The Importance of Preventing a Relapse
Recovering from a substance use disorder is a long-term process that involves many phases. The journey from addiction to sobriety takes a different path for each individual. After a sustained period of abstaining from a substance, an individual may relapse or return to their former use. This can happen at any time during recovery, but those within their first two years of sobriety are especially vulnerable.
For many individuals, their return to use sparks emotional and psychological triggers that reignite their former behavior. While a relapse should never be considered a “failure,” it’s important to understand risk factors that can lead to a return to use and strategies to prevent relapse.
Research shows that relapse rates for drug addiction are between 40% and 60%, placing them in line with other chronic illnesses. While prevalent, relapses are neither inevitable nor are they a necessary part of recovery. Simultaneously understanding the snowball effect a relapse can have on one’s recovery without creating insurmountable stress and anxiety, which themselves trigger substance use, is a challenging aspect of maintaining sobriety.
As with each step of conquering addiction, the best way to prevent and address relapses is by planning, asking for help, and being honest with yourself.
Addiction and Withdrawal Precede Relapse
Substance use disorder occurs when an individual cannot stop using a substance, either drugs or alcohol, despite the harmful effects of their use. Disordered use reaches addiction when personal, professional, or academic commitments suffer because of substance use. These difficulties disrupt one’s life and strain relationships.
Addiction features physical dependence in which substance use reaches the point that the substance has altered neurochemistry. The body adapts to function with the intoxicant’s constant presence. When you quit using, your body must recalibrate for the substance’s absence.
Addiction is a behavioral phenomenon, and withdrawal is a physical response. They both respond to treatment and coping strategies. Individuals who have stopped using work their way through recovery and sobriety by abstaining from the substance and fostering mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Recovering people work to manage the feelings, situations, and circumstances that triggered their use. Sometimes, individuals relapse by using the substance again and reinitiating past behaviors.
What Is a Relapse?
Once an individual achieves a sustained period of sobriety from substance use, they have overcome the physical dependence that characterizes addiction. Regardless of the treatment program they’ve completed, individuals must continue working on maintaining their sobriety. The process involves formal steps, like outpatient therapy and 12-step programs, as well as nurturing their support system, setting goals, and focusing on mindfulness.
No matter how far into recovery you are or how prolonged your sobriety is, a return to using can happen for anyone. A one-time return to substance use or drinking is considered a lapse. This brief re-engagement with substances the individual stopped using has two possible outcomes. The individual may recognize the lapse as a warning sign, acknowledging it as a slipup on their recovery journey. They then focus on why it happened while strategizing ways to address its occurrence or seeking treatment.
In other cases, an individual may continue their renewed use, returning to their former behavior. This outcome often occurs when an individual feels defeated, hopeless, or depressed about the lapse. They perceive their use as a failure rather than a learning opportunity and sign to recommit to their sobriety.
Individuals who relapse then neglect all other aspects of their recovery. Depending on the substance and their prior level of use, their return may be gradual or rapid. In many cases, their use is more intense, frequent, and detrimental following a relapse.
Stages of Relapse
The return to use is the culmination of the relapse, not the start. Three distinct stages serve as precursors to relapse. Continually monitoring yourself or checking in with a loved one will help ground the individual in their present circumstance. Awareness of the stages can help them refocus their efforts on their sobriety and develop a plan to address potential stumbling blocks. The three phases are as follows.
Emotional
While the recovering individual is not actively thinking about using, they neglect self-care and overlook their feelings. In this phase, people may suppress negative emotions rather than confront them. This allows former triggers to fester, reigniting the emotional state that contributed to their use. Unaddressed guilt, anxiety, and stress open the door to substance use as a solution.
Mental
As they progress from the emotional phase, thoughts return to substance use. Individuals may begin questioning whether they even had an addiction, recall positive emotions they associate with their use, and dismiss the negative consequences of using again.
Physical
The person lapses, renewing their former use. Individuals are particularly vulnerable during the physical stage because if their consumption is slight they may rationalize that they can now control their use. Eventually, their behavior will intensify, fueling a renewed physical addiction as their use proceeds. They will further neglect the emotional and mental precursors.
Relapse Prevention Guide
Preventing relapse requires self-awareness and openness. By understanding your triggers for use and emotional state, you can anticipate times you may be vulnerable to relapse. Taking proactive actions and orienting your life around sobriety will help minimize the chance of relapse.
In addition, discussing your feelings with your peers in recovery and your support system helps foster the relationships that will bolster your ability to avoid returning to use.
Recognize the Signs of Relapse
While intense vigilance is vital at every stage of recovery, remaining aware of the emotional and mental signs that precede using again is fundamental for relapse prevention. You must self-monitor your emotions, recognizing that shifts in your mood or persistent thoughts about substances lay the groundwork for relapsing.
Monitor Your Feelings
While treatment allows you the time to focus on and delve into your feelings to explore their origin and effect, once you return to your life outside of treatment, work, school, and other responsibilities may occupy more of your attention and time.
It’s important to talk about your feelings with a friend or family member, journal, or meditate to keep your emotional state at the front of your mind. Identifying and addressing new feelings or returning emotions can help curb cravings and prevent relapses. Mindfulness is a valuable tool that will keep you grounded and aware.
Develop a Routine
A consistent and busy schedule will help prevent relapse. Devoting specific time to hobbies, building time with friends into your schedule, and committing to a fitness routine improves mood and helps keep your mind focused on the present. This structure limits your ability to devote mental effort to your former use. Maintaining engagement with those around you combats the isolating negative emotions that can trigger a relapse.
Join and Attend Self-help or 12-Step
Regular attendance at support groups and 12-step meetings helps ground you and keep recovery at the forefront of your mind. Connecting with your peers by providing and receiving insight will help you stay aware of the relapse risk. Participation adds accountability as you expand your support system.
Have an Emergency Contact
Relapses happen gradually as the emotional and mental foundation develops and then suddenly as physical use begins. Being at a party that rekindles feelings of your former use or alone with negative emotions can lead to a lapse that progresses to a full relapse. Plan with a friend or family member to determine who you can call during highly stressful or triggering situations. Simply speaking to that person or relying on them to help you remove yourself from the situation can prevent using or help halt it as a brief return.
Plan for Adversity
Understanding the situations, people, and places that triggered your use can help you avoid relapses. Whether you’ve just entered sobriety or have long-term abstinence, sustained success requires planning.
Anticipating social situations, holidays, or relationships when the temptation to use or availability of substances will be high minimizes the risk of lapsing. You may choose to entirely avoid situations, plan alternative activities where substances will not be present, or attend functions with a sober friend to fortify yourself.
Prioritize Self-care
Cultivating emotional, mental, and physical health is critical for maintaining sobriety and extending your recovery to all aspects of life. Taking proactive steps to prioritize your wellness helps prevent the onset of thoughts and feelings that may trigger a relapse.
Neglecting your emotional well-being or punishing yourself for your former use are major contributors to relapses. You should consider rewarding yourself for sobriety milestones with tickets to a show you want to see, a dinner out, or another healthy indulgence.
Reorient Your Outlook
Maintaining recovery is a continuous process that you will work toward consciously and subconsciously. As your sobriety extends, your frame of mind and relationship with your prior use will shift.
Remaining abstinent for the rest of your life is daunting. Individuals may often be discouraged when they feel they are not meeting their criteria for recovery. Thinking about your work on such a long timeline elevates stress and magnifies slipups. Understanding that sobriety is achieved one day at a time will help prevent relapse. Taking pride in your accomplishments and understanding the challenges you face will further enhance your self-esteem.
Remain Vigilant and Realistic
Relapses are common but not inevitable. By recognizing that a relapse occurs from neglecting your wellness or overlooking particular aspects of your recovery, you can understand that lapses are not a decisive event that signals your inability to stay sober. Seizing on a lapse to reach out to your support system, assess your relationship with yourself, or consider additional treatment means that your recovery is progressing and that you are growing.
However, you must understand that relapses can lead to more serious use and progression of addiction. You must remain alert for the chance of a relapse and lay the groundwork for how to take corrective actions.
Reaching Out For Help
If you’re questioning your or a loved one’s substance use, it’s important to honestly assess how substance use has altered feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Difficulties with school, work, and family relationships may all indicate disordered use. Trained counselors are excellent resources for investigating your substance use.
Individuals in recovery who believe that they are at risk for relapse or who have already relapsed should reach out for help. Conquering substance use disorders is not a linear process. Each obstacle that you face informs your next steps and helps you strategize how to proceed with sobriety. Skilled behavioral health professionals can assist you at any stage of your recovery and help you manage the effects of substance use disorders or a relapse.
