It’s estimated that more than 90 percent of those trying to remain abstinent after an alcohol and drug d detox will possibly relapse at least once. Whether it is a Suboxone detox and rehab or an alcohol detox and rehab, the road to recovery can be a tough one and fill with potholes that will flatten your sobriety quickly. But there are ways to make sure YOU don’t experience a relapse. If nothing else, remember that relapse doesn’t start with that first drink or drug…it starts well before that. So, take the wheel and seek the road of least resistance.
Here are 5 Steps that will lead you to relapse. Be aware.
- Stinking Thinking: You stop working your program as you previously did, and you begin to feel something is wrong but can’t put your finger on it. This is considered unhealthy addictive thinking.
- Denial is not a River in Egypt: Your stress level, due to changes in the ‘real world,’ begins to unsettle you. Again, you feel something is off, but you tell yourself it is okay. Feelings of worry, fear overwhelm you but you tell yourself that it is part of the outside world.
- PAWS: Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms: Even after you stopped using drugs and alcohol, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and memory loss can continue for a long time. Stress is a huge trigger for these feelings. You’ll have thoughts of self-medicating with alcohol or drugs.
- Shrinking World: Others will begin to annoy you suddenly. You’ll feel they are not worthy of your time, so you begin to withdraw. Your sober friends fall quickly to the way side, as do family members. Your support group attendance suffers, and you isolation increases.
- Temper Flares: You lose your temper more often; you make irrational choices that result in limiting your choices. You paint yourself into a corner and find it difficult to manage your feelings and emotions. Thinking clearly diminishes, and you are overwhelmed with tasks that normally are easy.
Remember that relapse is preventable. You need to know your warning signs that might lead to relapse. Talk about them with your counselor or other sober friends. You are not alone, so you don’t need to go it alone. If a relapse does happen, it is not the end of the world. Just get back up and get yourself back on the road to recovery.