Relapse Prevention
Relapse prevention teaches people that are recovering from an addiction to cope more effectively. It also teaches them how to deal with the stressors and triggers in their environment. The main focus of long term addiction recovery should be to learn new and better methods for dealing with problems using healthier choices. Once the drugs and alcohol are out of an individual's body, a sober person must put into practice the relapse prevention strategies that they have learned in their drug treatment program. The most important key to relapse prevention is to identify and interrupt the process as quickly as possible. Relapse prevention takes place when a former addict consciously prevents a thought of using drugs to develop to the point where the drug is now in their hand, eliminating the temptation of returning to active addiction. The best way to do that is to utilize the previously learned strategies to handle identified relapse warning signs and symptoms.
The following is a description of some of the symptoms an individual recovering from addiction needs to be aware of for the highest rate of success in terms of relapse prevention:
Dishonesty-can be a major concern in relapse prevention. One concern is that the individual has never gotten completely honest about their addiction and recovery. A more likely scenario is that they may start to allow ‘little white lies’ to start to once again to creep into their everyday lives
Complacency- is a really sneaky one because this happens when things are going well. When everything is going so smoothly, people tend to slack off and put less effort into recovery.
Self-Pity-Becoming a victim or having pity parties are both huge red flags in regard to relapse addiction. Attitudes such as "How come everybody can drink except me?”, or when an individual adopts a blaming stance, such as” If you had my husband or wife you would drink too". If an individual is a victim or a blamer it is always someone else’s fault, because if it is not their fault then they do not have to take any type of action.
Frustration– Two common traits that must be avoided in terms of relapse prevention are poor impulse control, and the need for immediate gratification. This can be a situation where the individual's actions are childlike, as in throwing a fit when things don’t go their way. This type of situation can easily escalate, and the individual may storm off and head straight for the nearest bar or go find some drugs. Identifying these types of drug and alcohol addiction relapse warning signs, and learning to manage the situations in which they arise, is the most important key to relapse prevention.
H.A.L.T – Using this acronym is a great way to remember the following things you want to be aware of regarding drug or alcohol relapse prevention. The H is for hungry, as low blood sugar levels can often cause the former drug user to feel agitated, and can also give them a sensation of craving. The letter A is a for angry, and can serve as a reminder to the person to not let anger build up, but to make every attempt to be open and honest and express their emotions as they come up. Often when an individual feels angry, snappish or cranky, a quick review of these symptoms may pinpoint a cause. In taking this action, they can easily rectify the situation right then and there. The letter L is for lonely, and often times, former drug and alcohol users just need to call a" clean" friend or go to the gym where they can have the opportunity to be around other people in a healthy environment and feel the human connection that we all crave. The letter T is for tired, and the importance of getting the proper amount of rest cannot be overstated, regarding any type of addiction, this is imperative. If a former user is aware of all of these conditions, they will have a much greater chance of success concerning relapse prevention.
THE KEY TO RELAPSE PREVENTION IS BEING AWARE OF THE MOST COMMON RELAPSE DANGERS
1. Being in the presence of drugs or alcohol, drug or alcohol users, or hanging out at the places where you previously used drugs is totally counterproductive to relapse prevention.
2. It can be more difficult to practice relapse prevention in the presence of negative feelings, such as guilt, sadness or anxiety. Because these are feelings that we will all experience in life, learning to manage them is the best solution.
3. Ironically, positive feelings that make you want to celebrate can be some of the strongest triggers when it comes to the possibility of experiencing a drug relapse. The reason for this is because many times prior to an individual being sober, celebrations consisted of getting high.
4. Often times when a former addict gets bored, they may begin to experience anxiety or restlessness. Regarding relapse prevention, this can be a dangerous state.
5. Getting high on any drug, even an over the counter medication, can cause problems in terms of relapse prevention.
6. A roadblock in relapse prevention can occur when an individual has a legitimate medical condition such as chronic pain. A drug relapse in these types of situations is quite common, and needs to be confronted before a brief relapse escalates into full blown addiction.
Developing a healthy balanced lifestyle can be a great help concerning relapse prevention. You can incorporate some of the suggested strategies below into your daily living:
- Maintain a healthy diet and sufficient rest
- Regular exercise – to boost feel good endorphins and to help maintain good mental, emotional, and physical health
- Set boundaries and know your limitations. If you are alcoholic, don't go to bars, pubs, karaoke or store alcoholic drinks in your ref.
- Utilize effective stress management techniques such as journaling
Practicing relapse prevention is not always going to be easy and everyone in recovery has times when compelling thoughts of drinking or using drugs may resurface. Recovery and relapse prevention is hard work, but it is the best way to remain free from the prison of addiction.
