Having a loved one go through drug or alcohol rehab can be one of the hardest things that someone could go through. Although helping someone during this time in their life may seem daunting, becoming a part of their support system could prevent them from relapsing and instead promote sober living. Here are some things that you can do for a loved one out of rehab.

Educate Yourself on Triggers
Knowing triggers for addicts can help you understand why someone might relapse, and it can help you prevent your loved one from falling back into alcohol or drug use. Some common triggers are:

-People who they have used with
-People that are still using the addictive substance
-Places where they often used
-Times of day when they often used
-Stressful or emotional stimuli

It is a good idea to help keep a recovering addict from these triggers. A good way to do this is have them live in a temporary and safe environment. Some drug detox and rehab centers even provide this for you. This separates them from triggers like the places that they used, the people that they used to be around when they used, and the drug itself. It may also protect the person from unneeded physical and emotional stress. Although times of day are unavoidable, encouraging them to use their time in productive ways could help with this. Things like exercising and taking up a hobby are great ways to do this. Talking about these things together potentially can make it easier on both of you.

Be Supportive
Being supportive for someone is extremely important after addiction treatment. It is common for someone recovering from drug or alcohol abuse to feel discouraged and overwhelmed. Things as simple as lending an ear and being understanding can assist with this. Encouraging entering support groups can help them meet others that are going through a similar situation, which may broaden their support system and make them feel less alone. It is also good to remind them about how far they have come in their treatment and acknowledge their hard work for self improvement. If they are feeling overwhelmed during their treatment, offering to take them to appointments may make them feel a bit better knowing that someone is looking out for them. You can also offer to go with them to these appointments if they would like.

Doing these things listed above can improve the chances of a smooth recovery for those that you care for. Always being accepting and understanding is key to helping those recovering emotionally. In the event that a relapse may occur, you should maintain this attitude and offer them help to resume treatment. Relapse is very common, and although it should be prevented, it ought to not be interpreted as a complete loss of progress. The treatment after drug and alcohol abuse is continuous and sometimes long lasting, but that doesn’t mean that either of you need to give up.