This can occur within a short period of abstinence or after several months or years and is more likely if prevention strategies are not utilized within the previous two stages. Alcohol addiction treatment focuses on realigning the recovery process based on the severity of the relapse and the current stage of recovery. According to a study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), modifying treatment plans after relapse increases long-term recovery success rates by 58%.
Relapse Prevention Tips
There are a lot of misconceptions about a relapse on alcohol or drugs. Sometimes, we think that a relapse is a failure or proof treatment didn’t work. Relapse is something that can but doesn’t have to be part of the recovery process.
Formal Relapse Prevention
Behavioral therapy is often beneficial because it helps you address issues that you have trouble with and deal with them without alcohol or drugs. Whether or not you relapse is closely tied to your sense of self-efficacy. Sometimes, you unknowingly begin taking steps toward a relapse weeks or months Alcohol Relapse before actually drinking or using drugs. Certain thoughts, feelings, and events may trigger cravings and urges for drugs and alcohol, and, if not properly dealt with, may increase your chances of relapsing.
Exposure to Stressors
When your emotional world is in turmoil and your stress levels are high, you may be tempted to use alcohol to self-medicate. To avoid that scenario, let’s talk about some signs you may be headed in that direction and what you can do to prevent it from happening. It’s accidentally taking a swig of rum in the piña colada after you explicitly requested non-alcoholic.
Therapy
Take positive steps to manage your stress and anxiety, such as mindfulness, exercise, and speaking to a therapist or support group. All of these situations could potentially lead to a relapse if you’re not prepared. Additionally, setting boundaries in relationships can help protect against overwhelming emotions that could lead to a relapse. Groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) offer regular meetings and a supportive environment for sharing experiences and strategies. A helpful tool is expressing your thoughts and feelings with a trusted friend, family member, or member of a support group.
- I won’t add an additional relapse prevention tip here because this boils down to recognizing when you need help and asking for it, which we’ve talked about several times already (notice a theme?).
- We generally talk about alcohol relapse in the context of someone who is in recovery from AUD after experiencing negative consequences as a result of their excessive drinking.
- A person will experience a relapse of drug and alcohol use for many different reasons.
- Engaging with sponsors or peer networks reinforces commitment to sobriety.
Addiction Treatment
For this reason, stress can trigger the same brain circuits that were triggered when you sought alcohol in the past. This means stress can lead to cravings, which can lead to a relapse. TheMarlatt Modelillustrates how both tonic (stable) heroin addiction and phasic (short-lived) influences interact with each other in order to evaluate the likeliness of a relapse. The difference between these two variables are that tonic processes represent how susceptible one is to relapse while phasic responses serve as factors that either cause or prevent relapse. Just as there are numerous views on human nature and multipletherapy models, there are different views on relapse prevention.
What To Do When An Alcoholic Has A Relapse
This secrecy can make you believe that you can force a slip vs. relapse. The idea of “slip vs. relapse” is typically grounded in a definition of recovery that equates “full recovery” with strict abstinence. Many addiction recovery organizations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), endorse this definition of recovery. When feelings of loneliness set in or being socially isolated becomes too much, know that you are never fully alone. There are people that care about you and are eager to help you get through these tough times. Alcohol is one of the world’s most widely used and easily accessible substances in the world, and often, many places that you used to frequent can be a trigger for relapse.
Many people think preventing a relapse means just saying “no” to a drink. But by the time you’re looking at a can of beer or a bottle of liquor, you’re in the last and most difficult stage of a relapse. If you struggle with drinking or struggling to maintain your recovery from alcohol addiction, The Recovery Village Drug andAlcohol Rehabcan help.Contactour alcohol addiction recovery experts today to learn more. Relapse is total dysfunction, where a person has continually engaged in a pattern of thoughts or behaviors that destabilizes recovery and makes the use of alcohol or other drugs appealing. To this person, a return to addiction makes sense because they’ve been internalizing, listening to and agreeing with the logic of addiction. Relapse prevention plans can include ways in which you hope to amend the damage addiction caused in your life.
The most common triggers include stress, social pressure, negative emotions, overconfidence, exposure to alcohol-related environments, relationship conflicts, and celebrations. Identifying these triggers is the first step in preventing relapse. When you relapse back into the same damaging drinking patterns as before, the best thing to do is get help from a professional addiction treatment program. Getting professional addiction help significantly increases the likelihood of achieving and maintaining long-term recovery. During a mental relapse, you can become confident in your ability to drink in moderation.
Relapse often occurs during the recovery process, and there are options available to you if you do relapse. The term abstinence refers to a situation when you have decided to refrain from all substances as part of your recovery journey. This includes all drugs, even ones that can help with substance or alcohol misuse, such as Vivitrol.