10 Relapse Prevention Techniques

 

Not everybody relapses, but many do. Relapse may not be guaranteed, but it does happen often. Luckily there are some relapse prevention techniques that can help you maintain control.

The definition of addiction is “a chronic brain disease characterized by an inability to control substance use.” The “chronic” nature of the definition means that relapse is a part of the disease. The idea that relapse is an expected part of addiction is controversial because people like to believe they have some control.

This article will be all about relapsing. Understanding some triggers and statistics regarding relapse may help you be prepared when faced with this aspect of being in recovery. If you find yourself considering giving in to your drug and alcohol cravings again after a substance abuse treatment, follow these techniques to keep yourself sober.

Can I Relapse After Being Drug- or Alcohol-Free?

The latest statistics from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) show that approximately 60% of people who struggled with substance use disorder relapse to their addictive behaviors within one year of addiction treatment.

The percentage of relapses gets smaller and smaller the longer someone is sober, but it always remains a factor.

Do not let these tragic figures discourage you. For many people, relapse is a part of addiction recovery and should be viewed as an obstacle on the path rather than the end of the road. Sometimes we fall, but when we fall, we get back up.

Why Does Relapse Occur?

Many potential triggers may pull us back into drug addiction. When we’re not in a good state of mental health, we put ourselves in high-risk situations for mental relapse and to fall back to old habits.

Some of the common relapse triggers are:

• Boredom
• Stress and anger
• Financial problems
• Relationship issues
• Certain sights/ smells
• People
• Places
• Withdrawal Symptoms

There is a risk of relapsing at any stage of recovery, making relapse prevention skills highly essential to know.

Relapse Prevention Techniques

Relapse prevention tools will help you lead a happy life in recovery and reduce the chance of relapse. Treatment programs will teach you a range of strategies to control relapse triggers, but we don’t always have access to treatment centers for help.

Get Help

The fear of relapse can be debilitating, especially in stressful situations. But you can get fully prepared with a relapse prevention plan of healthy coping strategies by simply calling a treatment facility.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one practice that is widely used in counseling and treatment that helps to retrain the brain to better cope with cravings. The practice can be utilized and revisited as needed.

Ask your treatment center if cognitive behavioral therapy is a treatment they offer. If relapse prevention is a big concern of yours, you may even be better off finding a drug and alcohol treatment center that specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy.

If you are ready to make a change and gain personal control then give us a call at (949) 264-0191.

Opus Health addiction professionals will educate you on relapse prevention techniques and give you the tools to maintain lifelong sobriety.