How to Plan Successful Relapse Prevention

Relapse Prevention is an important part of dual diagnosis recovery. At the start of the new year, most people take a pledge that they would do something they desire for Relapse Prevention. They would find ways to succeed. They would generate constructive behaviours in their personalities for Relapse Prevention. They would try to make new friends and relationships and would try to keep running all the existing friendly relationships to the end of life. They would lose fat, make a checklist, write a diary, eat a healthy diet, and many more. But, as time passes, they realize that it is not that easy to do actual work than theorizing. Uttering words is easy but sticking to them is a long run. These are some examples of relapse prevention behaviours.

In Relapse Prevention, returning to old behaviours and attitudes is not an unusual activity for us. If we do not have clear goals and a clear understanding of the goals, then we may convert to the previous behaviours and goals. Having firm resolve is key to success in Relapse Prevention. The same is the case if you want to develop new goals and objectives. Especially those people who are addicted to some drug and want to get rid of the addiction and need Relapse Prevention. They need firm resolve and should be optimistic throughout the whole process. 

A back to traditional behaviours is not uncommon, particularly if individuals who intend to improve do not have clear objectives that will motivate them to do so. That much of what distinguishes those who have addiction problems from others who create more manageable commitments. Many that have addictions also have opportunities to avoid a recurrence or Relapse Prevention, as long as they are willing to rely on the commitments day after day. 

The Role of Relapse

In Relapse Prevention, attempting to stop a recurrence is a vital practice for recovery provider professionals. Indeed, it is so essential that some clinicians have also produced lengthy homework assignments and survey questions to assess the risk of Relapse Prevention in the victims. One homework assignment, given by the CASAA.UNM.EDU, has 28 queries, for which the probability of a slip can be determined.

If you want to prevent behaviour that is too recurring in your daily life, like drug addiction or Relapse Prevention, you need to pay too much attention to your daily routine work. So the help of professionals can make you feel easy. Professionals develop a complete plan and strategy for the future of your recovery process. And you need to stick to that plan with and without any resources.

All these facts and attention will make the mutual mechanism very complex seems like it can only be stopped and expected to be stopped by educated professionals. Virtually everyone knows how relapse prevention works. You have to understand a little of the process of perception and behaviours.

Although professionals are there to help you, you need to understand the process and facts and figures. If you know them all, you can start the relapse prevention process on your own. And that is the edge to you if you are serious. You can continue the process on your own; in this way, you develop a habit of disallowance, which makes you a perfect man to make your own decisions.

However, according to dependency specialist T.T. Gorski, one of three forms of thinking appears to induce a relapse:

• euphoric reminder – in which a person is fond of drugs and thinks about the past, i.e., using drugs and how they charmed me in those moments and others.
• Adverse withdrawal – in which nasty things are combined with abstinence.
• Unrealistic thinking – the victim feels that if they start using the drugs again, all the wrong stuff would eventually go away.

These thinking shifts can be subtle, as the conversations could be taking place deep within the person’s mind. The idea that drugs are good and sobriety is bad could begin to grow and grow, and when that happens, the person might begin to test the boundaries of sobriety and start to put some of those ideas into practice in real-time.

An article in Everyday Health suggests that early addiction relapse prevention acts could include:

• Displaying moodiness, anger or anxiety
• Eating less or more
• Talking about drugs, or relaying stories about the good times had during drug use
• Spending time with people who are currently using drugs
• Avoiding ongoing treatment steps, including going to group meetings or seeing a counsellor

All these feelings immediately go away if you stick to your professional assistant’s plan given to you. Because he or she has the experience and knows all the process. Your professional is thoroughly trained and has expertise in controlling the feelings, leading you to relapse prevention. Being optimistic can save your life. A happy person knows what to do if these kinds of emotions and thoughts emerged into the brain. A happy person always moves forward with a proactive approach and always has solutions to the most apparent problems.

Relapse prevention may function similarly to a measure of courage. At first, the person just considers using drugs. The person then begins to discuss drugs. The person then begins rehearsing the act by spending time with those who are using it. Finally, the person dips a toe into the water and uses it.
Relapse preventions like this don’t generally happen on the spur of the moment. Instead, they often move slowly and for a long period of time. But this can be good news because it gives people more chances to change their ways before the temptation to use becomes full-fledged relapse prevention.

Tragedy reveals a human weakness in an uncertain environment and thus can lead everyone to feel very vulnerable or powerless. Although, ironically, it can sometimes increase self-esteem and make us think about ourselves as more capable. A car accident rescuer, for example, claimed that the experience inspired her to regain control of the situation with stronger resolve and stamina. People seem to feel inspired by the realization that they can conquer potential obstacles because they overcame a previous one.

Since the discussions about Relapse Prevention are taking place deep inside the person’s head, these thought changes can be gradual. The belief that medicines are healthy and staying sober is evil may be able to develop and evolve. As this continues, people will continue to explore abstinence limits and help implement some of these concepts in real-time. 

Recovery Based on Treatments

In relapse prevention research published in the international journal Addiction, the finding suggests that many individuals who relapsed after three years of sobriety did all this because they had relied on so-called “avoidant coping.” In other words, rather than knowing how to deal with the causes that might lead to a relapse, individuals wanted to adjust their expectations in such a way that they’re not being checked.

Sadly, it is almost difficult to establish a life free of relapse prevention. These little prompts can be seen everywhere, from people we encounter movies, we visit locations and meet people. Temptation is everywhere around us, but it does not have to be daunting. Treatment and rehabilitation are intended to teach the resources needed for effective coping in a challenging environment.

As a result, the most straightforward and most successful relapse prevention strategy is perhaps the most obvious: keep up with the work completed in recovery. For others, this involves trying to consult with a therapist in follow-up appointments. Others would have to take drugs as a result. The strategy should be one that the client finds to be important at all stages.

In contrast to adhering to the recovery plan, some individuals feel that holding monthly support group sessions is highly beneficial. Cocaine Anonymous recommend that beginners should have a meeting every day. On the other hand, many in successful rehab should attend an appointment even though they do not believe it is appropriate, according to Cocaine Anonymous (CA). Since the desire to miss could be motivated by relapse prevention behaviour, a conference could stop that line of thinking.

Although pursuing a standard regimen and holding support sessions is a powerful way to keep the temptation to relapse prevention at home, many other approaches are believed to be successful. Many of those clues revolve around having a life that is so complete and rewarding that there is no room for drugs.

Lifestyle Tips

Although sticking to a structured programme and attending support group meetings is a good way to relapse prevention, there are other strategies that are just as successful. And many of those hints revolve around creating a life that is so complete and satisfying that it eliminates the desire for drugs.

Since impulsivity is prevalent among those who have a history of addiction, research about Relapse Prevention indicates that scheduling plays a major role in this. Researchers combed through existing journal articles and found that people who misuse drugs early in life are more likely to have impulsive traits, according to a report published in the journal  Addiction Biology. That is, after all, what drives them to use drugs in the first place. However, as drug use progresses, the trait becomes more pronounced, to the point where the individual is far more likely to make rash decisions than he or she would be if drugs had never entered the picture.

Good tasks to include in that schedule, according to writers for Psychology Today, are those that the person considers enjoyable. That might involve:

• Running
• Painting
• Dancing
• Ice skating

These are the soul-enhancing activities that often fall by the wayside when drugs are introduced. There’s no time for fun for an addict, as everything revolves around getting more drugs and using them. Putting these tasks back means reminding the brain of the natural highs that fun can bring, and that might make the thought that sobriety is uncomfortable a little less compelling.

Everyone has various stress-busting strategies. When they’re tired, some people speak to friends and family for a little help when they’re down. Others use exercise to avoid their stress responses. Others meditate. Anything that works is nice to try. Finally, being linked to helpful, caring people can be a real boon in relapse prevention. Hard feelings, new experiences, and old memories are expected to rehash as sobriety takes hold. Managing all that data alone can be a little daunting, and sometimes those thoughts can be difficult to handle without an outsider’s assistance. Connecting can help people process their thoughts.

Successful Planning

Approximately 80 per cent of people sober five years following treatment appear to stay that way for good according to National Institute on Drug Use. That means any work people do to prolong their sober time is good for their long-term health.

But it’s still significant to mention for Relapse Prevention that a minor mistake would not have to result in a complete downward spiral and a systematic return to substance use. In reality, a little slip may be nothing more than a brief lack of nerve, leading to a more incredible feeling of sobriety and engagement.

In Relapse Prevention, a person who has been sober for a month and drinks a glass of wine at a party, for example, is legally relapsing to alcohol use following rehab. However, suppose the person follows up the wine with a doctor’s visit to explore what caused the intoxication, what feelings took place, and what thoughts were racing through his or her mind. In that case, that person might gain a better understanding of what occurred during the error. And those lessons can help the person avoid repeating the same mistake at the next occurrence.

The objective of relapse prevention is to accept a slight lapse and get back on track to sobriety as quickly as possible. Thus, the downward spiral is halted, and the individual will continue to live a stable, safe, and addiction-free living.

We’d be happy to help you understand more about Relapse Prevention and how drug rehab centres help their patients brace for the complexities of rehabilitation. Please call the number at the top corner, and one of our admissions coordinators will be happy to teach you all about how therapy functions and what parents can do to help someone they care about getting on the road to recovery of relapse prevention.

Citation and Reference

1. Stages in the Process of Relapse Prevention (DualDiagnosis, March 2021)
2. Be Aware of Relapse (CASAA, March 2021)
3. Levels of RWS (T.T. Gorski, March 2021)
4. Addiction Related to Self-Harm Behavior (DualDiagnosis, March 2021)
5. Dependence and Impulsivity (WilleyOnlineLibrary, March 2021)