A few weeks of addiction treatment is a relatively short time in which to reverse the effects of an addiction that probably took years to develop. So, New Life Addiction Counseling Services' continuing care program is an important tool that extends the personal growth and other bene ts clients have received in primary treatment, also known as intensive outpatient (IOP). Continuing care is a less intensive − but still essential − extension of the help and support clients receive in primary care. In continuing care, clients return to New Life after completing primary treatment, for two sessions per week, for 18 weeks. They receive more counseling, participate in groups, and continue to learn about addiction and recovery. The goal is to help clients maintain the recovery they have worked for and learn how to live life on life's terms, without using, says Noreen Ammons, clinical director and counselor at New Life. “By this time they should have a support system, or they are working on building a support system on the outside. So they can lean on each other; by that stage, there is a need for other people. And they feel more comfortable getting support from others.”
CONTINUING CARE HELPS SUSTAIN RECOVERY
Dealing with everyday life Among New Life's client population, most people who have successfully completed the program have seen their lives improve signi cantly, Ammons says. “Maybe they returned to school and decided to go to college or they returned to work, or they've gotten custody of their children back and stabilized their family,” Ammons says. Still, dealing with the stresses of everyday life without using chemicals can pose challenges, Ammons notes. “That's why we recommend continued participation in 12-step meetings 'forever,' because it's free, and always there. We tell clients that if they just stick with a 12-step program, they'll always have someone to lean on, and hopefully they won't have to come back here.” Misshay White, a group counselor at New Life, compares intensive inpatient addiction treatment to an intensive care unit in a hospital. “Once your condition is stabilized, then you are able to move to a lower level of care, where we can continue monitoring you to ensure you reach a therapeutic level, and become able to manage on your own.” When clients are ready to begin continuing care, “they're in a place where they can begin to see things a little more clearly. And we are starting to teach them proper life skills – healthy coping skills and healthy behavior,” White says.
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