The Different Aspects of Relapse
Part of understanding relapse is recognizing that there typically isn’t a singular event that leads to making poor decisions. There are typically a series of events or triggers that occur which increase the likelihood of relapse. We tend to see these events play out in order of emotional relapse, mental relapse, and then physical relapse. Emotions can take one by surprise, which leads to compromised thoughts. Once mental relapse begins one may look for a way to destress and turn towards substance use.
Create an Addiction Relapse Prevention Plan
Creating a relapse prevention plan is a proactive step that can empower you to stop a relapse from occurring. Write down your relapse prevention plan and keep it accessible. In your plan include emergency contacts, prevention management strategies, and a personalized list of positive reasons to remain sober. One typically will have a relapse prevention plan created during their addiction treatment, or with a therapist after finishing their outpatient care. Create your own, or reach out to any healthcare professionals to get assistance on creating this plan.
Noticing The Signs of Potential Relapse
Noticing and identifying signs of potential relapse is a crucial part of managing your recovery. By learning to manage these triggers you can continue to gain more control over them and reduce their intensity. A trigger can come in many forms including general stress, relationship issues, finances, boredom, locations, people, negative thoughts, and even something as simple as a smell.
Acknowledging these triggers is the first step in learning to manage them. As you expand your understanding of these inciting events you can plan more effectively to reduce their impact on your thoughts. Managing potential triggers will be unique to each person, but can be dealt with in a variety of ways. Some may use deep breathing or relaxation techniques while others may simply allow themselves to avoid certain places or people. Whatever the situation may be it is important to acknowledge the signs and confront them.
Peer Support
Building a community and getting support from those around you can play a major role in your recovery. Peer support can come in many different forms including family members, loved ones, friends, chosen sponsors, or community support groups. Community support looks different for everyone. It can be helpful to diversify your community by looking for support in different ways.
Coping Skills & Stress Management
There are a lot of different coping strategies that one can implement during their recovery. It’s important to try different ways to manage triggers and stress and to learn what works best for you. Explore different techniques like deep breathing, meditation, contacting people in your support network, or any other way that helps you reduce cravings and exercise control.
Relapse Prevention: HALT
Part of acknowledging triggers is understanding how small they can be, and how quickly they can stir up emotions and increase discomfort and stress. Being impacted by situations can alter the choices we make, so learning to manage these triggers is an important part of recovery. HALT is a common acronym used to help people check in with themselves and understand if they need to utilize management techniques. HALT stands for Hunger, Anger, Loneliness, and Tiredness. While these may seem like small inconveniences, they can quickly add up and become stressors for your brain. Come up with ways to manage each of these triggers and proactively develop plans of action. It’s impossible to make every day a “perfect” day, but using this self-assessment method can help you understand the mental state you’re in, which can guide you to make better choices for your health.
Relapse Prevention Strategies
It’s important to acknowledge that no singular method of relapse prevention will be the sole answer to your alcohol or drug addiction. Some relapse prevention methods may seem simple but can yield great benefits, especially in congruence with other strategies. Outpatient programs will guide patients to incorporate relapse prevention strategies into their daily lives, and may even continue to work with the same techniques in therapy. Prevention techniques work best in combination with each other. After completing an outpatient treatment program those in recovery should focus on different aspects of their life and wellbeing. By tackling alcohol and drug addiction from all sides you will find triggers and stress more manageable overall. Continue reading to learn more about relapse prevention methods that many patients in recovery find helpful in their journey for continued sobriety.
Addiction Recovery Support Groups
Joining an existing relapse prevention community and finding new ways of building a support network are some of the best ways to avoid addiction relapse. There are a lot of different systems and groups for recovering alcoholics and drug users. These groups and services are designed in part to be accessible effective strategies for anyone who is in recovery and can help reduce stress, triggers, and relapse. There are different types of support groups, but they are largely focused on personal experiences, sharing, and building community. Not only is there a benefit to understanding each other’s stories and learning from the experiences of peers around you, but investing socially is an excellent relapse prevention strategy. Creating a social circle of others who have had similar experiences with addiction creates a sense of community in what otherwise can feel like an isolating experience.
Recovery Sponsorship
Working with a sponsor creates a new layer of accountability for an addict. A sponsor will have a unique perspective and their support will not come with the same emotional bias as a family member or close friend. Sponsors may have had a similar experience with the disease of either drug or alcohol addiction and will be able to provide helpful feedback. Sometimes you may find it difficult to share more intimate or emotional details of your experiences. In those situations having a sponsor that you can open up to can help you from relapsing. Choosing the right sponsor is an important part of a relapse prevention plan. A sponsor should be objective and be in a position to provide honest help.
Therapy After Outpatient Treatment
During any outpatient substance abuse treatment patients will undergo counseling and/or therapy. There are an abundance of health benefits from exploring one’s mental and behavioral health. Throughout therapy, patients learn about triggers, what causes them stress, relapse prevention techniques, and how to navigate rehabilitation long after their recovery treatment ends. By continuing mental health services patients will continue to receive the benefits and will have a safe environment to be open and honest about their drug or alcohol addiction. You may have continuous individual therapy, or opt for group therapy, whichever you feel more comfortable with. By regularly attending therapy meetings you are able to continue to get support from a licensed professional and learn along the way. Some who struggle with addiction may attend both individual and group therapy and get great benefits from both!
Self-Care: Exercise
A commonly overlooked relapse prevention strategy is taking care of yourself physically. Self-care can look drastically different for two people, but there is no doubt that a healthy lifestyle will contribute to our overall health. Physical exercise is known to be an effective relapse prevention technique and can be implemented in ways that work for each individual. Hiking, swimming, running, yoga, and any other physical activity can improve one’s overall mental health. There is an abundance of evidence showing that a healthy diet, good sleep, and regular exercise improve our mental health. Exercise also can improve the quality of sleep you get each night, which can increase one’s tolerance for potential triggers throughout their day-to-day lives. Different forms of self-care can reduce stress and work as a legitimate relapse prevention method.
Self-Care: Mindfulness
Like a muscle, our brains can only improve in ways that we train them. Mental health plays a tremendous role in our overall wellness. Focusing on our mental health may reduce stress, help with progress in therapy, reduce drug and alcohol cravings, and make triggers more manageable. Practicing different forms of meditation and mindfulness helps addicts have more control over their thoughts. This is especially important in scenarios where triggers cause stress. Not all patients find meditation to be beneficial at first and may practice mindful activities instead. This could be something as simple as a relaxing hobby, taking a walk, or deep breathing. By speaking with a mental health professional during therapy you can create mindfulness goals for after your outpatient treatment is completed.
Understanding Your Journey
The journey to sobriety is often long, complicated, and can be disorienting. Alcohol and drug abuse are typical symptoms of a more deeply rooted issue. Taking time during drug and alcohol addiction recovery to understand your journey helps keep you grounded. Writing about your experiences and journaling about the process helps to contextualize your recovery and helps you to maintain focus on your goals. After their outpatient recovery treatment ends many people find gratitude journaling helpful. Take time to contemplate what you are thankful for and recognize the hard work you have done. Some find it helpful to write a list of consequences if they were to end their recovery journey and return to their previous alcohol or drug habits. Utilize these writing and contemplating prevention strategies to understand your journey.
Freedom Recovery Outpatient Treatment
Freedom Recovery offers outpatient programs to assist and facilitate recovery for those struggling with substance abuse issues. Our faith-based perspective incorporates spirituality and science-backed treatment to provide a unique form of treatment for our patients. To learn more about our services or speak with a healthcare professional contact us today.