Research on Continued Care for Addiction Recovery

Research on Continued Care for Addiction Recovery. It is generally agreed by all addiction care professionals that some type of continued care after addiction treatment is necessary. Historically this has generally come in the form of support groups such as the old AA meetings. Now there are an array of recovery support groups to choose from. Some recent research offers other methods of continued care after addiction treatment.

Best Methods For Post-Treatment Care

In a study presented by The Betty Ford Institute, several methods of post-treatment care were shown to be tremendously effective. At the top of the list were monitoring systems. Essential this means some kind of drug or alcohol testing. The symposium of researchers found that continued monitoring to make certain clients were not using drugs or alcohol was simply the best incentive to keep people from using. This may appear intrusive to some, but the fact is, it works well.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, researchers found that alcohol monitoring over a 12 month period substantially reduced relapses in patients who had gone through outpatient and short-term recovery programs. The subjects in this study benefitted most from a program that utilized a system to detect blood alcohol (BAC) levels that was set up on a remote link to clinicians and treatment professionals. By submitting to the test, which utilizes facial recognition technology and tamper detection technology. Patients were monitored 24 hours a day. The results show that people who voluntarily submit to BAC monitoring over the course of their first 12 months of recovery were able to negotiate triggers and stress factors which lead to relapse.

Alternative Service for Continued Care

Another method for continued care that proved effective was the use of alternative service delivery. This included the use of professional recovery coaches, counselors trained to work with people in recovery over all long period of time. Some recovery coaches are trained to guide people through the entire process of rehab and post-rehab recovery. These types of personal assistants were shown to substantially reduced relapse for many people.

Recovery management checkups also proved to be powerful forms of continued care. Simply offering clients the service of regular check-ins form recovery management professionals seemed to help people stay with their programs of recovery. Some of these management systems come in the form of simple phone calls. Others work by having clients check in at regular intervals with their rehab facilities. In either case, recovery management also proved effective in reducing relapse rates.

Utilize Support Groups

The final recommendation form the Betty Ford research group was support groups. The tried and true use of support groups, those kinds of groups made up of others who have struggled with addiction, were still one of the best methods for continued care after rehab.

Even taking the figures reported from treatment programs themselves, about 30% of clients remain sober beyond their initial 28 or 30 day treatment programs. The problem of relapse remains a constant challenge to prolonged sobriety beyond the treatment program. In the aggregate, this studies did show that continued care post-rehab is something of a necessity.

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