Relationships in Recovery

Table of Contents

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It’s crucial to establish wholesome relationships that will support you as you go through your recovery if you’re seeking to keep your sobriety from drugs or alcohol. That typically means that patients in professional treatment programs must have their family’s and friends’ support in the journey.

Avoiding drugs or alcohol when you are with friends is an important first step in maintaining sobriety. Even more crucial may be making new, healthy friendships with people who can aid in your recovery and don’t take you towards drug and alcohol abuse.  

Importance of Relationships during Recovery

The key to a healthy and happy life is not just developing relationships but finding and building healthy ones. During recovery, we should work to develop health and wellness in all aspects of our lives. This includes how you communicate with your higher power, approach your relationship with yourself, and interact with the world around you.

Healthy relationships with friends, family, and others help you evolve in your recovery process and support you in personal growth. They should be stable, supportive, and reliable. They bring great changes in your life and help you navigate the darkness when you lose track.

 When you have a healthy relationship with yourself, you easily understand how much you love your life. If you are your best friend, you will be well-adjusted and content. Furthermore, a healthy relationship with the highest power will allow you to achieve your best and become the best version of yourself.

Feeling connected to God, having inner peace, and achieving hope, trust, and faith are a few benefits of building a healthy relationship with a higher consciousness.

Building Healthy Relationships with Others

Relationships with others are challenging for many individuals in the early stages of recovery. This is because their lives were always centered on toxic relationships due to their alcohol or drug addiction.

The first step to pursuing and developing healthy relationships in your life is to be aware of their characteristics. You won’t recognize it when you see it if you don’t know what to look for. Let’s go over some of the numerous qualities of a strong friendship or other relationship.

A healthy relationship:

  • Helps to recover
  • Provides mutual respect
  • Revolves around the health and wellness of both individuals
  • Builds on healthy communication
  • Motivates you to become a good human being
  • Respects personal boundaries
  • Is credible and trustworthy
  • Is caring and kind
  • Help you love yourself and feel good about yourself
  • Provides safety
  • Enriches your life
  • Offers you a sense of contentment and peace

A positive connection enhances your quality of life. It motivates you to put forth your best effort. A healthy relationship requires patience and dedication to grow. It is based on a foundation of kindness, care, respect, and trust.

Identifying Harmful Relationships in Recovery

You may want to get in touch with former friends or peers present during your drug addiction days if you are far along in your recovery and want relationships. As tempted as you might be to make up for lost friendships, avoiding any connections that might jeopardize your rehabilitation is crucial.

Try to make a list of your previous connections and friendships. Who encouraged you and your recovery when you finally decided to stop using drugs? Who had faith in your ability to effect change? Who adheres to the limitations and objectives you’ve established for your recovery? You should contact them and bring back those individuals in your life.

When you decide to improve your life and change it completely, the people who laugh at you are the ones who are poisonous to you. The higher chances are that those people were abusive and made you feel awful about yourself. These individuals are jealous of your dedication to recovery and keep offering you alcohol or drugs. The individuals you used to do drugs with and the connections you made via going out and using drugs. These people can endanger your sobriety and put you in relationships that are harmful to your future.

Now, give carefully think about those particular poisonous relationships. Record how they made you feel in the past, what attracted you to them, and why those relationships ended. Consider any reciprocal tendencies that developed in those earlier damaging relationships. You must stay away from those when you decide to build connections during recovery.

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Importance of Healthy Relationships after Rehab

Humans are social animals. When surrounded by others who value the same things as us and with whom we can live a meaningful existence, we thrive the greatest. After rehab, when people develop relationships, they commit to a rewarding activity that aids in sustained recovery.

A positive relationship with a friend, family member, or loved one might inspire and support you after you’ve finished addiction treatment. It might be challenging for some people to stay sober, but this is crucial during rehabilitation. The guidance and hope that relationships bring are just as crucial for individuals who don’t require as much help.

Tips to Build a Healthy Relationship after Rehabilitation

When you choose a rehabilitation program like Outpatient Rehab, they will guide you and give you tips to build a healthy relationship with your friends and family. The experts will support you in identifying the right people to ensure your recovery.

Besides that, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind to find new people and build an excellent relationship with them.

Build a Relationship with Yourself

First, you must love yourself so that people respect and love you back. Having an excellent relationship with yourself will allow you to make decisions that are good for you instead of following the path of others to impress them.

Set Boundaries

Think about boundaries you need to maintain before you get a new friend. This will allow you to protect yourself from getting back on the wrong track.

Find People with Positive Traits

Look for people who are patient, honest, kind, or cooperative. These traits are critical for healthy and promising relationships.

Be Honest and Open

Look for people who are patient, honest, kind, or cooperative. These traits are critical for healthy and promising relationships.

Establish Trust with Family

Show your family that you have changed and trying to improve your life. Give them proof that you are trying to withdraw from your addiction. Getting your family’s trust will help you succeed in your journey.

Get Help with Your Recovery

Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is a challenging process. Not only do you need the help of your friends and family, but you also need the support of highly experienced professionals who can make your recovery process less painful and achievable.

OC Revive has a wonderful team of experts who aims to help individuals dealing with addiction issues. We provide treatment plans that ensure you get back to a normal, healthy life far from drugs and alcohol. So, don’t wait! Reach out to us for help! (844) 954-3890

Johnny Pickett

Patient Advocate

Steven Simon

Admissions

Stephen Carmel

Co-Founder & CFO

I began my journey to recovery back in 2011 when i moved to California from New York.Along with my recovery and beginning a new way of life, I began to develop a heart for others struggling with sobriety.My journey to California was filled with many trials and lessons learned, but most of all, personal growth. I truly believe I would not have found success if I didn’t come to California.

I first opened an adult treatment center, California Prime Recovery(CPR) as a way to work with those struggling on a daily basis. Over the last 3 years, CPR has evolved into someting much more impactful and beautiful than i could’ve ever imagined. I have come to realize that my own happiness and growth depends on being involved in the lives of others in recovery. Helping people through recovery is a cornerstone of many 12 step programs, and it has become the most important aspect of personal life. Giving back to those still suffering is the only way not to lose what you have gained.

Throughout this journey, and by mentoring many adolescents, I realized i wanted to offer more to teens who were struggling just as i was. This is when i decided to start OC Revive. I had built many wonderful relationships throughout my professional journey and found two others who shared the same vision, and passion that i had for the youth. It didn’t take long for myself, Tyler Michaelis, and Derek Walsh to turn our dream into a reality. We are committed to providing the best possible treatment for adolescents and truly believe “their future is our collective responsibility”.

Derek Walsh

Co-Founder & COO

As Co-Founder & COO of OC Revive, Derek has a wealth of personal and professional experience dealing with the issues faced by today’s troubled teen. Throughout High School and College, Derek struggled with peer pressure, learning challenges, and substance abuse. Working with the support of family and friends, Derek set out to conquer those obstacles and find a richer, more fulfilling life.

On 15 October 2012, Derek overcame his own substance abuse problem and dedicated himself to help others work through their own addiction. A year later, Derek began a new journey and started his career in the recovery industry. Throughout his career, Derek has worked his way through numerous roles at top-rated treatment centers. While working at those treatment centers, Derek began to see a pattern that those struggling individuals would’ve benefited immensely from receiving earlier in life.

Derek decided that he wanted to be a part of the solution, and find a way to address those issues at an earlier age. He concluded that there needed to be interventions before adulthood, and he didn’t want to see anyone going through the same cycle that he did. That was when he and Tyler Michaelis decided to start OC Revive, to make sure teens get the help they need to find a purpose that leads them to a life of happiness and success.

Derek attended college at Orange Coast College and Santa Barbara City College.

Brittany Astrom

Clinical Supervisor

Brittany joins the OCR team with over 15 years of experience in the Mental Health adn Substance Abuse field. Brittany has been licensed for almost 8 years and has worked in various settings throughout her career, including inpatient psychiatric treatment, outpatient, residential treatment center, PHP and IOP settings. Brittany has been supervising Associate Marrige and Family Therapists and Associate Social Workers for almost 6 years and works in compiance and auditing to ensure that treatment centers are up to par with biling regulations. Brittany has worked with young adults and adolescents for most of her career.

Brittany earned her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at California Baptist International University. Brittany enjoys working with adolescents and young adults and believes that ever single person has the ability to set goals and meet them, even when they can’t see it themselves. Brittany loves spending time with her family, traveling, good coffee, and being outdoors.

Patrick R. Smith

Program Director

Patrick is amental health and addiction professional that has a passion for recovery and helping others. He was inspired and encouraged by his mentors to work with individuals and families that have been affected by mental health issues, alcohol and drug addiction. He ahs been working in the field of addiction recovery for 19+ years and is an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor through the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals. Patrick is also certified in Adult and Adolescent Anger Management. His Career in addiction treatment began in 2001 at the Betty Ford Center i Rancho Mirage CA. as an Addiction Specialist working on the inpatient campus and is the co-creator of Betty Ford Center’s “Young Adult Track” specializing in work with 18-25 year old Patients. he also excelled in working with addicted and impaired professionals in the “Replase and Recovery Program”.

Patrick transitioned to Orange County in 2011 where he accepted a position as the Program Director for Orange County Recovery Services. Patrick is a gifted lecturer, group facilitator and counselor with a pssion for reocery that has been an active recovery member for over 25 years.

Anthony Fletcher

Director Of Business Development

Anthony is an Orange County local and has been a great addition to the Oc Revive team. Since 2015, Anthony has been working in the substance abuse field and has also pursued his drug and alcohol counseling license. Since being with Revive Anthony has established a relationship within the School Districts and serves as a voluntary speaker for substance abuse awareness in the community. By sharing his personal testimony, he has excelled in gaining trust and building rapport with others. He always seems to have a smile on his face and brings a positive vibe wherever he goes. With that being said, Anthony is very passionate about the work that he does and goes above and beyond to provide our struggling youth the care that they so desperately need.

Levi Sweet

Director of Operations

Brian Welsh

Director of Admissions

Chandra Medina

Lead Therapist

Kelly Pearson

Therapist

Tyler Michaelis

Founder & CEO

Tyler is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to teens and their families. Once a teenager that struggled with addiction, mental health, and poor choices, Tyler is aware of the growing demand and need for early intervention in adolescents and young adults. Growing up in Orange County, he battled addiction and peer pressure all throughout high school and during his time at Saddleback College. During those troubled years, Tyler’s parents and family were emotionally drained and heavily impacted by his addiction. Unfortunately, they did not know where to turn for help nor did they have the courage to set boundaries with him.After 7 painful years, they finally forced Tyler out of the house and into treatment at the age of 23.

April 5th, 2010 is a date that Tyler and his family hold dear. On that date, Tyler enrolled in a 4-month treatment program which laid the foundation for his recovery. With the help of treatment professionals, supportive friends and family, Tyler was able to build a better version of himself. This started with slowly building his self-esteem, and growing a community of peers to support him throughout recovery.

In 2011,with the desire to help others struggling with addiction, he decided to start working in the addiction field. Tyler obtained his CADAC || Counselor certification and graduated from Cal Sate University of Long Beach with a degree in Health Care Administration. Since then, Tyler has worked all areas of treatment starting as a detox technician and working his way up to Program Director. Today, Tyler feels blessed and grateful for getting a second chanse at life. He has a great relationship with his family, is happily married and has a great group of friends. Once a lost teen, Tyler now has purpose and passion. He’s dedicated his life’s work to helping teens and their families. As the Founder, Tyler Michaelis is confident that OC Revive will renew the lives of struggling teens while bringing back hope to their families

Christina Gherman

Therapist

Tylor Ramsey

Therapist

Patrick Fernandez-Her

AMFT Therapist

Jamie Nelson

Case Manager

Alejandro Alva, M.D.

Medical Director

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Kayli Sullivan

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Madalyn Johnson

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Matthew Lawler

Therapist - AMFT

Helen Riccobono

Therapist - AMFT

Rachel Dickinson

Therapist - AMFT

Max Howell

Case Manager

Leah Perle

Therapist

Angela Castellano

Case Manager

Tyler Michaelis

Founder & CEO

Tyler is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to teens and their families. Once a teenager that struggled with addiction, mental health, and poor choices, Tyler is aware of the growing demand and need for early intervention in adolescents and young adults. Growing up in Orange County, he battled addiction and peer pressure all throughout high school and during his time at Saddleback College. During those troubled years, Tyler’s parents and family were emotionally drained and heavily impacted by his addiction. Unfortunately, they did not know where to turn for help nor did they have the courage to set boundaries with him.After 7 painful years, they finally forced Tyler out of the house and into treatment at the age of 23.

April 5th, 2010 is a date that Tyler and his family hold dear. On that date, Tyler enrolled in a 4-month treatment program which laid the foundation for his recovery. With the help of treatment professionals, supportive friends and family, Tyler was able to build a better version of himself. This started with slowly building his self-esteem, and growing a community of peers to support him throughout recovery.

In 2011,with the desire to help others struggling with addiction, he decided to start working in the addiction field. Tyler obtained his CADAC || Counselor certification and graduated from Cal Sate University of Long Beach with a degree in Health Care Administration. Since then, Tyler has worked all areas of treatment starting as a detox technician and working his way up to Program Director. Today, Tyler feels blessed and grateful for getting a second chanse at life. He has a great relationship with his family, is happily married and has a great group of friends. Once a lost teen, Tyler now has purpose and passion. He’s dedicated his life’s work to helping teens and their families. As the Founder, Tyler Michaelis is confident that OC Revive will renew the lives of struggling teens while bringing back hope to their families