Patients of addiction treatment are often so focused on their treatment plans that thinking about planning for the future slips their minds. Many treatment programs can help patients once they are finished, but the planning must begin sooner. There are many things that should be considered when trying to help a patient or a loved one make a plan for their reentry into the regular world. Here are three important things to think about.

Handle with care
Inpatients in particular have likely been so focused on their treatment that they don't spend much time thinking about what it's going to be like when they are released. For some patients, planning for the future can be daunting since they have come to find support through the program they occupy. Talking to a patient calmly about their release can be difficult for both the patient and his or her support personnel, but it has to be done. A patient will need to plan for
€ Where to live?
€ Who else will be living there?
€ What kinds of responsibilities will be expected?
€ How will friends factor in?
€ How will tense situations be handled?
All of this addiction treatment has been leading up to these questions. Patients need to be assured that, if they practice what they've been taught during the treatment program, they will be able to continue to live a sober life.

Medication needs
Many patients who have experienced addiction also have a mental health disorder. Finding the right place to get the appropriate medication can be a challenge. Doctors from the treatment center who know the patient's history might be able to help with this. There are likely doctors who can be recommended to help with medication and specific mental illness counseling should it be needed.

Something to do
Patients who are newly detoxed or rehabilitated need something to do besides sit around and think about where they have been and what they have been doing. They need distractions and they need to feel useful. Sometimes there are job placement services that can be used through the addiction treatment center. Sometimes there are halfway houses that can aid in the transition as well. If a patient's home is not geographically close to the treatment center, finding a support group for the patient is essential. Having a regular meeting to go to will give the patient something to be responsible for.

These are all very important factors when patients are making a release plan. To get confidential help now, call 866-421-6242.