As anyone who’s gone through substance treatment knows, long-term recovery comes with a variety of daily challenges. No matter who you are, those challenges include avoiding a return to active drinking or drug use. However, addiction is, by definition, a chronic, relapse-prone illness. This means that many people stumble at least once on the path of stable sobriety. Relapse prevention therapy can help reduce your risks for such a scenario. And if you do relapse, there are steps you can take to restore sobriety as quickly as possible.
Coping With Addiction Relapse – Learning How Relapses Occur
When it comes to substance relapses, knowledge is power. The more you know about these events, the easier it will be to understand and avoid them. Perhaps the most important thing to know is that a relapse does not have to end your recovery. As long as you take corrective action, you can still achieve long-term sobriety.
It’s also important to understand that relapses are common. Sooner or later, they will happen to anywhere from four to six out of every ten people in recovery. Some of these people take steps to restore substance abstinence. But unfortunately, others do not.
Another piece of information is also critical when dealing with addiction relapse. Namely, relapses are a process, not a single event. This process has stages that include:
- Subconscious emotional changes that make future substance use more likely
- Active thoughts about drinking or using drugs again
- The actual act of taking a drink or consuming a dose of drugs
These stages can play out over a period of weeks or even longer.
How to Deal With Addiction Relapse – Seeking Help
If you relapse, seeking help as soon as possible is essential. This often means contacting a recovery specialist or returning to substance rehab. It can also mean entering an addiction relapse prevention program. Many people turn to their existing network of friends and family for support and help. Others join a mutual self-help group or seek assistance from the group they already belong to. Any of these options may be valid in a given set of circumstances if they help you quickly restore sobriety.
In a worst-case scenario, dealing with addiction relapse can mean calling 911 for emergency help. This is not an outside possibility. Overdoses are a particular concern for people in recovery. That’s true because a level of substance use you once took for granted may now overwhelm your system.
How Addiction Relapse Treatment Can Help
Everyone in recovery can benefit from a relapse prevention program. That’s true whether or not you’ve already experienced a relapse. Why? A prevention program focuses on building vital skills such as:
- Identifying the early stages of an in-progress relapse
- Taking steps to disrupt the relapse process
- Understanding the specific things that increase your relapse risks
- Avoiding these risky things whenever possible
- Successfully coping with addiction relapse risks when you can’t avoid them
Addiction relapse treatment may be part of a larger recovery plan. It can also act as a standalone support for ongoing sobriety.
Learn More About Coping With Addiction Relapse at Northpoint Colorado
Do you or your loved one need more information on how to deal with addiction relapse? Consult the experts at Northpoint Colorado. We have extensive experience supporting effective relapse recovery. We’re happy to share advice on how to restore substance sobriety.
Northpoint features relapse prevention therapy. Every day, we use this therapy to help people in recovery reduce their risks for renewed drug or alcohol use. Just call us today at 888.231.1281 to get started. You can also contact us online via our brief message form.