If you’ve recently completed a residential treatment program at Avalon Malibu, you may be working towards an intensive outpatient program while you transition into home and work life. Recovery is such a courageous journey, and you’ve already been taking major strides towards your health and wellbeing. However, you also have responsibilities to uphold: a family, a job, and bills to pay. Now it’s time for you to reintegrate these crucial components of daily living while also balancing your recovery journey. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) are an excellent step towards building up independence while still having additional support to feel confident as you move forward.
IOPs
If you’re considering participating in an IOP, you’ll want to make sure that you meet the following criteria:
- Do you live relatively close to the Avalon Malibu IOP?
- Are you no longer needing things like detoxification?
- Do you have a stable, supportive home environment that will uplift your recovery?
- Are you at a point in your life now where you feel self-motivated to pursue sobriety?
This program provides a similar intensity to a residential treatment program, except it does not provide food and housing. What it does provide, however, is the comfortability of knowing that you won’t be navigating this alone. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to connect with people at Avalon Malibu as you work through various situations in daily life.
Why IOP?
IOPs are more than just providing you with structure and guidance. Previous studies have shown that IOPs are incredibly effective at helping the right people transition and move forward in their sobriety journey. Those who actively work towards sobriety in their personal lives while also regularly attending their IOP will find that it does get easier over time. It’s clear that this type of program can be beneficial in helping individuals maintain their recovery while also ensuring that day to day responsibilities are fulfilled.
The transition into independent living can be a scary one. Nobody really knows what to expect when walking into this type of transition because it’s a new step that hasn’t been reached yet. Even if you feel brand new to this experience, be patient with yourself and understand that it is going to take some time for you to find your footing. This is where your tools from recovery really need to come into play, especially in situations where it may seem difficult. In the tough moments of daily life, it’s important to breathe. Gain some perspective. Take everything step by step, day by day. You likely already know what you need to do because you’ve been working so hard towards sobriety and applying the tools you’ve learned in treatment, so trust in yourself and follow that path.
Your Next Steps
It’s always helpful to know what you can expect before you go into a program. If you enter an intensive outpatient program at Avalon Malibu, you’ll receive a lot of the same benefits that you did in your residential treatment program. Individual therapy, group therapy, assessments, private counseling, and family counseling will all continue to be important components of your recovery. You’ll be able to work pretty closely with your team from Avalon Malibu as you find what works and what needs to be reinforced over time.
No matter how you’re feeling about this new phase of your life, try not to expect anything in particular or set any high expectations for yourself. Life is a series of ups and downs, and you can’t predict what is going to happen. All you can do is work hard each day at a single time and know that as long as you’re moving forward in recovery, you’ll be just fine. One of the most commonly feared components of recovery is relapse but in all truthfulness, it’s considered a normal part of recovery and it’s something you can work through if it does happen.
Managing Recovery
Going back home to your family, job, and other responsibilities can be a bit overwhelming. Give yourself time to slowly adjust, even if that means sharing part of your role in the workplace. As you continue figuring out this next step of your life, remember to:
- Take small breaks throughout the day so you can recollect yourself
- Say ‘no’ to after-hour drinks and meetings if you feel it could set you back
- Practice organizing your day so that you have some downtime
- Make sure you get some amount of exercise each day, even if it’s a small walk
- Eat healthy, balanced, nutritious meals to keep your mind, body, and spirit at ease
- Spend quality time with your loved ones and strengthen those connections
- Set scheduled times to go to sleep and wake up, and continue this pattern
Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery center. If you are ready to seek treatment to develop the tools you need to overcome life’s obstacles and be on the road towards happiness, health, and wellbeing, call us today at 844-857-5992 for a consultation. It’s never too late to begin taking steps towards a happier, healthier life, and there are people here ready to help you.
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