According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of people seeking substance abuse treatment rose by 4% from 2015 to 2020. Recovery from drug addiction, alcoholism, or other mental health-related issues takes a trustworthy and robust support system, and the rising numbers show that extra support may be necessary for a successful recovery.
Overcoming old habits and changing thought processes takes time, and having a person nearby to help work through challenging times can mean the difference between recovery and relapse.
This is where a trained recovery coach can help.
What is a Recovery Coach?
Though necessary and well-meaning, family and friends often have emotional and historical ties that can influence the recovery process. In addition, family and friends can experience extreme pressure when helping someone they love through recovery.
On the other hand, a recovery coach has no such ties; their presence can assist an individual through the recovery process without any enmeshment in their client’s life.
A recovery coach ensures that the transition back into in-home care and community participation occurs smoothly. A recovery coach fosters independence and aids in the recovery process, and supports cases where a crisis or relapse may occur.
Although drug detox, rehabilitation treatment, or hospital stays are difficult, the most unpredictable period for someone in recovery is often the 90 days after leaving treatment, when they return home.
Returning home to familiar surroundings and seeing old friends can trigger relapse or cause emotional upheaval. In addition, meeting the demands of everyday life — work, school, family, and bills — while adjusting to recovery can be overwhelming.
A recovery coach assists in making these issues much more manageable, increasing the chances for a successful recovery.
Ways a Recovery Coach Can Help
The help of a recovery coach lightens the load, allowing an individual in recovery to transition back into everyday life at a pace that works for them. The following are a few ways a recovery coach can help with recovery.
Communication and Contact
Recovery coaches maintain contact with their clients, depending on a client’s needs. For example, some recovery coaches will reside in a client’s home and slowly allow a client to become more independent.
Other recovery coaches check in with their clients once or twice daily or as needed. They are available to help in times of crisis or can be called upon to talk about challenges that arise.
Help You Connect With Others
When it comes to recovery, a strong support group is essential.
A recovery coach can help a client find 12-step meetings nearby or refer clients and their families to licensed mental health professionals such as therapists or psychiatrists.
A recovery coach is familiar with the recovery process and community support, enabling them to point their client in the right direction when needed.
Function as Your Advocate or Consultant
A recovery coach understands the recovery industry and can help make appointments, identify a client’s needs, and advocate for a client’s care.
What’s more, a recovery coach can answer questions that clients and their families may have, reducing the amount of confusion involved with the recovery process.
A recovery coach can help patients identify their personal goals and participate in making plans to achieve them.
Furthermore, recovery coaches can answer clients’ questions or refer them to the appropriate sources for answers.
Help With Daily Tasks
Social, emotional, and financial barriers can all lead to relapse. Even small tasks like doing the laundry or paying the bills can feel insurmountable.
A recovery coach can help clients through these tasks, giving them the support and encouragement they need to accomplish them — without relapsing.
A recovery coach can manage everyday tasks to coordinate appointments, grocery shopping and maintain a home.
Healthy and Sober Leisure Activities
A recovery coach can help clients make healthy lifestyle changes. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and managing stress are essential to a successful recovery.
Recovery coaches can guide their clients to make those changes. Recovery coaches can also help find sober leisure activities, like yoga classes, sober social groups, or fitness classes. In particular, finding a non-drinking social group can be challenging due to the stigma against non-drinkers.
A healthier approach to life is part of a successful recovery, and a recovery coach can help make those positive changes.
A Recovery Coach’s Role
A sponsor and a therapist play vital roles in an individual’s recovery. However, a recovery coach fulfils different functions from a sponsor or therapist.
Unlike a sponsor, a recovery coach is a paid role and meets with clients as often as necessary.
On the other hand, a recovery coach is not a therapist because their goal isn’t to explore someone’s past. Instead, a recovery coach’s goal is to concentrate on a client’s present and future.
A recovery coach works with all members of a client’s recovery team, ensuring a successful recovery. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that 40-60% of people who seek treatment for substance abuse relapse within a year.
This statistic demonstrates how necessary it is to have as much support as possible when transitioning out of rehabilitation.
A recovery coach may be that defining factor that helps someone past that first year with success.
Blue Wing Care Professionals offers recovery coach services for substance abuse, mental health, or physical rehabilitation. If you’re interested in letting Blue Wing lighten your healthcare load, book an appointment or contact us today.
