So, it happened—you’ve relapsed. Maybe you’re immersed in confusion, uncertainty, and pain, and that’s totally understandable. In some ways, it’s easy to think you’ve failed, but it’s vital to your well-being to push that thought away. Here are the reasons why returning to rehab will not only help you move forward, but also reinforce a foundation of wellness.
Rehab Offers Proper Medical Care
If you’ve struggled with drug or alcohol detoxification in the past, you understand that it’s definitely a process that requires medical management to ease aspects of withdrawal.
Keep in mind, detoxification isn’t treatment. It’s the first step of resuming recovery. The next stage of treatment involves addressing further whole-person health issues, including a deeper or different course of therapy, health concerns, and other aspects of behavior modification. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that since addiction is a chronic disease, similar to asthma or hypertension, the rate of relapse can be as high as 60 percent. “When a person recovering from an addiction relapse, it indicates that the person needs to speak with their doctor to resume treatment, modify it, or try another treatment.”
A relapse in the management of mental or emotional health is also a signal that the current course of treatment—which is often a combination of medication and therapeutic applications—requires modification. The National Institute on Mental Health indicates that more than 20 percent of all Americans deal with mental illnesses. Perhaps professionals with a more progressive approach are what will help you regain stability.
You Need the Break
As you remember, inpatient rehabilitation for mental health issues or substance use disorders isn’t a vacation. Far from it. But it does allow you to step away from inciting circumstances, people, environments, or moods that trigger old emotions and thought patterns. NIDA refers to these as “stress cues” that create obstacles in the path of recovery, especially in the first couple of years.
Choosing to return to rehab for 30, 60, or even 90 days, and/or committing to a comprehensive outpatient program provides a compass for your return to recovery, without distractions. You deserve to feel well and to give yourself permission to mine quality care resources.
Advancing Through Therapy
If you first entered treatment for substance use, eating disorders, complicated grief, or trauma, it’s quite possible that what you first discovered during therapy was only the beginning of healing. You might have also been struggling through co-occurring disorders that needed to be individually addressed with a certain level of care, or maybe you didn’t receive a clear diagnosis to move forward with a detailed strategy.
A return to rehab allows for new or additional therapeutic approaches, such as EMDR, the inclusion of holistic options, a comprehensive family program, brainspotting, and others. New methods aren’t so much about trying the latest fad as they are staying open to possibilities that maybe weren’t available to you before, either because you needed to be in a different place of healing or previous treatment centers didn’t have them.
This isn’t to say that proven behavioral modification techniques such as cognitive or dialectical therapy aren’t still the backbone of treatment: rather, you’re able to build upon what you’ve learned, and continue to move forward.
Rehab is Reconnection to Support Networks
It’s a horrible feeling to believe you’re all alone in recovery. The triggers seem stronger, the decisions harder, and overall, each day presents more complications, whether real or perceived.
Choosing a rehab center that strives to help people with shared experiences stay connected broadens the circle of consistent accountability, valuable support, and meaningful relationships. Alumni programs vary, but common aspects often include in-person and online/social media meeting opportunities, special events, and additional programming, such as the CaredFor app.
The work put into recovery is an individual pursuit, but not an isolated one. Finding the people and professionals who support your choice of wellness is easier than you think. You understand more about your journey than anyone—but others on their own paths understand what it means to dedicate yourself to it. Use this return to rehab to gain more people who help boost your efforts.
New Hope at Cottonwood Tucson
Located in the beautiful Sonoran Desert area of Tucson, Arizona, Cottonwood is a progressive treatment center for trauma and PTSD, substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, process addictions, mood disorders, and eating disorders.
Our philosophy of care is that emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of life are closely interconnected. We devote attention to each client to develop a comprehensive continuum of care plan, which includes relapse prevention methods, and a feeling of support and connection to assure long-lasting health and wellness. Ask us how we can help you on the road to a more effective recovery.
