How to Help a Loved One
Adjust After Rehab

By Elliot Caleira

If someone you love has just come home from an inpatient treatment center due to his or her addiction to drugs or alcohol, you could just be happy that your loved one has completed the treatment and is now clean and sober. However, you could be unsure of how to handle things from now on. Of course, this can be a major adjustment period for everyone who is involved. Luckily, following these tips can help you help your loved one to become adjusted after rehab...

Don't Be Afraid to Show Your Love
For one thing, whether your addicted loved one is a teenager or someone who is much older, there is a good chance that he or she is really going to need your love and support during this difficult time.

Don't Be Judgmental
It can be easy to be judgmental when it comes to someone who has been using and abusing drugs or alcohol. However, being too judgmental can make your loved one feel as if you don't really know what he or she is going through at all. It could also be a way of pushing your loved one away, which is never a good thing. Therefore, even though you might find yourself thinking judgmental thoughts about your loved one's lifestyle and the things that he or she might have done while in the throes of addiction, trying to avoid passing judgment toward him or her can help. Plus, not only can this help your loved one, but it can help you see things in a different way as well.

Communicate
This is a tough time for everyone who is involved, so it's important to focus on communication. You probably expect for your loved one to communicate with you during this difficult time, so it's only fair if you are willing to communicate with him or her as well. For example, if you're feeling a certain way or if you just have questions about how you can help your loved one with his or her recovery, do not be afraid to talk about what you are feeling or to mention your concerns. This can help you ensure that everyone is on the right page. Plus, by properly communicating, you could get some insight that can help you better cope through this difficult time as well.

Learn about the 10 major skills you need to take care of to improve your ability to communicate well, with all the benefits that brings.

Avoid Offering Temptation
Of course, if someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol wants to relapse, he or she is going to do so no matter what you do. However, if you make things tempting for your loved one, it could be harder for him or her to "stay on the wagon." Therefore, if you are someone who likes to enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and then but if your loved one is recovering from an alcohol addiction, you may want to avoid keeping these beverages in the house. Otherwise, it could provide a source of temptation for your loved one, which is definitely something that he or she probably wants to avoid during this time if at all possible.

Provide Assistance with Recovery
Even though your loved one's sobriety is ultimately up to him or her, there are some ways that you can help. For example, after leaving an inpatient addiction treatment center, your loved one might choose to attend meetings or counseling sessions. This can be a positive thing, so if you can help with providing transportation to these classes or meetings, it would be helpful and would also show your support.

As you can see, there are a few different things that you can do if you would like to help your loved one adjust after rehab. Of course, this can be a challenging time for your addicted loved one and for anyone who cares about him or her, but focusing on the right steps can help keep things positive.

Elliot Caleira is a freelance writer in the self-mastery and health and wellness spaces. When he's not writing you'll find him cooking or teaching Portuguese classes. More articles by Elliot.