Dear Ted: Continuum of care
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Dear Ted:
A couple of months ago, I returned from a treatment center for addiction. While I was there, the staff talked about continuum of care. I didn’t listen very closely, as my life seemed to have taken a turn for the better and I thought I had all I needed for my quality of life. Well, I did within the safety of the treatment center walls! When I left and the demands of life came crashing in, I was amazed at how I just wanted to run back to the center and stay cocooned away. Luckily, today, I am still sober and I’m wondering if you can write about the necessity of continuum of care in recovery. Thanks, Now I Listen
Dear Listen:
I am always grateful for any questions asked pertaining to recovery because it gives me the opportunity to remind myself and others that recovery is a lifelong process and does not only apply to addiction.
Recovery can include addiction as well as many different benchmarks in one’s life. And a big part of recovery is grief, which is the natural and normal healing process from loss. Loss can happen in many ways — not only from death, but also loss of control, dreams, hope, self, home, partnership, pets, time, children leaving home, community, innocence, youth, hair, health and the list continues. All are losses, and grief is the natural and normal healing/recovery process from loss.
In all growth, there is a need for what I call “scaffolding.” It involves healing and growing step by step, inch by inch. Our brains and bodies are not set up to just blast through to new levels of recovery in one big swoop. Our entire system needs to adapt to changes incrementally. In your particular case, you went from a high level of care (treatment) and you are now scaffolding down into new levels of care. It sounds like you quickly felt the environmental demands. As you reintegrated with the world, you had the opportunity to step out for a while and still be supported in a contained and safe environment.
People often have a scaffolding effect that involves their support moving toward decreasing the level of care in steps, such as: entering treatment, then sober living, intensive outpatient, individual and family therapy — these are levels of check-ins within this formal support system.
Support – such as recovery groups, the 12 steps, self-care (spiritual, physical, mental and emotional) – and other needs may be sought out through the entire healing process. An interesting part of this is as you grow, you change – and that growth leads to new losses of self in which new needs and supports arise. As you continue to grow and change, different levels of support will be needed to ensure healthy growth. Remember that support and healing are lifelong processes. Connection and support, formally and informally, can build the resilience for a higher quality of life.
Thank you for the question. I wish you well. Until next week, take care.
Golden Willow is a nonprofit focused on emotional healing and recovery from any type of loss. Direct questions to Wiard, founder, at (575) 776-2024 or gwr@newmex.com.
