Extended Care

Extended care facilities are sometimes referred to as “sober living” or “halfway houses.” The level of services and support available can vary widely from one program to another.

The typical halfway house is simply a transitional living arrangement, where a patient leaving rehab can stay for a period of time, while planning for more permanent accommodations.

Sober living houses usually offer an environment where newly-recovered individuals can live among others with the same objective, and newfound sobriety is nurtured through on-site 12 Step meetings.

What differentiates extended care programs is, literally, the “care” element. In early sobriety (following inpatient treatment), patients may need a heightened level of support and structure, as well as additional therapeutic treatment that may not be available in other facilities.

Extended care programs offer a range of support services, from nutritional guidance to job search assistance to ongoing psychological care. Patients may also need one-on-one help in re-learning many “life skills” that were lost or forgotten during years of destructive addictive behavior.

Patients involved in extended care receive a personalized assessment of their needs. This allows the facility to develop the ideal course of services to support that patient’s initial efforts in returning to the “outside world.”

During inpatient treatment, addicts are generally insulated from the people and influences that promoted their addictive behavior. Extended care allows the patient a gradual reorientation to those outside elements, while enabling the patient’s transition to be a positive one. Patients usually work with a counselor on a daily basis for the duration of their stay (usually 30 to 90 days, with extensions available).

This extended program allows the patient whatever time is needed to develop new strategies for:
• evaluating which relationships and environments are supportive of sobriety
• acknowledging triggers that lead to drinking or using
• preventing relapse
• finding meaningful and rewarding employment
• locating safe and secure housing
• establishing healthy living routines
• finding and nurturing new friendships with other sober people

If you, or someone you care about, need additional support in the early stages of recovery, an extended care program can be the perfect solution. For help in locating a facility near you, please call us at (800) 344-8794.