Preparing for Rehab Discharge: The Home Safety Checklist for Families

Your loved one is coming home! Excitement swirls into fear as you start to think about creating the best at home space for their arrival. What will the homecoming bring? Have I done enough to prepare? Is recovery truly possible? It may feel overwhelming to plan the arrival on your own, but this guide will assist you in the necessary steps.

Let Go of Expectations

This is easier said than done. There will be missteps. There will be confusion and probably even some anger. That's all normal. The most important thing to be cognizant about while your loved one is returning home, is that the most common causes of drug and alcohol relapse is triggering environments, people, and familiar moods that once were linked to their initial cause for use. In the early stages of recovery actively trying to avoid these triggers is an important step. Keeping your expectations of them to a minimum will keep their stress levels, and yours, down. While they may have a better understanding of how to deal with triggers, they are still learning and so are you. You're in this together. 

Clean Environment, Clear Communication

While your loved one was away learning new skills, hopefully you've been at home learning a few things of your own. Family involvement in treatment is crucial to long-term success. As important as it is for them to stay sober, it is important for you to set a good example. This may entail removing all alcohol and other potential triggers from the house. Set clear boundaries on what will happen if drugs or alcohol is found. 

While it is their recovery, you and the family can help to support them. Having teammates alongside them will make a substantial difference in their recovery journey. Having a clean environment and effective communication will harbor a feeling of comfort and togetherness.

Create Healthy Habits

Healthy boundaries and healthy hobbies create healthy mindsets. Returning home, falling into old routines can be easy. Work to create a new routine with traditions such as weekly yoga classes, monthly family outings or cooking new recipes together will lead to a closeness making it easier to hold each other accountable. Encourage other changes such as follow up therapy or even emphasize the importance of family therapy. Using these tools will allow both parties to understand what each of you want from each other. Local recovery centers offer different treatment modalities to find what words best for your loved one and your family. This could be a key tool in creating a safe home.

You Got This

Discharging from rehab is an ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. Creating a safe space while in recovery will set your loved one and the rest of the family up for success. 

Holland Pathways offers individual therapy, family therapy and many other modalities to act as an assistant in recovery. Remember you’re not alone.