to turn to if triggers, or the people, places, feelings, or other things that make you want to use drugs or alcohol, become overwhelming. An aftercare plan is a set of interventions designed to help you cope with triggers and reduce your risk of relapse. It can also include a relapse prevention plan, for specific steps to follow if a relapse does occur.

The aftercare coordinator at ORC will collaborate with you and your treatment team, including your case manager, primary clinician, and other treatment providers, to come up with a plan that covers all of your needs and goals going forward. In some cases, your loved ones or other members of your outside support system may also assist in the planning. 

Aftercare Services At ORC

The specific interventions listed in your aftercare plan will depend on your personal needs. The most common aftercare services we provide include the following.

Continuing Therapy Appointments

While completing treatment at ORC, you will engage in several different types of therapy, in both individual and group settings and possibly also with family members. If it’s determined that you would benefit from continued therapy, your aftercare coordinator can schedule these appointments for you or provide you with relevant local resources. 

ORC’s Alumni Program And Other Support Groups

When you’re recovering from a substance use disorder, it’s important to have a strong support system. Along with friends and family who are supportive of your recovery, your support system ideally will include other people in recovery. 

This is why ORC offers a robust alumni program for people who participate in our treatment programs. The program is open to anyone, whether they complete treatment or not, or relapse or not, as a way to connect with and gain inspiration from peers. Plus, with activities like special holiday events, bowling nights, and golf tournaments, you experience firsthand how recovery can be fun!

Another option that may be recommended to connect with peers is through a peer support group, the most popular of which for addiction are 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. 

Other options include:

• LifeRing Secular Recovery
• SMART Recovery
• Women For Sobriety

All of these groups give you the opportunity to discuss your experiences and coping strategies with people facing similar challenges.

Vocational Rehabilitation Resources

Having a job can significantly reduce your risk of relapse, which is why many aftercare plans include vocational rehabilitation. 

This service connects you with a counselor who can help you:

• determine which jobs are a good fit for you
• build a strong resume
• prepare for job interviews

Your counselor can also help you secure accommodations that make it easier to maintain employment. For example, you might need transportation assistance, childcare, or time off work for continued treatment. 

Sober Living Resources

A sober living home is a safe, drug-free living space for people in early recovery. It gives you the chance to continue to strengthen your recovery skills in a supportive environment. 

In addition to agreeing not to use drugs or alcohol, residents of sober living homes might also be asked to share in household chores, adhere to a curfew, or follow other rules that support a safe, mutually beneficial environment. 

Continued Treatment

When creating your aftercare plan, your treatment team might determine that you would benefit most from continued substance abuse treatment at a less intensive level of care. This includes a variety of outpatient options. 

Many people take this “step down” approach following the completion of inpatient treatment, allowing them to live at home or in a sober living home while receiving treatment.  

Outpatient treatment options include:

• partial hospitalization programs (PHP), in which you visit a treatment facility most days of the week
• intensive outpatient programs (IOP), in which you visit a treatment facility several times a week
• standard outpatient programs (OP), in which you visit a treatment facility once or twice a week

For example, a PHP might require 20 hours of treatment per week, while an IOP might only require nine hours.

Recommended Wellness Activities

Throughout the recovery process, it’s important to take care of your physical and mental health. This can be critical to avoiding a relapse, as stress levels, excessive tiredness, and other common triggers often relate to your overall sense of well-being. 

Wellness-boosting activities include:

• eating nutritious foods
• getting plenty of sleep
• exercising
• journaling
• meditating
• finding healthy hobbies, such as gardening, painting, or cooking
• spending time with people in your support network

You will have been engaging in most of these activities already here at ORC. Your aftercare plan can serve as a reminder of which activities have worked for you or suggest what you might also consider trying.

Seek Addiction Treatment At Ohio Recovery Center Today

Even when you follow your aftercare plan, you may relapse. Your plan will include what to do if this happens, such as reaching out to your treatment team right away for help.To learn more about our aftercare planning, please contact Ohio Recovery Center.