Long Term Recovery

Families considering aftercare options are faced with an overwhelming array of decisions. Those decisions are driven first by their desire to have their addicted family member have the best chance of succeeding in sobriety, but many other factors come into play: financial resources, the emotional disruption of further separation, the addicted individual’s involvement in work or school. At the beginning of the decision making process, the suggestion that their family member be involved in a nine month program seems almost unthinkable. Families are often tempted to do the most they can in the least amount of time possible so that their loved one can “get on with life.”

The ultimate decision to engage in a nine month secondary treatment program should be based, not on the emotional issues attending the prospect of long term treatment, but rather on the data that has been produced by many studies demonstrating the efficacy of long term treatment programs. For example, a 1991 study by Walsh et. al. indicated suggest that inpatient rehabilitation produces a more effective outcome than AA alone.

At Shadow Mountain, we have observed a consistent pattern of progress and personal growth when an individual engages fully in the full nine months of our program. Our commitment to a “three level” system mirrors those stages of growth.

In Level One (90 days), the Shadow Mountain student is learning what it feels like to be in the body without the effects of chemical supplementation. For many individuals, this is an experience they have not had for a number of years, as their experimentation with drugs and/or alcohol frequently began in early adolescence. While a person’s experience in a primary treatment program (usually lasting typically 30-45 days) assists them through the period of physiological detoxification[hyperlink to page], being drug or alcohol free in their body is still a foreign experience and the psychological aspects of addiction are still extremely seductive. The three month Level One experience is geared toward providing support and nurture for the newly recovering addict/alcoholic while they readjust to a life of abstinence.

However, there is a significant difference between abstinence and sobriety. While the addict or alcoholic can be abstinent (avoiding the use of substances) they may still be a long way from achieving sobriety – the embrace of a proactive lifestyle focused on the pursuit of continual self-reflection, adjustment of perceptions and behaviors, personal growth through the implementation of the 12 Steps, the extension of self for the benefit of others trapped in addictive behaviors, and aggressive involvement in a community of individuals pursuing sobriety.

In Level Two (90 days), students in Shadow Mountain start to “get it.” We have consistently seen a dramatic change not only in behavior, but in cognitive and emotional processes as well as the Shadow Mountain student moves into the fourth month of their treatment. These changes often include many or all of the following:

·       The realization that sobriety is not only desirable, but achievable

·       The abandonment of behaviors employing entitlement, self-centeredness, and manipulation as the student realizes that these behaviors were driven by their addict mind and that they are not well served by them.

·       A dramatic increase in self-confidence as the student achieves an increased period of abstinence, participates actively in meetings and receives supportive feedback for their courage and honesty in sharing.

·       Enhanced emotional development as the student begins to repair relationships with family members and friends, based on their experience of being able to repair relationships in the intense atmosphere of a community of people in recovery.

·       A desire to readjust relationships with former “using” friends based on the establishment of appropriate boundaries and clear statements of self-definition as a person in recovery.

·       The emergence of a desire to accept responsibility, not only for one’s own behaviors, but for the well being of the community as a whole.

In Level Three (90 days) the student reengages in the larger community through employment and (very often) the pursuit of higher education while maintaining a level of daily participation in the Shadow Mountain community. Their continued activity at Shadow Mountain provides a variety of benefits:

·        Level Three provides a consistent and dependable “safety net” as the student tests their newly acquired skills in sober living outside of a closed community.

·       Students in Level Three accept a greater level of responsibility; not only for the management of their day-to-day lives, but for the support of other residents in Levels One and Two.

·       Students remain accountable for their behaviors to Staff and to the community in residence, providing helpful boundaries.

·       Students continue to have full access to the resources available at Shadow Mountain – addiction work groups, psychotherapeutic services, medication management and mentors. Thus, the practice of nurture and support continues as they transition into self-management.

Yes, nine months is a long period of time, and yes, a full program of aftercare demands resources, energy, and commitment. However, in our experience, the program at Shadow Mountain affords the individual the greatest opportunity for laying a foundation of sobriety that will shape the remainder of their life. 

 

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