What Is Refined Relapse Prevention?
Refined Relapse Prevention is known as one of the most important components of substance abuse treatments and recovery. It is a cognitive-behavioral approach to relapse with the goal of overcoming various struggles of recovery like substance abuse triggers, staying sober, mood swings, and more.
But what is a relapse? Well first, it is not just about triggers and the regular urge to use the substance again. It is about the recurrence of a past condition such as drug abuse, substance abuse, and other forms of addiction.
It often occurs in three stages: mental relapse, emotional relapse, and physical relapse. And each stage of the relapse is characterized by various feelings and thoughts that make the individual return to their old behavior.
We aim to help individuals understand the process and recognize the signs of relapse so that they can prevent it before it takes a huge toll on their lives again. However, our primary goal is to prevent an addict from returning to his or her old bad habits.
Understanding the Process of Relapse
Prior to relapse, a recovering addict will start to experience a change in feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, which are the tell-tale signs of a relapse.
And this is how the process of relapse begins:
First, when the person comes out from the rehabilitation center (starts moving on the path of sobriety) the fear of relapsing can be overwhelming and this is the emotional stage. The stage where the addict has to overcome any feelings of fear, worry or anxiety that may relapse.
The next stage is the mental stage. This is when the recovering addict goes off the rails and is on the brink of relapsing.
At last stage is the physical stage where the recovering addict stays in that same situation that encourages drug or alcohol use, and hence the relapse occurs.
Recovering drug addicts should understand the process of relapse so that they can make use of the coping mechanisms they learned and conquer the pressures that are weighing down their sobriety.
We help our clients manage these high-risk situations and tackle these self-defeating thinking patterns so that they can get as far away from using drugs, alcohol, or any kind of substance as possible. We, along with our experts develop relapse prevention plans that help the person stay sober forever.
Things That You Can Do to Prevent a Relapse:
- Refrain from friends, people and places that drag you towards alcohol and drugs.
- Participate in self-help classes to keep yourself motivated. Get counseling; take part in recovery-based programs and increase your chances of not falling back to drugs.
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle and focus only on getting better. Although the process can be challenging for a person who is in the recovery stage, following a healthy lifestyle and committing to it can really help. You should also avoid situations that cause stress since they can increase your chances of relapsing.
- Express yourself more often and be open. Get in the habit of expressing your emotions and feelings. Talk with your friends, family or counselor if you have thoughts about using drugs again. Remember to be honest with the people who are close to you. Although it’s difficult to express your thoughts, having open conversations with others can help you recover faster and prevent a relapse.
And in case, if you get bored of the monotonous recovery process, find something to get excited about that will make your recovery a bit easier. Try being active by doing fun and interesting activities such as football, boxing, tennis and more.
Prevention of Relapse by Recognizing Cravings and Triggers
Did you know that small cravings and minor triggers can also hurt your sobriety? When a person comes out of rehab, triggers and challenges start to arise which can sometimes be hard to overcome.
In order to make it through the first few obstacles, here are some of the symptoms that you need to look for in order to prevent a possible relapse:
- Depression and sadness
- High levels of stress
- Boredom
- Health issues
- Relationship issues
- Nausea
What Should You Do If You Relapse?
Have you ever wondered what you should do if you start to experience a relapse?
Take a look:
- Simply stop using the substance: If you have triggers or you feel that you are about to relapse, do not reach for drugs or alcohol and try to distract your mind with useful and productive activities.
- Ask for help: If you feel like you might relapse, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Consult a rehabilitation expert, talk to a friend, contact a de-addiction counselor and have the proper plan in place.
Apart from this, try to organize yourself, spend some time with yourself, take better control of your life, and stay away from the people who may directly or indiretly cause you to relapse.
A recovering addict should also learn to relax, maintain good mental health, identify their goals, try to deal with the recovery pressure and build up the strength to avoid a relapse.
Moreover, you can also go for the aftercare treatment so that you are not bound to experience any relapse.
Our Relapse Prevention Workshops Involves Working With The Following Areas:
- Adjusting the environment according to one’s needs: During our refined relapse prevention process, we adjust the environment according to the needs of a recovering individual so that none of the parameters leads to a relapse. We also supervise each of our clients 24 hours to make sure that the treatment is carried out according to the proper recovery schedule.
- Make use of the life skills in therapy: The life skills are known as a means for addressing the old behaviors that contribute towards drug and substance addiction.
- Identify the pitfalls of current recovery plan: We make use of various recovery methods to prevent a relapse. However, we also keep checking the plans and results at the same time. If one method does not work, we find another one that may work for the individual.
- We develop a network of support continuities: Recovering on your own can be a herculean task. We develop a proper network that assess the individuals, understand their problems and help them live a sober life.
However, Refined Relapse Prevention strategies are complex as there is no single method that works for everyone. But our daily relapse prevention treatment consists of various workshops that are structured and properly facilitated to deliver basic information that helps to prevent relapse and helps in reducing the cravings for drugs and alcohol.
Our refined relapse prevention is all about maximizing the well-being of people by reducing the likelihood of relapse.
The Relapse Prevention Workshops are structured, interactive and facilitated groups that deliver the basic information necessary for drug and alcohol craving-management. Our primary goal is to prevent a return to alcohol and drug use.This is done by helping our clients recognize and manage the high risk situations and patterns of self-defeating thinking and behavior that sets them up to start using alcohol or drugs again. We help develop a relapse prevention plan to promote long lasting sobriety.
Most relapse prevention plans involve addressing the following areas:
Adjusting the environment of the one in recovery – This may entail changing residence, job, neighborhood, circle of friends and acquaintances, or addressing any environmental factors that may lead to a relapse. While at Scottsdale Recovery Center® the clients are “safe,” as in they are supervised 24 hours/day and following our treatment schedule. This applies to after the client has completed our program and is a crucial step in the recovery process.
Use the new life skills acquired in therapy – These were presented as a means for addressing and replacing the old behaviors that contributed to addiction.
Identify the shortcomings of the current prevention plan – If an old method did not work, find another one.
Develop a network of support communities – Recovery is difficult alone. Accessing individuals and processes who understand the problems of trying to live a sober life will help prevent a relapse.
