Alcohol recovery is a lifelong process. Alcohol rehabilitation is only the first step on your journey to sobriety. You will need to resist the temptation to drink again and overcome an array of challenges after transitioning from an inpatient rehab facility to your home to achieve long-term recovery. Don’t worry; you won’t be alone in this battle. This article and the professionals at Hills & Ranges Private will be by your side.
Relapse: What You Should Know
Once you complete your rehab and go back home, the temptation to drink again will be everywhere. Resisting alcohol is one of the challenges you’ll face. Even if you don’t go to the alcohol aisle in a supermarket, you’ll likely see advertisements online and offline. Avoiding alcoholic beverages becomes even more challenging during holidays.
Alongside personal problems like breaking up with toxic loved ones, financial hardships, and lack of social support, the temptation can be hard to resist and cause a recovering alcoholic to relapse. Relapse is when you make a full-blown return to drinking. It is most common in early recovery but can still happen after many years of being sober.
Relapse usually begins when you get into a high-risk situation and do not develop a good coping mechanism. You experience lower self-efficacy and become more prone to initial on-time alcohol consumption. Some people will experience a sense of failure and guilt about drinking afterward. You may think that alcohol will alleviate those negative feelings, so you drink again. This chain of events can cause a person to return to uncontrolled drinking.
Relapse can be dangerous. Your tolerance to alcohol has likely changed after not drinking for a while. It means drinking the same amount before you cease alcohol consumption is likely to lead you to a risky situation. You may experience alcohol poisoning and blackouts.
Relapse is even more detrimental for older adults because people tend to become less mentally and physically prepared to handle alcohol effects as they age. It’s also risky for those who have experienced serious long-term effects of alcohol consumption, like permanent liver damage, because you’ll be putting your health at higher risk.
Fortunately, relapse is preventable. Understanding how it happens is a good start because you’ll be able to recognize the signs and stay on track.
Pay Attention to Your Nutrition
Your prolonged, excessive alcohol intake has taken a toll on your health. Now that you are finally sober after rehabilitation, it’s critical to watch what you eat for continuous recovery from the long-term effects of alcohol. After all, proper nutrients are the key to your overall health.
Luxury rehabilitation centres like Hills & Ranges Private take patients’ health and nutrition seriously; the facility ensures each one eats a well-balanced meal. Continue eating what’s good for your recovering body. Here are some of the best supplements and foods for alcohol recovery:
- Folate or folic acid: A lack of folate or folic acid can trigger anaemia, headaches, and concentration issues.
- Vitamin B6: You’ll need this to strengthen your immune system and lower the risk of depression and confusion.
- Thiamine: A lack of thiamine could cause serious memory and learning problems.
- Fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids will help your heart, which is one of the organs affected by the long-term effects of alcohol.
- Amino acids. The human brain needs this nutrient to produce dopamine, the happy hormone. Without it, you can have hostile behaviour, strong cravings, and mood swings.
The most important thing is to stick to regular mealtimes even if you do not feel hungry. Also, avoid ultra-processed foods because they are likely cooked in saturated, trans, and other unhealthy fats. Reduce caffeine consumption, too, and drink around eight glasses of water daily.
Seek Aftercare Programs
As mentioned above, completing an alcohol rehabilitation program is just the first step toward your journey to long-term recovery. After leaving the rehabilitation centre, life may feel like a rollercoaster of highs and lows. A dependable aftercare program can help increase your chance of staying sober.
Countless aftercare programs are available in different parts of the world. If you’re at Hills & Ranges Private Rehabilitation Centre, you are guaranteed to receive dependable aftercare programs. The team ensures each patient transitions back home safely. The facility provides clients with an app for checking in daily with their counsellor, booking sessions with their psychologists, connecting with the weekly group therapy sessions, etc.
You’ll find many other aftercare programs that will help ensure your ongoing recovery success. Many go to Alcoholics Anonymous, or A.A., a fellowship of individuals who gather together to solve their drinking problem. Anyone can attend their meetings for free. Their program has long been the preferred recovery method for many people who want to stay sober.
There’s also an option to move to a sober living home, which is ideal if you have an unstable home environment. Sober living homes provide a safe and alcohol-free living environment and also encourage recovering alcoholics to seek help from alcoholism groups.
Consider family therapy, too, especially if alcohol addiction has strained your relationship with your family members and loved ones. Family therapy may help mend what’s broken. Rebuilding relationships may take a while, but it is possible.
Adopt a Growth Mindset
After rehab, you’ll be dealing with a lot of changes. Developing a growth mindset will make it easier to adapt to these changes and achieve long-term recovery success. People with a growth mindset are open to the possibility of recovery and personal growth and believe they can do it. They see challenges as opportunities to improve and grow as individuals.
You can achieve this mindset with a few strategies. Begin by being aware of and monitoring all your thoughts. If you think about something negative, change it to a positive thought. Writing down the challenges you’ve overcome in the past can also help, as it shows that you have conquered difficulties and can do it again. Identify and write short-term, achievable goals, too, because they can boost self-esteem and confidence. Also, listen to other people’s recovery success stories, and use them as your inspiration.
Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself. Setbacks will always be a part of a recovery journey. Be compassionate with yourself and learn from your failures or mistakes instead of being discouraged.
Start Your Journey to Sobriety at Hills & Ranges Private Rehabilitation Centre
Life after rehab can be challenging, but it can get a little bit easier if you don’t delay getting treatment. You may avoid the serious long-term effects of alcohol if you get help today.
Hills & Ranges Private Rehabilitation Centre is always prepared to help you begin your journey to long-term alcohol recovery. Learn how rehab with HARP can help.
