It can be very stressful to manage substance abuse disorder (SUD) on your own. If you find that you need some extra help with your sobriety, consider an outpatient program (OP). This type of program can help you build relationships, foster your mental wellness, and help you through difficult times.
What Does an OP Do?
Outpatient treatment is often used as a continuation of care once someone completes an inpatient program. However, this is not always the case. Some people start with an OP right away. An OP lets you continue treatment while living at home or in a sober living facility. It gives you the ability to continue living your everyday life. There are many benefits to participating in an OP. This investment can change your life for the better.
Helps You Build Healthy Relationships
One aspect of an outpatient program is that it places you with a group of people who are struggling with the same issues. The group will use healing therapies or participate in counseling together. During these group sessions, you will bond with other people who can relate to the struggles you have faced and continue to face. These avenues give you the ability to make lasting friendships with like-minded people. It also helps you identify what kind of relationships are healthy and productive versus toxic or destructive.
Whereas our first stress response may be to recede into ourselves or withdraw from our friends, an OP gives you the safe space to bring your stressors to others so they can help you work through them.
Helps You Learn to Forgive Yourself and Others
During group and individual therapy, you will speak with professionals about your life and your relationships. Often in recovery, we feel guilty for our past actions. Maybe a relationship you cherished was damaged, and you feel shame for it. An OP gives you the tools and supports you’ll need to learn to forgive yourself. You don’t need to hold on to any bad decisions you may have made in your life. The past cannot be changed, but your past does not define you either. It is okay to forgive yourself.
If you have a family member or old friend who hurt you in the past, an OP can help you find the strength to forgive them as well. This does not always mean you welcome those people back into your life, but at least forgiving them can ease the weight or tension you have held in relation to them.
Gives You Tools to Help You Through Challenges
Along with therapies and meetings, an OP will include panels and other resources to ensure long-term sobriety. One very important part of recovery is learning life skills. Any recovery program, including an OP, can help you with the following life skills:
- Self-care
- Hygiene
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Sexual health
- Relationships
- Communication
- Finances
- Employment
These may seem like very easy skills on paper, but when facing recovery and sobriety, they can feel a lot more stressful than they sound. By improving these life skills, you can focus more on other coping skills you will learn in your OP. These coping skills will allow you to strengthen your resolve when faced with difficult life events.
Throughout your experience participating in an OP, you will be shown multiple coping mechanisms that will help you say no to substance abuse and yes to sobriety. These coping skills include setting boundaries, creating healthy relationships, problem-focused strategies, meditation and stress reduction, and more.
Why Do I Need Resilience in an OP?
Having resilience in an OP is very important. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), resilience is someone’s ability to cope with change and adversity. This resilience develops and strengthens over time.
Any recovery program is emotionally and sometimes physically taxing, and you will need resilience to benefit from it. To boost resilience, it is important when you are entering or involved in an OP that you have a strong support system. Aside from that, having a purpose in life or even a simple goal can help you have the strength to persevere.
It also helps you to have confidence in yourself and think positively. Wake up in the morning and tell yourself that you are worthy of sobriety. Affirm that you will make it through the day, the week, and the month. By fostering confidence within yourself, you will make it easier to learn to love yourself. You will get better at encouraging yourself and others to fight through difficulties. As you build resilience, you will notice your journey will become easier. You will become more excited about what the next day of your OP will bring.
Where Do I Start?
You deserve to have continuing care that you can proudly and confidently participate in. One option is to ask your therapist or doctor if an OP would be right for you.
Sober Life offers our outpatient mental health program to provide continued care for those who have completed an inpatient or intensive outpatient program (IOP). This bi-weekly program allows you to work and keep your other everyday commitments.
You cannot avoid stress and difficult times. You can, however, prepare yourself to cope with them when they occur. Building resilience during an outpatient program (OP) is necessary for your success in recovery. An OP can help prevent relapse and ease your recovery process altogether. Addiction is a cyclical disease, and it is important to take the much-needed steps to ensure your safety in and out of recovery programs. Sober Life offers multiple treatment options and programs to help you build resilience and fight for your recovery. If you are looking for a tailored treatment experience that will help you overcome challenges and take back your life, call Sober Life at (619) 542-9542 to learn more about our programs.
