“They didn’t want to put me in a halfway house. I knew I needed a half-way house.” While tragic, the 100,000 fatal drug overdoses last year actually claimed the lives of a tiny percentage of the 31.9 million Americans who use illegal drugs. Now she’s a homeowner, she started a small business and says life is “awesome.”

For those in early recovery, it is recommended to find a low-stress job that permits time to focus on sobriety. If leaving a job or finding a new one isn’t possible, many places offer leave for health-related reasons, including addiction recovery. Be sure to speak with the human resources department or your boss to review your options. Most participants (65%) provided more than one answer to describe significant recovery experiences. The escalating negative consequences of substance use were cited most often as important reasons for either getting or staying sober (46%).

It fosters close, healthy relationships with peers in recovery

Long-term residential rehab encourages, guides and assists you as you make healthy lifestyle changes and develop healthier habits, like exercising, journaling, meal planning and other methods of daily self-care. Spending several months developing and practicing new habits in a structured, routine-oriented environment helps to ensure the changes you make will stick once your time to leave treatment arrives. The environment of home provides a safe environment with no room for relapse. If you find it difficult to make new, sober friends, try joining a support group. Spending more time with supportive loved ones and planning activities for the entire family can also help you develop a healthier lifestyle and avoid situations in which you would normally drink or use drugs. On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy slammed into Maryland’s Eastern Shore causing significant damage in Somerset County, Maryland—especially the City of Crisfield.

Our primary purpose is to foster long-term sobriety through the cultivation of accountability, camaraderie, & character development. Counselors and therapists can help a person work through their feelings and help uncover whatever the underlying cause may be. Therapists may use https://stylevanity.com/2023/07/top-5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-sober-house.html a variety of techniques including Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectal Behavioral Therapy to help patients deal with trauma and change their behaviors. Here are five steps that can help encourage more long-term recovery.

Recognize Relapse Warning Signs

Studies show people usually recover, but as with Rasco and Mable-Jones, the process happens slowly after multiple relapses. “Things that I thought I would never gain again, through the process of recovery I have them all,” she said. Mable-Jones lost a decade to addiction, entering rehab and relapsing repeatedly. Americans often see the more destructive side of addiction, drug crime, people slumped in doorways and family members who are spiraling downward.

Kelly co-authored a peer-reviewed study published last year that found roughly 22.3 million Americans — more than 9% of adults — live in recovery after some form of substance-use disorder. Even if therapeutic treatment is declined, a strong network of supportive people increases the chances of succeeding in long-term recovery. We understand the grip that addiction can have on a person’s life.