A Recovery Coach Can Work for You
Without a long-term relapse prevention plan, most people will be unsuccessful in their attempts to remain clean & sober. A Recovery Coach is the next step for those recovering from alcohol, drugs or other addictions. Working closely with the individual’s family as well, I offer a comprehensive & individualised recovery coach & sober companion service.
Having your own recovery coach can help a person new to recovery to manage the precarious first few days, weeks or months of life outside of the treatment facility. Your recovery coach has first-hand experience of what it feels like to be out amongst it all & knows how easily one can fall into the trap of self-sabotage & relapse. A coach can be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will help you become accountable to a plan you make for healthy living & reintegration. They can be available long-term or short-term. A sober companion can accompany you on work travel, tours or periods of time away from home.
Alcohol
Around 34% of people who are sober for less than a year will stay that way, however if we get to a year of sobriety, the relapse rate falls to less than half. If you get the five-year sobriety mark, your chances of relapsing are less than 15%.
Substance Abuse
85% of people relapse & return to drug use within the year following treatment. Researchers estimate that more than 66% of individuals in recovery relapse within weeks to months of beginning addiction treatment.
Other Addictions
Food, Gambling, Work, Love, Shopping, Debt, Exercise, Gaming – can all be ‘used’ same as a drink or drug. They bring about guilt, shame & embarrassment; the user often in denial that they allowed themselves to fall into such a trap.
Signs of Relapse
Isolating, Not looking after yourself, Bottling up emotions, Poor eating & sleeping habits, Minimising consequences, Relaxing boundaries to suit oneself, Poor self-care, Seeing old drinking/drugging ‘friends’
Addiction in the UK
The UK has the highest level of drug & alcohol addiction in Europe. This includes legal substances & the use of Class A drugs; i.e. heroin, cocaine, meth & hallucinogens. £36 billion is spent by the nation every year on treatment relating to drug and alcohol abuse. The success rates for staying clean & sober are disappointingly low. Addiction does not just affect the users themselves; addiction destroys families & communities.
Getting sober is a big deal, it’s a life-changer, ask anyone who has done it. It requires support & guidance. 12 Step Fellowships offer this kind of guidance & support, however some of us need more support than meetings & a sponsor can offer, so we go to treatment.
Here we experience a fast track, immersion into healing & recovering from our pain & addiction. When we get out, some of us decide we want to insure against relapse by using a recovery coach. A good Recovery Coach will lead by example; they’ll be open & honest with you about their own journey – there can’t be judgment, because they are an addict too & have done the same [or worse] than you, instead you’ll experience ‘identification’ & a feeling of safety. The coach can share what’s worked for them & offer several tools for managing your day, a moment at a time, whilst you are feeling so raw. The coach will relate on a personal level with the you, meeting you exactly where you are, emotionally & physically. Your coach is a coach because recovery from addiction is possible, they want the same for you.