Relapse Prevention Plan: Techniques to Help You Stay on Track

what happens when you relapse on alcohol

A 2006 study published in the journal Addiction found that 62 percent of people treated for alcoholism through alcohol rehab or Alcoholics Anonymous maintained recovery after three years. About 43 percent of people who did not receive any form of treatment maintained sobriety. Friends and family see the noticeable benefits of quitting alcohol when their loved one stops drinking and chooses to pursue a healthy life. They often say that the person seems like his or her old self.

Struggling with addiction?

Getting out of a high-risk situation is sometimes necessary for preserving recovery. It’s possible to predict that some events—parties, other social events—may be problematic. It’s wise to create in advance a plan that can be enacted on the spot—for example, pre-arranging for a friend or family member to pick you up if you text or call. Avoidance is an excellent coping strategy if you know that you are likely to run into danger.

Do I Need to Go Back to Treatment?

what happens when you relapse on alcohol

You may feel overwhelmed for no apparent reason or unable to relax. By Geralyn Dexter, PhD, LMHCDexter has a doctorate in psychology and is a licensed mental health counselor with a focus on suicidal ideation, self-harm, and mood disorders. If you’ve experienced a relapse, your next steps are important. Get professional help, and care for yourself during your recovery. The more committed you are to the process, the more likely you’ll be to succeed.

what happens when you relapse on alcohol

I’m In Recovery

Reflect on what triggered the relapse—the emotional, physical, situational, or relational experiences that immediately preceded the lapse. Inventory not only the feelings you had just before it occurred but examine the environment you were in when you decided to use again. Sometimes nothing was going on—boredom can be a alcohol relapse statistics significant trigger of relapse. Such reflection helps you understand your vulnerabilities—different for every person. Armed with such knowledge, you can develop a contingency plan to help you avoid or cope with such situations in the future. Once a person begins drinking or taking drugs, it’s hard to stop the process.

The growth stage is all about improving and moving forward. During this period, you can expect to develop new skills you may have never learned that made you more susceptible to AUD in the first place. The abstinence stage typically begins right after you stop drinking.

Good treatment programs recognize the relapse process and teach people workable exit strategies from such experiences. What is most often considered a “traditional” relapse occurs when someone makes a conscious decision https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/how-to-naturally-reduce-alcohol-cravings/ to drink or use drugs. For example, they may choose to smoke marijuana to relieve stress after a year of sobriety or have a glass of wine with friends because they feel like they can manage it without going overboard.

  • By talking regularly to someone going through the alcohol recovery process you should be able to notice when these behaviours begin to kick in and work through them early.
  • This can often make the person act defensively rather than listening to your concerns.
  • Like other chronic diseases, there’s no cure for addiction.
  • Or they may believe that they can partake in a controlled way or somehow avoid the negative consequences.
  • Support groups and 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can also be very helpful in preventing relapses.
  • Ultimately, relapse is a part of many people’s story, and it doesn’t prevent anyone from finding long-term sobriety.

Instead, it can be an opportunity to examine what lifestyle changes, coping skills, and adjustments may be needed to prevent relapse in the future. Emotions may prompt thoughts of using but so can external cues or stimuli. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an important tool for preventing relapses. It teaches you how to overcome negative thinking, which is often at the heart of a relapse.

Recommended Drug and Alcohol Rehab-Related Articles

Who Experiences Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

  • Research suggests that anywhere from 40% to 60% of those in recovery from AUD will relapse once or more.
  • Coping skills can keep thoughts from escalating into substance use.
  • Alcohol relapses can and do happen and so being able to put yourself in their shoes is crucial to helping your loved one bounce back.
  • If it happens, it is important that you get back up, dust yourself off, and get back on the path to recovery.
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