Since recovery is viewed as a lifelong process, a recovery patient is always viewed internally as a ‘recovering’ alcoholic/ substance user, although ‘recovered’ may be used as a general description to the public, an addict of any sort is never truly recovered, and must work constantly to fight urges if to maintain a normal life.
Social reintegration refers to the upkeeping of abstinence from alcohol and/or other drug use. The term is particularly associated with mutual-help groups and other twelve-step programmes and refers to the process of achieving and maintaining sobriety. Social reintegration measures aim to prevent or reverse the social exclusion of current and former drug users, but also to facilitate the recovery process and help sustain the outcomes achieved during treatment and also to protect problem drug users or recovering users from further social exclusion and support them in their integration efforts. It is imperative that we provide individuals with fair opportunities and tools that are efficient, adequate and acceptable both for them and for their social environment.
Drug use affects many aspects of life, including family and relationships, housing, education and employment, and it can also be associated with social and further economic exclusions. Which is what in many cases would cause a relapse. Without Social reintegration, patients fall back into their old ways due to not being able to find work or being accepted back into families or by their friends. This undermines all the progress people have made whilst in treatment.
It is therefore increasingly recognised that, in order to improve treatment outcomes, prevent relapse and ensure successful integration into society, a secondary care facility such as Liberty Home is imperative to the outcome and continuous treatment of past users/ patients.