Relapse is common among people fighting addiction. Rates of relapse depend on the substance, but typically the rate is higher than 50 percent, and for opioids the relapse rate may be at least 80 percent. That might seem discouraging, but there are several things to keep in mind. First, a relapse doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It only means you have to try again. Many people relapse several times before achieving long-term sobriety. If you do relapse, the important thing is learn what you can from it and get sober again as soon as possible. Second, the longer you stay sober, the lower your risk of relapse. Your risk of relapse is the highest by far right at the beginning. Many people don’t even make it through detox. Withdrawal symptoms, especially from opioids, can be so intense that people often give up after a couple days and start using again just to stop feeling awful. This is why a medical detox is a good idea. It increases your likelihood of actually finishing detox and starting treatment and it can make the process of detoxing less dangerous and painful. Once you finish detoxing, your risk of relapse drops a little. Then when you finish inpatient treatment, it drops a little more. By the time you make it to one year, the risk has dropped quite a bit, and if you make it five years, your risk of relapse is actually pretty low. Third, whether or not you relapse is not completely out of your hands. It’s true that addiction is sneaky and willpower isn’t very reliable in the long run, but having good social support and staying committed to a recovery plan can greatly increase your chances of staying sober. It also helps to know the warning signs that come before a relapse. Relapses don’t usually happen suddenly or unexpectedly. There’s usually process that starts with emotional relapse, then becomes mental, and finally physical. Here’s what each stage looks like.
Emotional Relapse
The first danger sign of relapse is turbulent or negative emotions. Feeling stressed, overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious are early warning signs that something is wrong. It’s normal to have a bad day every once in a while, but if these moods persists, it’s time to stop and figure out what’s going on. In 12-step circles, this is sometimes described as “stinking thinking.” You may feel pessimistic or cynical about recovery, often following a period of enthusiasm or optimism. Sometimes people’s expectations of recovery are too high. They expect their lives to turn around once they get sober and they are disillusioned when they discover that it takes a while for life to improve. Sometimes people get sick of going to meetings because they got a lot out of them at first, but now it just seems like the same old story. They might get mired in resentments or feel like their efforts are unappreciated. If you start to feel this way, the most important thing is to share how you feel. Either talk to a therapist, a friend, a sponsor, or anyone you trust. Often these feelings arise because your emotional needs aren’t being met somehow. The first thing to do is explore what’s wrong and then come up with a plan to fix it. It’s also important not to neglect basic self-care. Even something as simple as too little sleep for a few nights can dramatically increase feelings of depression and anxiety, and diminish your ability to regulate your emotions. When you feel negative emotions creeping in, get back to basics. Make sure you’re eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and getting some regular exercise, and that you’re following your recovery plan.
Mental Relapse
If your emotional state continues to deteriorate, you might get to the point of mental relapse. This is when you actually start thinking about using again. It might be indulging fond memories of using, or maybe thinking that you’ve come such a long way that maybe you can handle using in moderation. You may bargain with yourself, like deciding you can use under certain conditions. You may start taking risks like seeing friends who still use or putting yourself in situations where you might be tempted. You may have already come up with excuses for relapsing or even planned to relapse. If you reach the stage where you’re bargaining or planning a relapse, it’s already an emergency. It’s crucial you reach out to someone and share what you’re going through. You may also need to distract yourself in the short term by maybe taking a walk. It may also help to “play the tape.” When you first get sober, you were probably motivated because the pain of addiction was fresh in your mind. After several months sober, you may have forgotten about the bad times and only remember the good. When you start to feel depressed or overwhelmed, the thought of that old coping mechanism might seem comforting, especially if you are experiencing strong cravings. It may help to think beyond the initial relief you would feel if you did use again. Vividly imagine what would happen in the hours, day, and weeks after a relapse. Think about how disappointed you would be in yourself, and how your family would feel. Remember all the bad things that came with addiction and think about how you could avoid them if you just wait out your craving and stick to your plan.
Physical Relapse
This is when you actually start using again, or what we typically mean by “relapse.” Not every relapse is the same. Sometimes you might just slip by using once, then quitting again. Sometimes you might start using heavily pretty quickly. Whether you only had a slip or a full relapse, the important thing is to quit again as soon as possible. The longer you keep using, the more you’re at risk and the harder it is to quit. If you’ve started building a tolerance again, you might have to go through detox. Whether you will need to go back to treatment depends largely on your situation. It’s something to discuss with your therapist and family.
If you or a loved one struggles with addiction, we can help. Recovery Ways is a leading addiction treatment provider with an excellent recovery rate. Our expert staff includes masters and PhD level therapists and board certified addiction psychiatrists. Our comfortable facilities will help to make your treatment as enjoyable as possible and our therapists use proven techniques like sensory integration and recreation therapy to help to engage the world without the assistance of drugs or alcohol. Call us today at 1-888-986-7848 or email us through our contact page to learn more.
