They can act as a constant source of positive influences and guidance. It can show you what you need to change to recover successfully. However, emotions and resulting behaviors may already be laying the foundations for future relapse. Many health professionals view relapse as a process instead of a sudden event. People are at risk of relapse if exposed to different risk factors. If you have relapsed, stop using the substance as quickly as possible.
Steps to Take After a Relapse
While relapse can occur at any time, the 60- to 90-day period after initial recovery is the most vulnerable time. That’s why 12 Keys offers comprehensive and customized aftercare support. We also encourage clients what to do after a relapse at any stage of their recovery to seek intensive treatment with our empathetic and experienced addiction specialists. With our help, you can recover from your relapse and grow stronger and healthier from it.
Treatment providers
- One way of ensuring recovery from addiction is to remember the acronym DEADS, shorthand for an array of skills to deploy when faced with a difficult situation—delay, escape, avoid, distract, and substitute.
- At this point, getting a family member or close friend to help could get you back on track.
- It reflects the difficulty of resisting a return to substance use in response to what may be intense cravings but before new coping strategies have been learned and new routines have been established.
- Certain people, places, and situations can drive you back into drinking or using drugs again.
- Therapeutic interventions like art and music therapy, yoga, and relaxation techniques can also support recovery by improving mental well-being and reducing stress.
Individuals are encouraged to engage in self-care practices, attend therapy sessions, and participate in support groups to combat these negative emotions. These strategies can provide the necessary tools to process and move beyond the emotional turmoil of relapse. It is essential to understand that slips and relapses can happen, but their impact on recovery differs.
Most Common Addiction Relapse Triggers
In the context of mental health and addiction recovery, a relapse is a return to substance use or destructive behaviors after a period of improvement or recovery. It’s a standard part of the recovery process; statistics suggest that between 40% to 60% of individuals in recovery from substance abuse experience https://ecosoberhouse.com/ at least one relapse before achieving lasting sobriety. This happens because recovery is not linear; it’s full of ups and downs, successes and setbacks. No matter how much abstinence is the desired goal, viewing any substance use at all as a relapse can actually increase the likelihood of future substance use.
A relapse usually refers to a person using the substance they are recovering from, but it’s often not that black and white. Most people don’t just suddenly relapse; it’s something they build up to gradually over days, weeks, or even months. It can bring on feelings of shame, frustration, and often cause someone to feel as if they are incapable of changing their behavior or achieving their goals.
Identify and Avoid Triggers
Develop a Relapse Prevention Plan
- Although there is no way to avoid all relapses, you can make a positive difference.
- You can’t understate the gravity of the relapse — you must admit to yourself you are using again.
- Help can come in an array of forms—asking for more support from family members and friends, from peers or from others who are further along in the recovery process.
- Your family and friends can offer a friendly ear when you feel low.
- Even if you survive, an overdose can leave you and your family members with lots of feelings to sort through.
