Create a Flexible Schedule to Support your Recovery

September 22, 2016 10:01 AM Leave a Comment

Establishing a sense of structure is key after escaping an abusive relationship with drugs. A good way to accomplish this is by setting up a personal schedule. Habit is an integral ingredient of a growing addiction; why not use it for recovery, too?

An effective timetable for an addict shouldn’t simply be strict, but adaptable as well. When transitioning into a sober lifestyle, an individual may not hit all of his or her goals at the intended times. Personal needs will change over time as well. The initial 90 days of recovery should be spent troubleshooting problems that arise and revising them as necessary. Long term success in recovery is a daily focus for recovering adolescents and a clear schedule with flexibility can help to navigate the potential landmines.

Create a Flexible Schedule to Support your Recovery

Build a hierarchy of needs — On a daily basis, list basic responsibilities. Having meals, taking medication, practicing meditation, or checking in with a loved one—these are all basic needs to which the addict can return in the event of disruptions.

Designate specific times for focusing and relaxing — Moments of leisure can alleviate stress levels and create a sense of balance in one’s life. Recreation should be an activity too, since free-time is necessary but can lead to complacency.

Create daily, weekly, and monthly schedules – Being mentally and physically prepared for these breaks in routine is the best way to prevent excess stress and, hence, the potential of relapsing

Prepare impromptu activities for craving-control — Cravings are inevitable, but also short-lasting. When they occur, it’s good to distract and occupy the mind with filler activities until they go away.

Plan for crises – You may be wondering: How can you plan for a plan not to work? By securing a support system such as friends and family—making sure they know your schedule too. When a person loses track of his or her own schedule, this allows those people to help.

While making your schedule, consider just how much time you will devote to each of the activities and responsibilities. Make sure that you include all the healthy, helpful habits and routines – the ones you learned in treatment – even if it’s something as simple as taking a moment to breathe and quietly reflect.

Time management is difficult for most everyone, not just addicts. Even after rehab, many people continue to utilize time tables and day planners for their job, their school, or just the mundane. In the weeks and months following treatment, every day is somewhat of a battle, and for every battle, you need a battle plan.

Examining Teen Attitudes Toward Drugs

September 16, 2016 9:18 AM Leave a Comment

In a study conducted by New York University for the journal Prevention Science, it was found that high school seniors who frown upon the use of drugs are most likely to be female, non-smoking, and highly religious. The study was conducted in response to the growing cultural and legal tolerance of marijuana throughout the nation. Young people in particular are using marijuana more than ever.

Teen Attitudes Toward Drugs

Survey data among 29 thousand high schools, both public and private, revealed what most people already assume: teens who have used drugs themselves are consistently less critical of others’ drug use. However, that may be an oversimplification. For example, marijuana users were open to LSD and ecstasy but had less desirable attitudes toward, or even qualms against, cocaine and heroin use. The socio-economics are even more surprising. Turns out, privileged students are no less tolerant of drug use than their lower-class peers.

The Race Factor

Some of the data appears to reflect racial factors as well. Black students were more open to powder cocaine and ecstasy, which are known to be abused primarily by whites. It has also been suggested that the music industry, which tends to glorify these two drugs in particular, has something to do with this cultural attitude.

It may be difficult to prevent use of substances like alcohol or marijuana among young people, but at the end of the day, prevention efforts should be directed towards young people becoming users of multiple substances. To achieve this, changes in public health spheres, as well as policy, will be necessary.

The Stigma Factor

One of the greatest challenges youth face in seeking recovery isn’t availability, but the stigma against them. Many adolescents are embarrassed about what their peers might think or how their futures may be effected. In reality, when it comes to life successes–both career and relationship–it’s clear that active addiction is far more damaging than whatever stereotypes an addict may face for attending treatment.

There is nothing weak about seeking help when you need it. Here at Sustain, we provide young addicts with the tools and guidance they need to put the brakes on the addiction cycle. To learn about addiction treatment and adolescent aftercare programs, give us a call at 949-637-5499.

What’s Included in the Extended Care program at Sustain Recovery?

August 17, 2016 6:17 AM Leave a Comment

Extended care services provide a critical buffer between the initial stay at a residential inpatient treatment facility and returning home. Young adults and adolescents suffering from drug addiction are put at an disadvantage if they quickly return to their old neighborhoods. The same stresses and triggers which helped catalyze their addictions originally are still there. Immersion in that environment without the adequate skills and tools preparation can lead to relapse. Extended care continues the treatment and therapy started in treatment, allowing a recovering young adult to develop a solid foundation for a new substance-free life.

Sustain Recovery Services has established a premier sober living environment in beautiful Orange County, southern California, that sets the standard for such facilities. The primary directive of all sober living is to establish a drug and alcohol free group home. Recovering adolescent addicts and alcoholics can continue to participate in 12-step recovery and other programs while they re-establish themselves in school, work and communities. Most facilities do nothing more than this, leaving residents to cook and clean for themselves and to enroll in and secure transportation to group programs. Sustain Recovery goes beyond the common call for support.

First, recognizing that healthy eating is a critical aspect of addiction recovery, Sustain Recovery offers residents nutritional guidance and planned meals. We staff our houses around the clock with qualified personnel and a three-to-one caregiver-to-resident ratio. We continue the structured schedules experienced in previous treatment programs. Therapy, group therapy, life skills training and life coaching are incorporated into the Sustain Recovery program.

Other coaching services include educational and vocational training, resume building, and time management. We provide transportation options to allow our residents to get to and from their schools or places of employment. Perhaps most importantly, we encourage our residents to have fun. Involvement in local YPAA (Young People’s AA) is part of our programming, supporting our residents in getting involved with other young people in recovery.

Every weekend, Sustain Recovery offers family programming including Al-Anon attendance and group family therapy. We believe that addiction and alcoholism are family diseases, therefore requiring family healing.

Sustain Recovery Services raises the bar on providing extended care services to young adults and adolescents in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Our homes are high end luxury models, gender-separated, and nestled in the hills of southern California.

For more information about Sustain Recovery Services unique program for adolescent after care in addiction recovery, please call 949-407-9052 today.

Transitional Living for Addiction Recovery

August 5, 2016 5:39 PM Leave a Comment

The classic model of inpatient residential treatment for drug addiction and alcoholism provides at least twenty-eight days of therapy, counseling and education. Prior to the regular thirty day program commonly called “rehab” is the detox process which can last up to three weeks. In the case of addiction in adolescents and young adults, four weeks may not be enough time to establish the necessary foundation for building a life of recovery upon.

Transitional Living for Addiction Recovery

Transitional facilities provide a less rigid environment than structured inpatient programs. However, they offer enough structure to prevent young people recovering from addiction from flailing. Most recovering young adult addicts who elect to reside in a transitional facility will stay there for three to twelve months. They will continue to develop and grow into their new sober lifestyles while receiving encouragement and support from peers their own age. Recovering addicts often need time to adjust to the newfound freedom and responsibility that comes with a sober lifestyle, and transitional facilities provide the platform for that adjustment. Therapy, group therapy, and life skills training are core components of these programs. Most importantly, adolescent and young adult focused transitional living incorporates a lot of fun. Finding fun in life again without drugs and alcohol as a young person can feel hopeless. Transitional living helps young adults learn how to fully live their lives in ways they never knew possible.

The ultimate success of a transitional facility is its ability to provide an ongoing support community for recovering addicts. Schooling, local twelve step programs, and communities focused on young people’s recovery are parts of a new social support system. Strong group support during the vulnerable 18 month timeframe of early recovery has been shown to significantly reduce relapse incidents, as well as ongoing legal and homelessness problems that are associated with heavy drug use.

Sustain Recovery Services offers a comprehensive program for extended care services to adolescents and young adults in the early stages of recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. Please call 949-407-9052 today for more information about our unique facility and how we can help your loved one find long term sobriety for their life.

Tag Archive: adolescent aftercare