Recovery Coaching
If you or a loved one has recently recovered or detoxed from an addiction to alcohol or other substances, you understand that the process can be worrying. The threat of a relapse can be nerve-wracking. If you believe relapse is looming on the horizon, it’s essential to get help quickly. Facing the possibility of a relapse alone rarely bodes well for any addict. Many patients are in denial of the possibility of relapse or will lie to their friends or loved ones if they do begin using again. They break promises to themselves and others because of the emotional difficulty involved in being honest about their addiction.How can you seek help if you have relapsed, fear you are going to relapse, or believe a loved one has relapsed or may soon? What if you are unable to return to treatment immediately or your loved one is unwilling to do so? A recovery coach may be the right answer. Even if you aren’t fearful of an imminent relapse, having a recovery guide during your journey to wellness can be an excellent resource at every stage of the treatment process.
What Is a Recovery Coach?
At the Kentuckiana Center for Addiction Medicine, we believe in holistic, comprehensive addiction treatment plans tailored to our patients. One of the services we provide as part of those plans is recovery coaching. A certified peer recovery support specialist is someone with lived experience in recovering from addiction. The coach is someone who has been professionally trained as a specialist and who is qualified to guide our patients along the road to recovery. They can help our clients rebuild their hope for a better life, make better decisions, and focus on the positive while serving as a peer mentor that truly understands the challenges the patient faces. In doing so, they can help prevent the risk of a relapse by giving clients the resources and support they need to overcome the challenges that often lead to the desire to use again.Recovery Coaching Truly Helps
There are many different ways that recovery coaching can help our clients in their recovery journey. If you are recovering from an addiction to drugs, medication, or alcohol, or you know someone who is, our program can help. Here’s how:Reduced Potential for Relapse
Recovery coaching reduces the risk of relapse because patients have an ongoing, reliable support system that helps them cope with the stresses of everyday life that might contribute to the desire to use again. Recovery coaching, as part of an overall substance abuse treatment plan, can help patients resist the urge to relapse.Teaching Patients to Enjoy Sober Living
For many people, the idea of living a sober life is a grim one. Recovery coaches help patients relearn how wonderful life free from addiction can be. Our coaches have the experience, professional training, and motivation to help our clients regain their lives, their motivation, and their sense of hope. They help our clients understand that a sober life is a life that is truly worth living. These recovery coaches have experienced addiction and recovery themselves, and they know what clients are going through and how best to support them.While many people are judgmental toward “addicts”, our coaches understand what it’s like to walk a mile in their shoes. They know that a person in recovery can be reliable, empowered, and resourceful in their recovery. They see that experience with addiction doesn’t define the individual, and that there is always a way forward.
Ongoing Help and Support
Unfortunately, far too many recovery programs are mainly focused on detox alone. Not so at the Kentuckiana Center for Addiction Medicine. We understand that our clients’ needs don’t begin and end with detoxification. On the contrary, true recovery is a lifelong process—one during which the patient’s life continually improves.To recover, patients have to know how to set realistic short-term and long-term goals. They need to understand how to identify situations and stressors that might make them tempted to relapse. They need to understand what resources are available to help them prevent a relapse. And most of all, they need someone to talk these issues over with, someone who is understanding and unbiased. A recovery coach is a perfect solution for ongoing, knowledgeable, empathetic, and impartial help and support.
What If I Relapse?
The potential of relapse is real for every person in recovery. Patients aren’t just concerned about the implications of relapse on their health and their life goals. They also fear the judgment and shame that so often accompany a relapse. Recovery coaches understand this on the most profound and most personal level. They are there to encourage and support the patient; they believe in the patient; they know that a better life is possible. Our coaches spare no effort to help our clients avoid relapsing. They also understand that relapses occur, and they help the client regain their sobriety and move forward without spiraling back into their addiction.Recovery coaches deal with empathy, compassion, and positivity, not scorn and judgment. They help patients understand the triggers that lead to relapse and help them build the coping mechanisms necessary to face those triggers without substance use. If a relapse occurs, they will work with the patient to understand the triggers involved and what the client has learned from the experience. They will help them use what they’ve learned to avoid similar situations in the future.