Overview
Having completed stay at rehabilitation would have helped the person with addiction detoxify their body of alcohol and learn ways to manage their cravings. However, according to research, most relapses occur within six months of the person leaving the rehabilitation facility, signifying the need for post rehabilitation care to maintain sobriety. Learning once through psycho-education sessions, individual and group therapy sessions in rehab about the impact of alcohol and ways to cope with the triggers are not enough – constant reinforcement of the principles is required. This is where professional support of psychiatrists in terms of medications, therapists in terms of individual, family, and group therapy sessions, and other support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous can be of tremendous value in encouraging the newly learnt healthy lifestyle changes, creating positive distractions, learning to manage triggers, and supporting positive change. In addition to making use of all these professional services, on an individual level, the person with alcohol addiction can focus their energies in building a routine and an active social lifestyle to cope with feelings of boredom, loneliness, or helplessness that now having a sober life can bring to surface. They can do so by picking up hobbies such as learning a new musical instrument, joining a dance or fitness class, playing sports, volunteering, taking a class, scheduling time to go to the movies, etc.
