Recovery Coaching

What does the term “Relapse” really mean?

If you ask people in recovery from an addictive disorder about relapse they probably will say relapse is going back to using substances. In actuality, Relapse Is A Process and the full explanation of relapse is much more complex.

People don’t realize that chemical use is not the beginning of a relapse. It is the final step in an ongoing relapse process. In addition, relapse is a common symptom of chemical dependency, and one-third to two-thirds of all recovering alcoholics/addicts relapse despite their best intentions not to do so.

If someone also is living with a coexisting disorder, for example, Anxiety and/or Depression, the instance of relapse can be even higher because these other problems easily can become a relapse justification.

However, the rate of relapse can be lowered if recovering people are exposed to education and training about relapse prevention and how to deal more effectively with coexisting problems.

PREVENTION IS MUCH EASIER THAN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Relapse is a progressive series of events that takes people from a stable recovery through various stages of dysfunction and eventually back to using alcohol or their other drug of choice.

Therefore being in recovery demands learning new tools. You need to move from addiction centered lifestyle to a recovery-centered one. In the same way, when you are trying to remain in recovery you need to learn all you can about the sobriety-based symptoms of an addictive disorder and to develop new tools for coping with them.

If you or a loved one needs support please call 917.640.1806 or email at priyasodhi@shiftingtide.org