Aftercare and Recovery from Addiction

[worried878]

Was curious...statistically less than 20% of alcoholics or addicts follow up with aftercare..i do not want to even state the stats on relapse as it is almost discouraging...but the stats on those who stop their substance of choice and include ongoing aftercare more than doubles ur chances of long term cleandom...but still/most do not seek any aftercare at all..some use this forum which is a form of aftercare/but even those/most anyway/leave after a short time and do not post again til they relapse//wondering whay they did when they never followed up with the care they needed to stay clean...if a diabectic decided to stop taking their insulin/they would become sick again...as do addicts..but yet few seek their "medicine" to stay clean..I was just curious as to WHY?

I do know many insurances do not cover addiction counseling/mine does not//but meetings r free...and yet most do not take advantage of this therapy

[narla]

I don't attend aftercare for my addictions,but I see my doctor and a therapist on a weekly basis to deal with the sexual abuse I had as a child which I believe contributed to my addictions.I know I have willpower because I gave up smoking 10 yrs ago cold turkey and have never touched a cigarette again.

[worried878]

Everyone is different..that is for sure..and not eveyone is a mental plus physically addicted person..and we all have different definitions of addiction as well...my definition may be different than urs..some beleive addiction can be cured..others believe it is a life long thing

I do know my clean date was in Feb of 08 from a 100 mg hydro habit...had always been a social drinker and never had a problem with alcohol...when i stopped the pills i continued to drink socially/without a problem..then a major bombardment of stressors hit me at once in aug 09...I lost my job, my fiance and family loss as well in a matter of 3 days...i almost lost it myself...i had been so happy for so long and had no cravings at all for drugs or alcohol/altho i still drank socially...i was amazed...i think my fiance may have been my drug..i dunno

Anyway i had not been to a meeting in almost 6 months when all of this happened..cos i thought i had this issue licked..i went dailty for 3 months then weekly up until i met him...busy with woprking, him and family etc...let the meetings go except for one here and there...anyway/my coping mechanisms/my old ones came out...i did not turn to narcotics..but turned to alcohol...I realized it within a few weeks..at first i was in shock and so depressed i just did not care..getting out of the bed was a chore....when i could think clearly i realized what i was doing and where i was heading...i resumed meetings daily and now down to once or twice a week..or on a bad day i will go for strength..i had always attended AA vs NA just cos i found a meeting that i felt comfy at and it was AA//even tho I was a narcotic user..most there were cross addicted so i fit in

My point being for me, when life was going great..i felt i was strong enuf to keep this evil coping mechanism away...fact is life is not always perfect and I do believe some have easier lives than others..more support than others...so it makes us different when life poo poos in our face..I live alone and it can be very quiet when u r out of work and lose people u love,,used to staying so busy i never had time to crave!  then boom..all this time on my hands a grief over loss of loved ones and a job i had for 9 years...I was in a dark place and it was like old coping mechanisms came back...i had let the memories go of how painful substance abuse can be..until I found myself reliving them once again

I agree that we all need different support to stay clean..but I do think we all need some type of support to stay clean successfully...and even if u have 2 yrs under ur belt..u just dont know how close we can be to relapse..it can be one drink or one pill away..one loss or depressive episode away..it is very scary...and sumpin i need to always be aware of...life throws curve balls at us some times...and a person with an addiction problem can sink if they dont remember how to swim thru this without relapsing

[BrooklynBoy8148]

Just too many variables, addiction does not discriminate. A person who became an addict late in life opposed to someone who started in his or hers adolescents may option for a different path.    

[keekee57]

Thanks for the post, you are right with the aftercare and people coming to this post (like myself) for a short time whenever a relapse occurs. For one thing opiate addiction is one of if not the worst addictions anyone can have. The recovery rate sadly is staggering poor. Like myself, I was clean for 20 months and used this forum during my clean time, but then my ego got in the way. I said to myself, I do not need anymore meetings or forum bull I am cured. Well, I was wrong. I did not know how to handle the deaths of both of my parents in which they passed away back to back within a 2 month period. I saw a bottle of oxycontin for my mother and I stared at that bottle and debated. Temptation got to the best of me and before you know it, it was full blown hysteria. That was 2 years ago. Within those 2 years I have been back and forth to rehab 3 times. I would get clean for a month or 2, and say the heck with it. I felt that life was so much better if I was buzzed off of oxycontin. I do have a bad back L5 pinch disc and arthritis and always in pain, but I always self medicate myself anyways. Instead of taking what is prescribed I take quite a bit more than what is prescribed. A viscious cycle is what I call it. But anyways this forum does help and it puts me in check and I get the feeling that I am not the only one out there that is addicted to opiates. I do want to recover and I do not have an excuse as to why I cant recover, is just the addiction overpowers my thoughts and reactions. Complete surrender is what they call it at NA or AA, but I do not know how to surrender. I just keep plugging away until someday I get it right. thanks for the poll

[hooklineandsinker]

I believe that aftercare is important but not one size fits all. I also don't believe it is a predictor of staying clean. I think that's just pretty much a **** shoot and why did I stay clean with no aftercare and somebody who went to NA every night relapsed kind of thing?

Do it to improve your mental health and to atone for transgressions committed during active addiction but don't rely on it to keep you clean.

There are just too many dynamics and life events in one person's existence for any one method to work predictably, IMHO.

Why do most people relapse? Because they're addicts. Nature of the beast.

And yes, hearing people tell "war stories" during meetings can make you crave like crazy. :)

[dominosarah]

For me aftercare is a must.  There is so much more to this addiction than just stopping the pills.             sara

[candothis247]

i go to aa and na very regularly, i have a sponsor who i speak with every day. i have almost 3 months clean and sober off booze and pills. i want more than to just be off the pills, i want a better life for myself, and i believe aftercare is the best approach for me to obtain a better life. I was on the medhelp every single day for 3 months before quitting pills -- the people here were incredibly supportive and helpful to me in getting off the pills. I’m grateful to everyone here. It was such a struggle to quit and I couldn’t have done it without the support I got here at all hours of the day.

[Holliee]

I do attend after care and meetings but sometimes in meetings I crave like crazy does anyone else do this?