Exercise and physical movement are a big part of overall health. Also during this stage of your rehabilitation, you will learn to put the tools that you learned in early abstinence to use in other areas of your life, so that you can continue to live a truly sober lifestyle. You will discover that your future quality of life depends on more than simply not using. Any general advice posted on our blog, website, or app is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or substitute for any medical or other advice. If you have specific concerns or a situation arises in which you require medical advice, you should consult with an appropriately trained and qualified medical services provider.

Remember your recovery is uniquely your own.

For people in early recovery, these stressors can be more severe. Many programs include family members and friends throughout the entire rehab process, from the initial assessment through aftercare. Others require family members to attend Al-Anon meetings if they want to visit you while you are in treatment. The common length of stay in drug and alcohol rehab is 28 to 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days. While treatment for any period of time is helpful, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recommends people spend at least 90 days in treatment.

Working While in Treatment: How Outpatient Rehab Helps

• Of course, what your day looks like will vary based on the rehab center and its approach, your addiction, and your personal circumstances.
• Your plan will likely include social and medical support services.
• This year may lead to a sense of obligation to resume past large holiday traditions, while some may truly prefer to attend smaller, more intimate social events.
• Usually a doctor, mental health professional, or social worker, as well as staff members at the rehab center, will help you decide.
• As mentioned previously, the holidays can surface unique triggers for individuals in early recovery.

It might seem silly at first, but writing down our triggers, responses, and plans in advance can help us be better prepared for difficult situations. Take some time this holiday season to print out our holiday and recovery worksheet to help you create your plan to stay on your recovery path this season. If you are coping with a substance use disorder, it is crucial that you get help. But remember, rehab is meant to help you achieve lasting recovery. If you’re considering rehab as an option, you may take the first step by speaking with a doctor, therapist, counselor, social worker, or by calling a community center or rehab center for more information.

Prescription Drug Addiction Facts and Statistics

Yet for most people, the holiday season is a mixed bag of experience that can range from the beautiful to the brutal—a combination of light and dark, with varying degrees of stress, joy, sorrow, connection, and loss. There are often recovery groups that offer safe spaces for people of certain genders, ages, and cultural backgrounds. Some rehab centers offer LGBTQ+ groups or groups for those who have been previously incarcerated. Family members are often deeply affected by their loved one’s addictive behaviors. Family counseling is a safe space for everyone to share their experiences and for family members to learn how they may have enabled or contributed to your addiction. Acknowledging and working through these complicated and sometimes painful emotions can promote healing and continued growth.

Ask about substances ahead of time.

• In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, substance use may be even higher than in previous years.
• This is an important step in the rehab process, because this information will be used to start customizing your treatment plan.
• Acknowledging and working through these complicated and sometimes painful emotions can promote healing and continued growth.
• Many, if not most, people leaving treatment find the idea of calling those numbers overwhelming.

Suboxone should not be taken by individuals who have been shown to be hypersensitive to buprenorphine or naloxone as serious adverse reactions, including anaphylactic shock, have been reported. Taking Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) with other opioid medicines, benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants can cause breathing problems that can lead to coma and death. Other side effects may include Reframing Holidays in Early Recovery headaches, nausea, vomiting, constipation, insomnia, pain, increased sweating, sleepiness, dizziness, coordination problems, physical dependence or abuse, and liver problems. For more information about Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) see Suboxone.com, the full Prescribing Information, and Medication Guide, or talk to your healthcare provider. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of drugs to the FDA.