Planning to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Relapse

You are not alone in thinking that you won’t be able to maintain sobriety. A majority of drug addicts actually do fear relapse. In fact, this is one of the reasons why people find it difficult to treat themselves in the first place. Let’s have a look at the relapse rates of alcohol and drug addicts.

Relapse Rates for Addiction

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse,“Relapse rates for drug use are similar to rates for other chronic medical illnesses. If people stop following their medical treatment plan, they are likely to relapse.”

A study published in JAMA focused on comparing the addiction relapse to asthma, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. It was estimated that 40 to 60 percent addicts relapse after treatment. Alcohol relapse rates are comparatively higher than drug abuse. A chapter on Alcohol Craving and Relapse Prediction cites a 2005 medical study that concluded:

Relapse may seem like the end of the world to many individuals but that’s totally a misconception. Relapse can be prevented strategically. Want to know how? Read on to learn how to prevent a post-treatment relapse.

Why Does Relapse Occur?

There are different reasons behind an individual’s tendency to relapse. Most of them are related to the environment that the person returns to post-treatment. Additionally, behavior modification is often a part of the treatment of chronic diseases. If you’ve been imprisoned because of drinking or drug abuse, the risk of relapse is much higher.

NIDA has listed a number of challenges that former inmates face, which may also be expanded to most of us:

A 2016 study published in the Journal of Addiction can be referred to for further explanation. During their research, researchers assessed relapse for opioid, opiate, and heroin addicts in India. It was concluded that around 150 people were vulnerable to increased risk of relapse due to their police and prison history and drug use patterns. The longer is the duration of drug abuse or the stronger its effect is on the brain, the more susceptible a person was to relapse.

Hence, drug cravings and triggers is an important phenomenon.

Cravings

Addiction isn’t as easy to treat as it is a very tricky disease having lasting physical and psychological effects that are hard to overcome. When we quit alcohol or drug abuse, severe cravings occur. So, what is meant by a craving?

A medical review published in the Clinical Significance of Drug Craving in 2012 explains that despite many theories, ultimately craving is a “subjective experience of wanting to use a drug.”

Craving may not be pleasant always. Drugs cravings are usually an unexpected, stressful, and surprising experience. Moreover, a craving can be physical or mental or both and the intensity of craving may peak multiple times in a day. It can be understood as an obsession that comes with deep despair and stress. It is also a very real phenomenon that affects your daily life by dominating your thoughts and promoting distress.

A 1993 study on the phenomenon of brain-craving researchers distinguished between pleasant or hedonic drug effects (liking) and the craving for a positive effect (wanting). It can be said that craving is an intense need for a drug that drives us to revert to previous experiences of drinking or drugs abuse. The best strategy is to let the craving pass using one or more of these tricks:

Triggers

It is a sad reality that substance abusers can find it difficult to stay sober despite their best efforts. According to some experts, relapse is usually a result of strong brain patterns that are prompted unconsciously by triggers. Let’s understand the phenomenon of triggers.

A trigger basically is a mental cue that prompts the onset of certain behavior. A trigger can either be a situation, person, or a place that has a link with the drug or drinking abuse and reminds us of our previous experiences of substance abuse. Triggers usually lead to craving.

It is worth noting that triggering cues activate the brain’s cortical regions that are associated with a broad range of key functions such as:

It can be said that a trigger can influence us to reach for a drug or drink by making the craving so strong and intense that it becomes impossible to ignore the urge to indulge into substance abuse again. To deal with triggers it is important to first identify them and then expect them as these are usually part of the subconscious. We need to bring them into the subconscious to ignore them. In case a trigger is encountered, we need to learn to deal with the craving that it produces.

Is Relapse Unfavorable?

Not at all!

You may feel bad that you are dealing with relapse but it doesn’t mean that you have failed. In fact, it is a normal part of every post-treatment recovery process. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) addiction recovery means that we need to learn to think, feel and deal with problems differently.

So, why then relapse prevention is so difficult? It is due to the following obstacles:

1. Failure in controlling triggers
2. Inability to quickly identify the earliest warning signs of drug addiction
3. The absence of a workable relapse prevention plan

Preventing Relapse- Here’s the Secret

Getting professional help is the only way to prevent relapse.

No matter how firmly you plan to ignore alcohol or drugs the process of change is not an easy one if you don’t seek professional help. After all, who will guide you through the process? Who will assess your efforts?

Regarding your cravings, urges, and wanting, having someone you feel an association with can help you in overcoming them. This person can be a family member or a friend. However, the problem is that they aren’t professionally trained to encourage behavioral changes. Therefore, the best strategy is to talk to a:

Expressing the emotional rollercoaster that you are going through will help you feel accepted and you will become more aware and educated about stress issues. Being aware of the underlying problems is always helpful in devising solutions and a relapse prevention professional is the only person who can help you build a better future for yourself.

Relapse Management Planning

With adequate preparation, you can easily pass tough phases. These are some of the key elements that must be considered while developing a relapse management plan:

1. Considering relapse a natural phenomenon.

It is important that you and your support system, that is, your family and friends, consider relapse as a natural reaction to your treatment and a chance to learn how to deal with relapses in the future. Every single day after your recovery would bring forth new chances of learning to self-control and become self-aware. Give yourself some time and remain patient and persistent to deal with relapse.

2. Consult a professional for at least a year after rehab.

After finishing your rehab, your life takes a brand new turn. You have passed the most difficult phase now you are close to successfully overcoming addiction. The last phase is to learn to deal with relapse. But in this process too you will need the support and guidance of professionals. They will help you maintain sobriety over a period of time. Even the most reputable rehabs recommend outpatient programs from 6 months to up to a year after initial treatment.

3. Become aware of Internal/External risk scenarios.

Anything that reminds you of your past experiences of drug abuse or makes you feel nostalgic about your choices should be aired out. Addiction triggers often weaken our intentions and tempt us to indulge in substance abuse again. It is important to learn about behaviors that encourage protection from relapse and how to bring forth subconscious cues.

4. Develop skills and strategies to cope with and avoid triggers.

There are many ways to cope with high-risk scenarios and the most effective way is to learn alternative techniques to deal with difficult situations. Have a look at some suggested tools to avoid triggers.

• Learning about depression and anger management
• Using meditation as a healthy and effective method of relieving stress
• Limiting your daily obligations and responsibilities
• Engaging in physical activities such as sports or hobbies that you like
• Learning to control your thought processes and mind-set
• Indulging in positive self-talk and using affirmative language, for instance, I will try or I can…

Things To Avoid

These five things you need to avoid if you want to prevent relapse:

Additional Tips

These two tips will serve as reminders for you to prevent relapse:

TIP# 1: Consult your doctor or addiction counsellor before revising your relapse plan. Get yourself checked regularly to ensure that you are on the right track.

TIP# 2:  Prioritize yourself, your wellbeing and recovery and never surrender to relapse by constantly reminding yourself about the real purpose of your struggle and the perks of life without drugs.