Relapse Prevention Plan: Strategies and Techniques for Addiction

Some people find that the skills they learned in treatment aren’t enough to help them cope with new feelings or challenges. You must get the support and treatment you need at any of the stages of relapse to stay committed to your recovery and live the healthy, fulfilling life you deserve. There is a difference between thinking about your past substance use and reminiscing or fantasizing about it. It’s a natural part of recovery, but when you feel nostalgic for those days or tempted to use drugs or alcohol again, it’s crucial to seek help. Without addressing mental relapse, you are likely to head toward a physical relapse. Many people who live with addiction attend substance abuse treatment programs that give them new, healthy ways to manage stress, challenges, or intense feelings.

While some may never relapse, others may relapse several times at some point during recovery. At American Addiction Centers, we offer a 90-Day Promise that gives you 30 additional days of complimentary treatment if you relapse after 90 consecutive days at one of our facilities. Whether you are going to rehab for the first time, or have relapsed in the past, we will work with you to find the best treatment plan for you. Many successful treatment plans are specifically tailored to each individual. Substance use often begins when someone has the desire to numb an emotional response to a trauma trigger.

Can You Smoke Heroin? Understanding the Dangers and Risks

There are many different terms used to describe disordered drinking and problem drinking. Addiction is hard on your body, mind, relationships, and every other aspect of who you are. Adderall is a prescription stimulant drug primarily used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In simple terms, a trigger is anything that brings back thoughts, feelings, or memories of an addiction. Recovering individuals are often overwhelmed by the idea of change.

• Explain to yourself that you recognize the trigger, you’re taking steps to remove yourself from the situation and you don’t allow the trigger to have any power over you.
• Unlike acute withdrawal, which has mostly physical symptoms, post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) has mostly psychological and emotional symptoms.
• The power to resist cravings rests on the ability to summon and interpose judgment between a craving and its intense motivational command to seek the substance.
• Whether it lasts a week, a month, or years, relapse is common enough in addiction recovery that it is considered a natural part of the difficult process of change.

Whenever you are doubting yourself or feel like you have too much on your plate, therapy can help you cope with your negative emotions. It’s impossible—and unhealthy—to avoid feeling all negative emotions, so avoiding these relapse triggers after your stay in rehab isn’t a viable option. When those emotions inevitably arise, you may feel tempted to turn to drugs and alcohol again to help you cope. Instead, you’ll need to draw on what you’ve learned in therapy to combat those cravings and stay sober.

Keeping a trigger diary:

If you are starting to consider relapse, you may find that you are exposing yourself to possible triggers, even subconsciously. If you find yourself in high risk situations that could trigger a relapse, you should immediately reach out to someone that you can trust and who is supportive of your recovery. Talking through the trigger and enlisting someone else’s help can provide you with the motivation and assistance needed to overcome the trigger and stay sober.

To overcome withdrawal symptoms, most people need some form of detoxification or withdrawal management service. A long-term, severe relapse might require residential treatment, while people with prior experience in a treatment program may do well with outpatient therapy. Whatever the course of treatment, it will involve the person identifying the reasons they relapse and learning what steps to take to prevent it in the future. For many people, engaging socially and forming a support system in recovery can feel exhausting. Some people will try to avoid it altogether, which can lead to prolonged isolation and mounting loneliness.

Old Places And Hangouts Can Trigger Relapse

There are two main types of triggers that can start someone towards the path of relapse. Have a support system of family, friends, and loved ones who will stand by you when you need help. These kinds of positive influences will decrease your likelihood of relapsing. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will also keep you in a routine and make you less likely to stray into negative habits. Relapse is often viewed as the result of a sudden impulse, but there is actually a litany of warning signs that can show when someone is at escalating risk of using drugs or alcohol again. Relapse can be divided into three stages, each with specific signs.

Developing the self-awareness to know when something is affecting someone’s mood or emotions can take time and consideration. Numerous studies have shown that mind-body relaxation reduces the use of drugs and alcohol and is effective in long-term relapse prevention [28,29]. Relapse-prevention therapy and mind-body relaxation are commonly combined into mindfulness-based relapse prevention [30]. A missing piece of the puzzle types of relapse triggers for many clients is understanding the difference between selfishness and self-care. Clinical experience has shown that addicted individuals typically take less than they need, and, as a result, they become exhausted or resentful and turn to their addiction to relax or escape. Part of challenging addictive thinking is to encourage clients to see that they cannot be good to others if they are first not good to themselves.