If you have a sponsor, they should be one of the first people you turn to if you feel like a relapse is a possibility. Since they’ve likely been in your shoes, they may have some insight and suggestions. There were several differences between TAU and the active treatment groups, including therapist training and assignment of homework. However, RP and MBRP interventions were matched on time, structure, and therapist training, differing only in the intervention delivered, thus offering a rigorous test of MBRP.
Seeking Professional Guidance and Support
Pause first when you experience these states and find ways to deal with them without turning to substances. Even positive events in life, like achieving a promotion or attaining sobriety goals, can unexpectedly lead to a relapse. Support groups and 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can also be very helpful in preventing relapses.
Relapse Prevention Involves More Than Just Staying Sober
It acts as a roadmap, guiding you through the ups and downs of your journey. By understanding the importance of a relapse prevention plan, you can increase your chances of long-term success and maintain a healthy, sober lifestyle. A relapse prevention plan is essential for recognizing warning signs and ensuring sobriety. With the guidance of experienced professionals, these plans offer strategies for behavioral change.
Lifestyle and Self-Care Plans
By having clear goals in mind, you can measure your progress relapse prevention plan and celebrate your achievements along the way. Relapse is the return to substance abuse after being drug- or alcohol-free. It’s not uncommon for people who struggle with addictions to relapse after completing treatment, and it doesn’t mean treatment failed. Instead, a relapse signifies that additional and/or a different form of treatment is necessary.
Setting up a system to reach out if they sense you may be heading toward a relapse might also be helpful. This way, you can ensure that someone will be there to remind you of the benefits of sobriety and provide support. Emotional awareness encourages you to check in with yourself before taking action, reminding you to stay mindful of your current state.
Resource Box 2. Relapse PRevention Tools
Relapse plans can be verbalized but may also be written in order to have a more clear outline of what steps to take should a relapse seem to be a possibility. With a relapse prevention plan, it is possible to acknowledge and act upon certain feelings and events, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/how-to-recognize-the-warning-signs-and-symptoms/ in turn avoiding a physical relapse (which is the stage when someone returns to drug or alcohol use). Most often, a relapse prevention plan is a written document a person creates with their treatment team and shares with their support group. The plan offers a course of action for responding to triggers and cravings.
- Among participants reporting alcohol use, MBRP and RP participants reported significantly fewer days of heavy drinking compared with TAU participants.
- Since relapses are often experienced by 50% of recovering patients even after 12 weeks of intensive inpatient treatment, they can be treated as an expected part of the recovery journey.
- Some people begin to feel, think or behave differently when a relapse is brewing.
Following Through with Treatment
- Reviews and meta-analyses7–12 show evidence for effectiveness relative to no-treatment control conditions.
- According to NIDH, 85 percent of individuals relapse within a year of treatment which is why it’s so important to create a plan to stop relapse from occurring.
- Maintaining long-term sobriety involves implementing strategies that support ongoing recovery and prevent relapse.
- It helps to identify triggers, develop coping strategies, and set up a support system, all of which are critical for staying on track.
It also helps train your body to reduce post-acute withdrawal symptoms in the weeks or months after getting sober. Events, specific people (such as friends who are also using), and certain places can put you at a higher risk of relapsing. Relapse prevention is one of the main goals of drug or alcohol treatment programs. When you become addicted to a substance, your brain functions change, making it challenging to overcome your condition.