An aftercare plan should include a structured schedule, recovery resources, and coping strategies aimed at providing direction and support after completing a treatment program.
Anyone who has entered some form of behavioral health or substance abuse treatment program has probably heard the term “aftercare plan” at some point during treatment. Therapists, case managers, and even physicians will repeat the phrase “make sure you have your aftercare plan figured out before you leave.” Sometimes it can feel so repetitive that it can become frustrating to think about it while also working on many other needs.
The truth is, treatment is a powerful tool to help people reflect, review, and revise their lives through targeted interventions and focused efforts. These efforts are typically most effective while in treatment, and begin to lose some of their strength as a patient begins to return to their everyday life.
The main goal of an aftercare plan is to minimize this loss of strength through actively supporting the individual with a long-term support system of professionals and systems that can continue to offer accountability in early recovery.
An aftercare plan is essentially a map of how to manage all the challenges that life can present while in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. A proper aftercare plan will help guide someone through barriers, crisis events, relapse prevention, and help them establish an identified support system before tackling the journey of long-term recovery outside of a treatment program.
For many, aftercare plans are made up of outpatient treatment programs, sober support systems, and more intensive services such as professional monitoring should it be deemed necessary.
Most treatment professionals will share guidance on how to build an aftercare plan during the treatment process and what they believe might be beneficial for each person, with a focus on their individual needs. When building an aftercare plan, it can help to have a wide view of varying options to include, especially when deciding on how to include friends & loved ones in the conversation.
Peer support services are an important part of an effective aftercare plan, as having peer support in recovery is considered practical and necessary for long-term success. It is strongly encouraged by treatment professionals to attend 90 meetings in 90 days when first attending peer support services in order to build a strong peer sober support network. Some examples of peer support services include:
Paid Advertising. We receive advertising fees from purchases through BetterHelp links.
Online Addiction Counseling
Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp.
Start receiving support via phone, video, or live-chat.