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Needing Heroin Addiction Aftercare
Heroin addiction treatment offers a much needed foundation for overcoming the effects of heroin in a person's life.
Upon leaving the treatment program, addicts must apply the tools and principles learned within the daily workings of everyday life or else risk an untimely relapse and eventual return to drug use.
Heroin treatment centers offer a safe refuge from the stressors and pressures of everyday life, allowing a person to focus on getting well. Once this refuge is gone, it becomes all the more important for recovering addicts to focus on their recovery.
By actively participating in aftercare treatment, a person can remain engaged in the recovery process, which can be difficult to do in the "real world." In effect, the need for aftercare in heroin addiction treatment becomes plainly apparent as recovering addicts confront everyday life without the effects of the drug to fall back on.
Transitioning to Everyday Life
People who become addicted to heroin have come to rely on the drug's effects as a way to cope with everyday life. More oftentimes than not, pre-existing emotional or psychological problems have paved the way for a heroin addiction to take shape.
According to the U. S. National Library of Medicine, people who actively participate in aftercare treatment stand a much better chance of maintaining abstinence after heroin addiction recovery. As pre-existing psychological problems can quickly resurface when re-entering everyday life, staying actively engaged in recovery provides the type of safety net needed to avoid relapse.
Addiction Recovery Lifestyle Adjustments
A heroin addiction breeds its own lifestyle made up of friends, activities and hangouts. While heroin addiction programs essentially removes the addict from these influences, it can be easy to fall back into the addiction lifestyle once heroin treatment ends.
Aftercare interventions help recovering addicts develop new lifestyles that don't center around drug use. These interventions may take the form of:
- Ongoing Psychotherapy
- 12-Step Support Group Meetings
- Mentoring or Sponsoring Someone Else
- Group Counseling
As everyone's treatment needs differ, each person will likely develop his or her own sets of new interests and activities along the way.
Staying Engaged in the Recovery Process
Once heroin rehabilitation ends, ongoing engagement in the recovery process can mean the difference between a successful recovery and an untimely relapse. As addiction stems more so from a psychological dependency than a physical one, recovering addicts must make a deliberate effort to develop a drug-free mindset in order to overcome addiction urges. Aftercare treatment equips recovering addicts with the tools needed to develop the type of mindset that can live a drug-free life.
Helping Others
All-in-all, addiction recovery entails an ongoing healing process for the body and the mind. Helping others recover from addiction becomes part of the healing process once heroin abuse treatment ends.
The 12-Step support group model places a heavy emphasis on the importance of sharing experiences and helping others along the way. Likewise, mentoring or sponsoring someone else strengthens the recovering addict's resolve to follow through on his or her decision to live a drug-free existence.
