Access to Physical and Mental Health Resources

Check a map of your local community for parks, recreation centers, hiking trails, sports fields or arenas, nearby camping or outdoors opportunities.
If you are going to maintain your healthy physical activities you need to find out where they are in your local community and actively plan for your access.
Are they on a bus route or within easy driving distance?

Check for the meditation centers, yoga or tai chi centers, community centers, churches or spiritual development centers, local mental health units, and distance or local education training opportunities to keep working on your communication and life skills.

How close are you?
Research shows that proximity makes a difference.

Most people don’t keep up with their personal health activities when it requires extensive travel to get there.

Be specific and honest in your planning, your life depends on it

So do you need to begin planning for a move or do more research?

What you are asking yourself is, “Can I get the jobs and the educational opportunities now or in the near future in this community?”
What you are doing is creating a resource list of possible opportunities that exist in your community that you may not have been aware of or paid attention to.
If your community does not provide opportunities for you to meet your life goals, then you need to be equally diligent about researching a possible community for your consideration.

Remember, meaningful work is closely associated with self esteem and a lifestyle that is not compatible with addiction.

Basic Physical Safety, A Must Have

If you:

Live in a neighborhood where people are frequently threatened with violence.

Live in a neighborhood were drugs are readily and visibly available.

Are concerned that your former friends or acquaintances were violent to you or others, and live in your home community.

Need specialized medical or counseling services that are not available in your community or town.

You need to make a concrete, realistic, workable plan for personal safety or you need to consider moving.

Access to Work and School

Does where you live support you in getting work, keeping work and advancing in your life goals for the type of work you want to do?

Does where you live support you in getting education, training and adult education courses you need for advancing in your life goals?

The internet and advanced technology has allowed expansion of the type of schooling and work people can do from anywhere on the globe.

In reality, there is limited access to high speed internet in many communities and homes, and limited numbers of jobs that allow work at home type situations.

This means that for most of us the reality still is, we need to be within commuting distance of the type of work that we can expect to do.

So do you need to begin planning for a move or do more research?

The real question is how much do you know about your community and the school and work options available?

Get on the internet and do a search to find out what is out there.
Check the internet site for the city you live in and for the local Chamber of Commerce to get a sense of the types of industry and businesses that are there for your current or for your future job interests.

What has the economy been like where you live? Check whether housing prices are going up or down, number of small business bankruptcies in your area, the physical appearance of streets and parks in your area.

Reasonable Physical Access to Support Network

Given where you currently reside or expect to reside when you leave drug or alcohol rehab, are you within easy visiting distance of those people who form the core of your support network?
How geographically close are you to people who can participate with you and encourage you in your exercise and relaxation activities i.e. walking, jogging, yoga?
How geographically close are you to your nonsupport network i.e. those relationships that will put your recovery at risk?
Are you living in the right community for you with reasonable access to supportive, friends and family?
If not, and moving is not a possibility, how are you going to maintain and increase contact with your distant support network?
How are you going to initiate new relationships if you are unable or unwilling to move?
Think in terms of blocks, miles, bus routes, etc. How far are you from your key supporters?

Be specific and honest in your answers and planning, your life depends on it