Addiction recovery isn’t a straight line. Completing treatment at a rehab centre and overcoming your alcohol and drug addiction is a huge step on that journey, but there is still a long way to go.
Many struggles wait, and one of the biggest is the danger of relapsing. It is estimated that between 40% to 60% of people that suffer from addiction will relapse at some point in their recovery journey. The idea of relapsing can loom large over your recovery and make you worried about the future, but it’s important to remember that relapsing isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Being aware of what could happen and educating yourself on the warning signs of relapse will help you take steps to prevent it from happening.
Understanding the Warning Signs of Relapse
A relapse is a total return to your addiction after you have completed residential addiction treatment and become sober. With a relapse, you will abandon your recovery goals and return to the type of drinking and drug-taking that you did before. This is different from a slip-up or lapse, where you may engage in old behaviour once and then return to your recovery.
It is also not just a simple act. Relapse is a process that can take time and sneak up on you. There are 3 stages to the process, and understanding them can help with relapse prevention.
- Emotional Relapse: This is the first stage. It is not a conscious act, and you won’t be actively thinking about relapsing, but your emotions will have started edging you in that direction. During this stage, you may become moodier, not enjoy a sober life and begin isolating yourself.
- Mental Relapse: If those rising emotions aren’t dealt with, then your actions become more active. Mentally, you are relapsing – thinking about drinking or taking drugs and begin glamorising your addiction. This war of wills in your mind can lead you to plan your relapse, visit old friends and toxic environments, and experience increased cravings.
- Physical Relapse: This is the last stage and act of relapse. Here, you will pick up that drink or use that drug and abandon your recovery.
5 Warning Signs of Relapse
Relapse isn’t inevitable and spotting signs early on can go a long way to avoiding it altogether. It’s also a complicated situation, with every person having different triggers that could lead them back to their addiction. Here are 5 common signs of addiction relapse that you should be aware of.
Changes in Attitude or Behaviour
Addiction recovery will not be a smooth road. You will have bad days. Relapse may become a danger if these bad days stretch into weeks and months of negativity. Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression may get worse – mood swings and increased irritability may become the norm. As you become trapped in your head more, you might withdraw socially, become isolated and start to lose perspective on why you are on this recovery journey.
These changes in attitude can cause you to lose interest in recovery activities. By letting everything slip, you leave yourself open to relapse occurring.
Revisiting Unhealthy Environments
A key aspect of relapse prevention is avoiding triggers or being able to deal with them. These triggers can be internal, but some can be outside influences.
Your drug or alcohol addiction may have taken you to unhelpful environments and caused you to be around people who enabled your drinking or drug-taking. If you find yourself going back to old haunts and reconnecting with people bad for your recovery, this is one of the warning signs of relapse.
Revisiting these unhealthy environments could intensify existing cravings and break your resolve. It’s best to avoid these people and places to avoid a relapse.
Elevated Stress Levels
For many people, addiction is a response to being unable to cope with things happening in their lives. Stress is one of these known triggers of addiction, and during rehabilitation, coping mechanisms should be learnt to deal with it.
If you have noticed that you have become more stressed lately, escalating minor conflicts and being unable to deal with small problems, this is a sign of relapse being a bigger risk. As a result of increased stress, you may be drawn back to old coping mechanisms – your addiction.
The stress management techniques you learn in recovery are vital to relapse prevention, so you need to make sure you are staying on top of it.
Denial of Problems
Denial is a huge reason why people don’t get help with their addiction in the first place. Once you have accepted your problems, got help and are sober, then surely your days of denial are over.
Unfortunately, denial can crop up again after becoming sober. You may find yourself looking back on your addiction and minimising it or denying that you needed help at all. This defensiveness and reframing of the past can be a sign of relapsing being on the horizon.
Skipping Treatment Sessions
Working on your addiction recovery doesn’t stop after rehab. There are many resources available to help you develop your coping skills and work through issues.
Aftercare is integral to achieving long-term recovery, and if you start missing therapy sessions, avoiding group support meetings, and making other appointments, you put yourself at risk of relapsing. Weakening commitment to work leaves you open to slipping and returning to old behaviours. In these harder times, it’s more important than ever to attend meetings and engage in constructive behaviour.
Advice on Preventing Relapse
There are things you can do to ensure that your addiction recovery is not threatened and you don’t relapse.
Maintaining a Strong Support System
Having sober people to reach out to in hard times is key to remaining sober. Other people help you see you are not alone on your journey and provide advice and support when you most need it. They can hold you accountable and remind you why you are sober.
Continuing Treatment and Therapy
Addiction treatment doesn’t stop when you finish rehab. Remaining vigilant and disciplined is a great help in fighting relapse. Continuing treatment can provide a routine and keep you focused on recovery.
Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms
As stated, addiction can rise due to alcohol and drugs being used as a coping mechanism. Learning alternative ways to deal with life’s struggles and honing them will make the lure of addiction less powerful. By adopting healthier ways of coping, you can get the most out of sober living.
Find Support Today
Relapse is a danger for anyone recovering from addiction, but it is not available. Knowing the warning signs of relapse and being proactive is the best form of defence. By maintaining your vigilance and working on the things you learnt in rehab, you lessen the risk of relapsing.
If you know someone who is showing signs of addiction relapse or is looking for help, get in touch with Asana Lodge today. We are a private drug and alcohol rehab that provides expert addiction treatment and care.
Contact us today at 01908 489 421.
