Why Recovering Closer To Home Is So Effective

You’ve taken the first step by acknowledging that you have an illness and making the brave decision to begin your recovery from addiction. By this point, you and your loved ones have probably begun researching treatment facilities and considered which programs best suit your needs. As you try to narrow your options, understand that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed with the seemingly endless list of possibilities.

Your journey toward recovery doesn’t need to take you far from home. In fact, some of the most effective and successful treatment programs can often be found within your own city limits — and it’s no coincidence that they have a proven track record of success.

While home may be an enabling and discouraging environment for some, others with a strong network of supporters may find that recovering from addiction in their own community can yield the most desirable results, for a few reasons:

Consider for a moment the infamous Bachelor or Bachelorette reality TV series. If you’ve never seen the show, the premise is simple: Take one attractive man or woman, an attractive group of potential partners, and allow “love” to flourish in an unnaturally peaceful Caribbean paradise, under perfect circumstances and without the interference of real-world stress factors. By the end of the season, the candidate pool has dwindled and a marriage proposal is made. Well, of the 33 combined seasons, only seven of the relationships survived after returning home to their jobs, finances, and the realities of responsible adulthood.

Maintaining sobriety after treatment can be viewed in a very similar light. Many programs allow (and encourage) people recovering from addiction to resume their usual lives while they heal. Exposure to real-life situations gives a patient the opportunity to practice healthy coping skills they have learned during treatment and not regress back to old habits. In addition, sometimes the stressor that initially drove the addicted person to substance abuse is present in their day-to-day lives. Facing these triggers head-on and learning to heal from past traumas can greatly reduce the risk of relapse.

This isn’t uncommon. Your everyday responsibilities, family, even career may be in the Kansas City area, for example, but your treatment program takes place in Florida, California, or Arizona. While you may benefit from treatment, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to gradually re-enter your normal life, instead facing an abrupt “re-entry” period upon returning home.

Another great reason to recover locally is the cost. Insurance may not cover your treatment in full or allow you to be seen out-of-state. This can drive your out-of-pocket cost through the roof, and the last thing you need at this point in your recovery is more stress. Consider working with your insurance company to compile a list of your local options to maximize your coverage and reduce your personal expense.

Even if you’ve got the resources to take advantage of treatment options anywhere you’d like, keep in mind that addiction is often a chronic illness. Sometimes a full recovery means multiple relapses before you find your footing. Choosing to be treated locally places your full support system, including the doctors and facility staff members that know you well, within reach when you need them.

Local treatment isn’t for everyone- sometimes removing yourself from habit-inducing enablers will be what is best for your overall health. But, if you have the love and support to encourage you and hold you accountable to your goals, there’s no better place than home.

Reviewed and Assessed by
Taylor Brown, B.A.Com., MAADC II
Tim Coleman, M. of Ed.