Drug, opiate and alcohol rehab aftercare and continuing care in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, British Columbia – Options Okanagan Treatment Centers in Kelowna, British Columbia treating opiate and alcohol addiction and recovery.
Part 02
Assistance For The Family
An aftercare and continuing care program provides family members of a recovering addict with instruction and support. There is often a lot of tension between the recovering addict and the family, which is due to events that took place during the drug use period. At other times, the person is struggling to blend into having a “normal life” which can be stressful for family members. In both of these situations, an aftercare program and provide advice and counseling for family members to help them cope with this difficult time.
Family members may be provided with some or all of the following aftercare services:
a) One-on-one counseling sessions for children, spouses or partners
b) Group therapy meetings for members of the family
c) Educational programs that provide information regarding the nature of mental illness and addiction
d) 12-step programs such as Nar-Anon or Al-Anon for members of the family of recovering addicts
Mental illness and addiction may create financial instability and emotional conflict within a household. Some families might need help with practical matters such as transportation, childcare, nutritional counseling and job placement. Others might need education to help prevent younger members of the family from falling victim to substance abuse. One of the main goals of family aftercare is to create a healthy home environment for every household member.
A Place To Talk
The channel of communication that is opened up for a recovering addiction is another very valuable component of aftercare and continuing care programs. After going back home following rehab a person has a lot that they go through. New habits need to learned, they have to stop hanging out with their old drug friends, and must rebuild their careers and relationships. That’s a lot to deal with, and an aftercare program provides a place to talk about all of these issues with individuals who can provide guidance and understand what they are going through.
Dual Diagnosis support groups have been designed to meet the needs of individuals with co-occurring psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Specific challenges can be posed by having a co-occurring disorder, like anxiety over social situations, having difficulties focusing for longer periods of time and low motivation levels.
Members that are part of a Dual Diagnosis aftercare group are provided with advice and support on various issues they are facing in recovery, including:
a) Finding resources within the community
b) Locating and maintaining employment
c) Building stronger relationships with family members and friends
d) Developing coping strategies for mental illness and addition
e) Taking psychotherapeutic medication
The stronger the support system you have, the better your chances are of having a long-term recovery. A key part of a Dual Diagnosis treatment plan are aftercare self-help programs.
12-Step Programs
A 12-step program offers hope, strength and experience from the very first day when you seek help with your addiction program until well after you have graduated. Many aftercare programs, and Alcoholics Anonymous in particular, make use of a 12-step program structure to help you stay clean and move forward with your life. A 12-step program is not beneficial for every single person. However, for millions of individual all over the world, the program’s guiding principles of “giving into one’s higher power” and peer group interaction have provided accountability and relief for individuals who are in recovery.
A 12-step recovery program offers the following benefits:
1) The chance to make connections with other recovering addicts at events and meetings all over the world
2) Access to motivational literature and speaker to help with achieving recovery goals
3) Practical strategies and guidelines for coping with addiction’s daily challenges
4) A sponsor’s guidance for working through the 12 steps, as well as providing motivation and strength
In 12-step programs there is a strong emphasis on spirituality as part of the recovery process. Every member is strongly encouraged to identify with their choice of a higher power and that surrendering to this higher power is an important part of their healing process. In addition to being seen as a physical disease, addiction is also viewed as a spiritual condition that is characterized by there being lack of a meaningful connection with a divine purpose. Some potential members might be discouraged by the focus on spirituality and may prefer a more secular viewpoint. However, it has been noted by Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research that longer rates of abstinence for recovering addicts is associated with increases in spirituality.
Programs such as Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous have various programs that they offer, including meetings for Dual Diagnosis recovery. There is also the Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA) group that is dedicated to providing education and support for individuals struggling with co-occurring conditions. 12-step meetings in larger cities are available in several locations at various time of the day. In-person meetings might be held less frequently in smaller communities. However, telephone services and online chat groups can help get in contact with other members at any time.
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton Red Deer and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, heroin drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331