Life after rehab: aftercare and transitional housing

Many people put all their attention on getting into rehab. Fewer think about what happens when they leave. Yet the weeks after a stay are often when recovery is tested most: old routines, old places and old stresses are waiting at home.

Why the weeks after matter

Inside a residential program, the day has a shape. Meals arrive, sessions are booked and support is down the hall. Afterwards, you have to build that shape yourself. That is a skill, and like any skill it takes practice. Going from full support to none overnight is a lot to ask of anyone.

At Sapphire, leaving is treated as a step, not an ending. Your aftercare plan starts on day one, so by the time you leave, you already know what comes next.

What a good aftercare plan covers

• A relapse-prevention plan. Your early warning signs, your high-risk situations and exactly what you will do when they show up.
• Ongoing therapy. Who you will keep seeing, how often, and how.
• Daily anchors. A wake-up time, meals, movement and rest that you can keep at home. Our post on a weekly rhythm for early recovery has five you can start with.
• People. Who you can call, including family, peers and professionals.
• Work, study and money. A realistic plan for getting back to them.
• Your doctors. Your GP and any psychiatrist kept in the loop.

The transition house

For some people, going straight home is too big a jump. Sapphire's transition house is a separate, supported house on the water for the weeks after a residential stay. You keep your own routine, cook for yourself and keep seeing your counsellor by telehealth or in person, while you find your feet with work or study.

• Optional counselling and therapies, and recovery skills classes three times a week.
• Help with work and study.
• A safe base while you rebuild routine.

The transition house is $15,000 incl. GST for a set stay. You can see how it compares with the other programs on our programs and pricing page.

Outpatient support

Once you are home, outpatient support keeps you connected for as long as you need. It is arranged by plan, with days per week set with you, and can include ongoing individual therapy, groups and skill workshops, and recovery coaching check-ins. It works around work and family, so support doesn't have to stop when life starts again.

A simple checklist for the first weeks home

• Your next therapy appointment is booked before you leave, not after.
• You know who you will call on a hard night, and they know you might.
• Alcohol, drugs or betting apps are out of the house and off your phone.
• Your wake-up time, meals and movement are planned for the first week.
• You have said no, for now, to the events and places most linked to the old pattern.
• Your relapse-prevention plan is somewhere you can see it.

None of this needs to be perfect. The aim is fewer decisions to make on the days when deciding is hardest.

If things get hard again

Setbacks can be part of recovery, and a slip doesn't undo the work you have done. What matters is what happens next. Use your relapse-prevention plan, tell someone you trust, and contact us on (07) 2111 8100. You can also call Adis on 1800 177 833 any time. If you are in danger or thinking about suicide, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 straight away.

For families

The return home is a big moment for families too. Hopes run high, and so can worry. It helps to talk before the stay ends about what the first weeks will look like, and to keep looking after yourself. When your loved one agrees, family sessions with our clinical team can help plan for home. Our page for families explains how you can stay close in the ways they choose.