After spending so many weeks or months in recovery, you may be nearing the time for you to be discharged from your inpatient program. The idea of going back into society and resuming your former life can be scary. You do not want to relapse and start using drugs or alcohol again.
Rather than send you out into society where you could risk relapsing, your program’s coordinators might instead arrange for you to take part in some sort of outpatient or continued recovery program. By entering an outpatient program, continued recovery outreach, or transitional house in washington dc, you can gradually reenter society and use your skills to avoid the urge to start using drugs or alcohol again.
Understanding the House Rules
Just as when you were in inpatient care, you will have rules that you must follow as a house resident. You will not be allowed to simply do whatever you want, which could increase your risk of relapsing. You will have rules that you must abide by if you want to continue being a resident in the home.
The first rule involves the length of your stay. Most of these places allow residents to stay up to one year depending on their needs. During that time, you are encouraged to find a job and start saving money to put toward a new place of your own once you leave the home.
You also will be required to abide by a curfew during your stay. You cannot leave the home during certain hours of the overnight, which is when most people like to go to bars or meet up with friends to abuse substances. If you leave during those times, you forfeit your privilege of living in the home.
Finally, you will be expected to contribute to the home’s upkeep. You may have chores assigned to you on a daily basis. You also may need to help pay expenses like groceries if you want to continue living there. These measures are designed to give you a sense of responsibility and accomplishment and also teach you how to live independently again.