What Is The Biggest Importance Of External Support During an Outpatient Treatment Program?

The decision to enter recovery is a momentous occasion for an addict. At this moment, said individual realizes they must obtain help to overcome their problem and make the commitment to achieve that aim. However, the recovery process is not easy and often poses many potential obstacles.

Such facts are particularly true for those undergoing outpatient treatment. The external support recovering addicts receive during this time might make the difference between success and failure. Our facility, which is located in south Florida but serves adults from across the United States, invites concerned parties to read this short blog highlighting the benefits of external support provides for those experiencing outpatient treatment protocols.

Outpatient Treatment Overview

During such treatment, recovering individuals undergo medical, emotional, physical, and emotional therapy on an outpatient basis. This means said subjects visit a clinic or treatment facility close to their residences for scheduled appointments or mandated activities but are not required to move into said establishments.

In many cases, outpatient protocols are employed by healing subjects, like short-lived addictions or those who do not possess serious mental health issues or other potentially harmful underlying maladies. That said, outpatient treatment is not as strictly supervised as its inpatient cousin. Therefore, external support often proves crucial for the following reasons:

Mental And Emotional Stability

Persons experiencing challenges often benefit from the emotional support provided by close family, friends, clergy, counselors, or peers who have experienced and overcome similar circumstances. This is particularly true for healing subjects. Getting clean is merely half the battle. However, urges, like cravings and temptation seldom completely abate. Therefore, a solid support system offers a strong foundation for the recovering addict to lean on when these possible difficulties arise.

Encouragement

Close family and good friends often provide a significant degree of encouragement. Addiction recovery is a monumental endeavor often necessitating the completion of numerous small and big steps. Anyone facing a potentially arduous, major task might encounter moments of struggle and discouragement. External support is vital to providing encouragement at all times, especially when taking small steps. Encouragement often keeps recovering addicts in the game and inspires them to execute more significant milestones.

Toughness

As supportive as close friends and family should be, many such individuals also understand the importance of toughness. Toughness does not mean displaying an uncaring or contentious nature. It does, however, require supportive individuals to lay down the law and create a structured, potentially rigid environment designed to promote the addict’s recovery. Additionally, toughness means not allowing the healing subject to adopt bad habits or entertain negative thoughts.

Positive Influences

Positive influences often go a long way towards helping recovering addicts overcome their dependency and ultimately emulate the lives of individuals they admire. Optimal influencers are often successful and typically engage in beneficial lifestyle habits, including:

  • Avoiding detrimental vices
  • Exercising their minds and bodies
  • Maintaining a positive, upbeat outlook
  • Avoiding negative people and environments

Once again, it bears repeating that a successful recovery is about moving forward one step at a time and attaining goals. Healing individuals who follow a positive influence’s lead stand a better chance of not only completing their treatment program but leading a productive post-recovery life.

Protection From Negative Influences

As often as positive influencers yield favorable outcomes, negative influences possess the capacity to cause recovering addicts far more potentially adverse consequences. Bad influences do not care about the healing subject’s well-being but possess an uncanny knack to get them to:

  • Relive old or painful memories
  • Rekindle their desire to drink or ingest illicit substances
  • Inspire a return to unsafe environments
  • Reintroduce other negative associations

It is imperative for external support system members to keep recovering addicts away from such unscrupulous characters by all legal means.

Maintain A Safe Environment

For a recovering addict, comfort is key. Threatening or stressful environments, such as, alleyways or the living rooms of their former suppliers are not the only places recovering subjects might feel the tension. The uncertainty of atmospheres, like hospitals or in-patient recovery facilities, might also produce a certain level of angst. External support mechanisms, including one’s familiar surroundings and friendly faces, might make the transition to recovery more manageable.

Contact Us

Individuals with additional questions about this subject or any other inquiries about the recovery process are encouraged to contact us. Our experienced team of recovery specialists is here to listen and offer as much guidance as we can. Call us at 844-639-8371.

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