Guide · After treatment
Leaving rehab in OKC: what comes next
Before you leave treatment, line up three things: a safe place to live, a meeting and sponsor plan, and your follow-up care. In the Oklahoma City area, that can mean a sober living home, outpatient care or a prescriber, and a church or recovery community you show up to every week.
1. Housing that supports sobriety
Going back to the same house, the same friends and the same routines is the hardest way to stay sober. Your options in the OKC area include going home if it’s truly safe, an Oxford House, or a staffed sober living home. OKARR’s directory lists certified recovery homes in Oklahoma.
Research backs the move: in a randomized study, people who went from treatment into a recovery home used substances at about half the rate of those in usual aftercare two years later (Jason et al., 2006).
2. Aftercare
- Book your first outpatient or counseling appointment before you leave
- If you take medication for opioid use disorder, confirm your prescriber and next appointment
- Bring your discharge paperwork and medication list
3. Meetings and a sponsor
Many people start with 30 meetings in 30 days. That’s the requirement at Overcomers for men with less than 3 months sober. Get a sponsor early and save his number before you need it.
4. Work and money
Work gives your day shape and your life dignity. Make a simple budget: income, rent and needs, then what’s left. Finding work with a record.
5. A plan for hard moments
- Write down your triggers: people, places, feelings
- Pick three people to call, in order, before you use
- Know where naloxone is, and call 911 first in an overdose
Ask your discharge planner to call ahead
Case managers can refer you to a sober home before your discharge date. At Overcomers, they can use our referral form and see today’s open beds.