Setting Both Long and Short Term Goals after Rehabilitation

It’s true that addiction treatment canters have changed and transformed the lives of millions of people who used to abuse substances. Unfortunately, a good percentage of them fall victim to the relapse demagogue and find themselves abusing drugs again. It happens because recovery is a difficult journey that requires a lot of help.

If you have been at one of drug treatment centers in Indianapolis, you will discover that one of the things that make people go back to abusing drugs or alcohol is lack of short and long term goals.  This is why we want to spend some time looking at both long term and short term goals.

Long Term Goals

These are goals that help the patient see the bigger picture. It is a positive outlook about the future and what they want to achieve. When setting these goals, take care so that you don’t set goals that are too distant. If they are far away to be achieved, they become overwhelming. Ensure the goals you set are achievable; otherwise, you risk getting discouraged along the way.

You can also find someone to help you reach your goal as sometimes all you need is that small motivation to get you going. Some benefits of setting long term after rehabilitation goals include;

You will have something to work on daily – as an addict; you will be spending most hours using the drug and not wanting to do anything else. However, as a move to quit the bad habit, having something to accomplish will divert your attention. That is because you will realize that you have something better to do that will make your life more enjoyable. You should know that if the number of hours you spend using drugs was invested in doing something constructive no matter how small, you would realize that you can achieve a lot at the end of the day.

You will be giving yourself a second chance – when someone is addicted, they usually waste a lot of time focusing on drugs that they forget to focus on their lives. That is why you will find that most drug addicts have peers that have accomplished a lot while them they are still in the same addiction state for several years. By setting a long time goal, you will be giving yourself a purpose to enjoy life once again and correct all the mistakes you did.

Accomplishing a long term goal is self – fulfilling- one of the reasons why many drug addicts have long term goals is because they have people to disapprove. Additionally, they want to give their life purpose again. Remember that in life, everyone has both long term and short term goals. Accomplishing any of these normally brings about a feeling of satisfaction and self-confidence. For a drug addict who is recovering, this is an excellent way to make it back to society with a great feeling that your life has indeed changed after leaving the rehab.

During that time you will be building yourself – achieving a long term goal is not done in a single day. It requires continuous planning and executions that are not guaranteed to work with the first trial. That needs the recovering addict to find his or her way to the set objective. During that time, the patient will have to go through different experiences that will help them become what they intend to be after achieving the goal.

Puts the patient to the test – recovering from drug addiction is not successful until the patients do something commendable with their lives. In most cases, people believe that a drug addict patient has fully recovered only if they accomplish a long term plan. It is sad to say that some recovering drug addict patients find their way back to using drugs even before convincing people that they have at least improved from the rehab.

Setting Short Term Goals

The only thing that can help a person recovering from addiction is to set short term goals that can be achieved with ease. A goal like I will never use drugs again is good, but it looks difficult to achieve.  You should also know that there are simple things around you that can trigger your urge for drugs. Short term goals are aimed and getting rid of the small things that entice you to use drugs and also correct the bad things drug addiction has ever made you do. Typical short term recovery goals for drug addicts include;

Discarding all alcohol or drug – related items- if you have a few things such as bottles, lighters, flasks at your desk or at home which you were using while taking the alcohol or drugs, then you should get rid of them. That is because; they can encourage you to go back to drugs. If you have been keen, people who use drugs keep their tools of abuse close to them. If you want to quit drugs, then you can start by getting rid of these tools so that you don’t have a way to use the drugs.

Delete the contact of the dealer– after being released from rehab, you will still meet the people you used to smoke or drink with. Their contacts are still in your phonebook and so reaching them may be that easier. One of the short term goals you must set is to delete their contacts. Block and distance yourself from them. That way, you will be avoiding the pressure of wanting to do drugs again. You should know that their friends introduced a good percent of drug addicts through peer pressure.

Identify a local support group- you need to find new allies and establish new relationships. The correct of doing this is by joining a local support group. You can also find alumni from the centre and start chatting with them through text, social media or phone conversation. Be ready to share with them the challenges you may be facing. The good thing with support groups is that you will meet with other people who have the same problem like yours and you can begin a good friendship of helping each other beat addiction.

Restore a positive relationship-If there are bridges you burnt on your way to the rehab, it is time to restore them. It needs time and commitment so you must be prepared to walk the path. However, you must be determined to restore the relationships. Also, you must be ready to build a new relationship after rehab. Know that drug addiction has separated families and destroyed friends. By committing to recover the lost relationship, you will be doing everyone a favor by opening up the doors that were closed within a family or with friends. This way, you will be inviting happiness back to your life.

Conclusion

Life after rehab is not easy especially if the patient does not know the next step to take. It is also good to know that it is possible for a patient who has been discharged from rehab to backslide. However, you should know that it usually is a choice that is influenced by many things. For that matter, it’s highly recommended that when you have a patient from rehab, you help them find their bearing so that they can redeem themselves.

If you also notice that the recovering patient has developed new interests after rehab, it is good that you show support as long as they are doing the right thing. You can also be part of the recovery by offering presents when the patient does something remarkable on his way out of drug addiction.