Relapse Prevention
Completing addiction treatment feels like a huge victory. You’ve released yourself from the grip of substance abuse, and you’re feeling hopeful as you look toward an independent future. But you’ve also learned that addiction is a chronic illness. You know that your treatment was not a cure, but rather a means of getting you started with the right tools to manage your substance abuse — much like people with diabetes need to maintain their diet, or people with pain disorders avoid inflammatory triggers. The prospect of waking up every day and making the conscious choice to be sober can seem daunting, especially in the first few months or years after you first get clean.
At O’Connor Professional Group, we know the challenges of avoiding relapse on your own. The world is full of stressors, pressures, and temptations, and when you are the only one holding yourself accountable, it can be all too easy to give in. We hear from so many clients and their families that a professionally managed plan for avoiding relapse is the biggest piece missing from their long-term recovery plan — and we provide custom, one-on-one relapse prevention services to meet this need.
Relapse prevention with OPG includes a variety of monitoring options, including case management, drug testing, and breathalyzing and financial management. As providers of full-service addiction recovery support, the OPG team will work with you to create a relapse prevention plan incorporating everything you and your loved ones need for successful sobriety.
Case Management
The people who have the most success in long-term recovery are those who keep up with essential elements of treatment like therapy or support groups. But the task of transitioning out of full-time care, finding these services and keeping up with attendance is a lot of work for someone who is still adjusting to taking care of themselves while sober. Too often, family members try to shoulder the responsibility of checking in or making sure their loved one is staying away from drugs or alcohol. But parents, spouses, siblings or children have their own lives to lead, and often can’t provide the level of support that the individual needs. What’s more, when relapse does occur in these cases, the family member may feel guilty for failing what they perceive to be their duty.
What’s really needed in this situation is a case manager. This person is an experienced addiction professional who knows the best ways to organize daily schedules, ongoing treatment and any other relapse prevention services you or your loved one might need. When you work with OPG’s case management team, you will be assigned a case manager who gets to know your unique situation in depth and works closely with you to arrange for your particular needs. It’s their goal to make sure that you have the tools, support, and resources necessary for you to stay sober, and to allow family members to support their loved one in a more appropriate capacity.
Drug and Alcohol Testing
One of the most straightforward ways to prevent relapse — or to catch it early — is to perform regular drug tests or breathalyzer tests and to send results to the individual’s family and/or care team. The added accountability goes a long way toward lessening the temptation to relapse; knowing that there will be consequences if a test is failed is a concrete measurement of the risks and benefits of using again.
OPG offers remote breathalyzing tests, discreet drug testing as well as community-based solutions for both drug and alcohol testing. Clients work individually with their case managers to determine which option makes the most sense for them, and the case manager ensures that tests are passed and taken on time. Any failed or missed tests are reported immediately to the client’s care team. We partner with testing facilities and laboratories around the country, and we can also arrange for tests to be administered while clients are traveling.
Financial Management
Money matters are one of the most challenging aspects of long-term recovery. During active addiction, an individual often spends any available funds on their drug or alcohol habit or on associated risky behaviors. Getting finances in order and subsequently tracking expenditures is another service that OPG provides, particularly for clients who are recipients or beneficiaries of a trust. This service can be especially important if family finances are at risk.
Our financial management services include monitoring spending habits, setting and enforcing budgets, tracking expenditures and reporting on all spending to case managers, care team members, financial advisors or family members. This not only ensures that you are not spending money on drugs, alcohol or process addictions but also gets you on a path to restoring any funds that may have been lost or depleted as a result of addictive habits.
Contact O’Connor Professional Group
OPG was founded with the intention of serving as a resource for individuals who are struggling to manage their addiction, and for the family members who suffer the fallout. The relapse prevention services we provide are a key component of our programs. We strongly believe that, with the proper support, anyone is capable of achieving lifelong sobriety; but we also know that finding and getting this support presents a challenge for many. We are here to make it easy on you. Our services are available nationwide — get in touch today to speak with our coordinators and get started with relapse prevention for yourself or your loved one.
