Support after treatment

Recovery continues in everyday life. Support is also available after outpatient or institutional care when you take new steps in your life. You can receive support from organisations and various services from your wellbeing services county. Also ask for help from your loved ones and find new hobbies or other content for your everyday life.

After the rehabilitation or treatment, you will receive help from the adult social work and substance abuse services in your wellbeing services county.

Many intoxicant abuse treatment institutions also organise further rehabilitation that supports the rehabilitee after the inpatient period.

The services that would be most helpful after treatment are discussed with the rehabilitee at the place of rehabilitation or treatment.

You will receive support and guidance in recovering from a gambling problem from mental health, substance abuse and addiction services in your wellbeing services county. For example, day activities, peer support or various low-threshold service locations can help you find new company and activities to replace gaming.

If you receive rehabilitation or other treatment for your gambling problem, you can consider what kind of support would be most useful for you in the future.

When people get rehabilitated, they may want to consider why they have ended up using intoxicants or gambling. In therapy, you can put your own feelings into words. Many rehabilitees have discussed, for example, the trauma of their childhood or their experiences of the past in therapy. 

If you want therapy, first seek occupational health care or your social and health centre's depression nurse or psychiatric nurse. For example, you can get short therapy through them, which usually lasts 10-20 treatments.

You can also seek online therapy, which is accessible with a doctor's referral. 

Read more about online therapy - Mentalhub.fi (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.

You can also visit a peer group after rehabilitation. Many have found it useful: peer support provides help in dealing with events during substance abuse or interpersonal problems. Peer groups can also share thoughts about what to do if you feel tempted to return to your previous habits.

Groups can also help them find content for life elsewhere than in intoxicants. They help you establish relationships, plan your finances and take care of your own health.

• Addictionlink chat group Me lopettajat (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.

You can spend time in a substance-free environment. Such substance-free places include:

• Meeting places for member communities of the Finnish Blue Ribbon organisation (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.
• Substance-free Elokolo meeting places maintained by Ehyt ry (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.
• A-killat spaces (in Finnish)Opens in a new window..

There are also Finnish Blue Ribbon's Pilke group activities (in Finnish)Opens in a new window. for older people to support a substance-free life.

A peer support group can also be visited after a gambling problem has started to alleviate. Many have received help and support from the group in, for example, how to continue everyday life without gambling. 

The Valtti discussion group - Addictionlink.fi (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.

If you live in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, you will receive support for avoiding gambling at Tiltti (in Finnish).Opens in a new window.

Groups can also help them find content for life elsewhere than in gambling. They help you establish relationships, plan your finances and take care of your own health.