Remaining drug-free indefinitely isn’t assured once a person completes any drug rehab program. As long as humans have free will, situations will arise and choices will be available that may cause former addicts to relapse.

That’s why most well regarded treatment programs encourage their patients to maintain relationships with their counselors and the new friends they met during rehab. These positive connections can lend support during the difficult early stages of recovery.

These ongoing support services are known as “aftercare”: helping recent rehab patients to maintain and strengthen their desire to live drug-free lives. Aftercare encourages former patients to visit the rehab facility regularly for workshops and discussions on issues related to abstinence and recovery, and to receive continued therapy on an as-needed basis.

Some aftercare programs also offer counseling for family members, to help them identify their patterns of codependent behavior, as well as “roles” each family member plays in the addict’s life. Through counseling, families learn more productive and supportive ways to interact, so they can respond with appropriate love and care to the recovering family member.

Most drug rehab centers incorporate the 12 Step model of recovery as a major component of treatment. Therefore, most aftercare programs offer a regular schedule of on-site 12 Step meetings, open to current and former patients. In addition to the ongoing support these meetings provide, they also help foster new friendships among people committed to recovery.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the ability to remain drug-free following rehab is strongly correlated to the former addict’s ongoing level of contact with others involved in recovery.

What makes aftercare so important?

Rehab is not a “cure” for drug addiction—only a treatment. Those who make the effort to continually reinforce the lessons learned in rehab can keep the disease of addiction in remission, indefinitely. Aftercare programs are a pivotal part of helping former addicts build and maintain meaningful, rewarding and drug-free lives.

To find a drug rehab program that offers effective treatment, as well as outstanding aftercare services, please call (800) 344-8794. You’ll speak with an understanding person who knows how to help you (or someone you care about) get on the road to recovery.