Rehab: A path from addiction to recovery  

May 23, 2025

9:00 am

What is dual diagnosis? The link between addiction and mental health 

Rehab: a path from addiction to recovery. Sounds cheesy? Perhaps, but it works. Addiction is an illness, a battle, a conundrum, a quandary: Call it what you like. Whatever you call it the aftermath can be devastating. It is common to feel shame, guilt and disgust. Your self-esteem gets ruined, and fear can overtake you. While you have won the initial battle, if you allow these feelings to take over, you might lose the war. These feelings, if not tackled, will hinder progress. Here at Find Me a Rehab, we offer free clinician drug advice. If you have just left an addiction recovery centre and are struggling, call for free and impartial advice: In total confidence.  

Addiction is one of the most complicated and difficult disease to overcome. Using substances damages your body, as well as your brain. It can destroy relationships, marriages, cause divorces and evictions as well as ending careers. Not only, while you were in active addiction, were you physically dependent on drugs and alcohol, but psychologically, too.  

Abstinence is not easy. Getting into recovery is a bold, and very brave, step. It takes courage and commitment. Completing a rehab programme is a huge accomplishment and should, rightly, be recognised and celebrated. One of the most important things to do is to be able to forgive yourself, this is a major step forward in being able to heal, stay sober and live a happy, productive life.  

Being in rehab means being away from friends and family. It is instinctive yet may be counterproductive. Many of them may not be able to accept you as a sober person or even want someone sober around them if they are using (and neither should you want to be around people who cannot accept your sobriety or are using). Not everyone will be accepting of you in recovery: but that is outside of your control.  

Being able to forgive yourself is not about forgetting what led to down the path of addiction. Quite the opposite: Being able to acknowledge what happened and making a conscious choice to move forward is challenging but necessary if you are asking others to accept your changes.  

Change is gradual 

Repairing fractured relationships after rehab takes time. Some cannot be repaired, and a wise person knows how to tell the difference. This part of the recovery trajectory can feel more burdensome than rehab but can be achieved. Recovery doesn’t end when completing rehab: It is just the start. There will be challenges along the way. Remember, relapsing is not just a physical thing, but a psychological issue as well. There may well, as is life, be issues that arise after rehab that you have not experienced before. All these things could leave you feeling frustrated. A cliche, but you have made it this far: keep going.  

Addiction has an impact, not only the person caught up in it, but on others as well. It may have put barriers between you and them and will, undoubtedly, changed your behaviour. You may have been angry, disengaged or even been arrested. It is imperative to be patient with friends and family as well as partners and co-workers. They may, quite rightly, be wary but with time, space and perseverance it can be possible to repair relationships: Even to enhance them.  

How can relationships be rebuilt?  

When you work to get back in touch with those who supported you before treatment, there are some useful things to remember.  

  • Be honest:  There will be both challenges and victories. You need to be truthful about the challenges of reaching out and ensure others can see that you mean what you say.  
  • Don’t make promises you cannot keep: If you say you are going to a 12 step/SMART meeting: Go. If you say you will meet for coffee at 3PM, be on time, if not 5 minutes early. Those you are seeking to reach out to will, naturally, be sceptical.  
  • Don’t shut others out: Those with whom you are repairing relationships will, hopefully, want to talk with you about your recovery. Sure, it may be uncomfortable but can be vital. 
  • Go to meetings with a friend/partner/family member/friend. Maybe even family therapy. Addiction can damage wider family networks and healing takes time. 

For free clinician drug advice, call Find me a Rehab. If you are near to completing treatment at an addictions recovery centre or have just left and are struggling, call for free, independent, impartial and confidential advice.  

Look after yourself 

Rehab is very hard work but, in treatment, you are surrounded by professionals, supportive peers, love and reassurance. After discharge you are, mainly, on your own. In treatment you will be taught about the importance of self-care: Once discharged it is imperative that you use these skills and build on them. Staying focused can be difficult, especially when family and friends are not on board. A sponsor at a 12-step group can be very useful. Have boundaries and don’t blur them. Some of those you want to reconnect with won’t want to re-establish a relationship. Being able to recognise this and moving on can be a major step forward. Staying on top of your general health is essential, as is following a balanced diet.  

How to avoid relapse 

After the elation of completing a rehab programme, some people can experience a lull and become disheartened. On occasion, this can lead to, in a small minority, negative thoughts and, sometimes, harmful behaviours. This may lead to relapse. However, this is not a given and by concentrating on your recovery plan, particularly the elements of relapse prevention, it is possible to avoid relapse.  

Forgive yourself 

Being sober means being free of alcohol and substances that interfere with your thoughts. However, this can mean that thoughts you would rather supress are now floating around your brain. It is not uncommon to feel guilty about your addiction: How much money you have spent, begged, borrowed and stolen and the shame you now feel.

The “go to” you had before to numb your psychological pain is now out of reach. Negative thoughts can stall your recovery. Being able to forgive yourself is not about making excuses for what happened or sweeping them under the carpet. It is about acknowledging what happened, taking ownership and moving forward. Challenging? Absolutely. Necessary for others to forgive you? Most certainly.  

Take it slow  

It can take time to work out how you are going to regain the trust of those who were affected by your addiction: After all, you did not become addicted overnight, and relationships could have been damaged over a period of years. For some, repairing damaged relationships can seem more difficult than rehab treatment.  

Being abstinent will allow your brain to bring to the front emotions that were being suppressed by your addiction. These may not be emotions you have processed or even encountered before. This can be frustrating, so take it slow.  

What help is available?  

All rehab centres provide a minimum of 12 months aftercare. This will include, as a minimum, a weekly peer support group (in person or virtually). For some this is not practical, so it is possible to arrange one to one therapy with an addiction’s specialist therapist. Attending a 12 step or SMART group will be an invaluable part of your recovery, after rehab.  

What should I do with the time that used to be taken up by my addiction?  

People caught up in active addiction can spend hours a day sourcing drugs, going to the off licence or sleeping off the effects. In recovery, you fill find this time is now free to devote to new and more positive activities. That motivation to feed a habit, if put to a new use, can be transformative. If you have just completed treatment at an addiction recovery centre and have questions, call and speak to an addictions clinician at Find Me a Rehab. We offer free clinician drug advice. Call in total confidence for impartial advice.