As you (or your loved one) are coming out of inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment, you’re entering into a new season in your sobriety journey: long-term recovery. And with recovery comes the pursuit of maintaining your sobriety goals—all while trying to avoid relapse. One of the best ways to do this is to create a well thought-out relapse prevention plan as soon as possible. But what kind of relapse prevention strategies should you include in your plan? Let’s dive in.
Addressing the Challenge of Relapse
Taking a deep dive into relapse prevention first requires understanding the challenge of relapse itself. Relapse is actually a common reality for many people along their sobriety journey. About 40 to 60% of people who get treatment for substance abuse disorders eventually relapse. More specifically, two-thirds of people who receive alcohol addiction treatment will relapse within the first six months of recovery, on average, shares the US Department of Veterans Affairs. And opioid addicts face an even higher rate of relapse—91%—shares the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.
A relapse occurs when you abandon your recovery practices and start using again, making your addiction your priority. It’s not a temporary setback or a minor lapse in judgment. Though it may not be your goal when you step back into the real world, relapse can happen to anyone at any time. This is because the realities and temptations of addiction are still out there, even after your treatment ends.
Post-treatment, you may continue to deal with lingering withdrawal symptoms that make daily life a challenge. This may drive you to seek out substances to find relief, leading to a relapse. Or you could encounter numerous addiction triggers back home, especially if you’re returning to an environment and social circles that encourage substance abuse. Sometimes these triggers can be too difficult to navigate in the moment, causing you to relapse despite your best intentions.
Signs of Relapse
Faced with the realities of a potential relapse, it’s best to know the relapse warning signs to look out for along your sobriety journey. Recognizing the symptoms of relapse can help you proactively course correct and seek the help you need to get back on track. With that said, some of the main signs of relapse include:
- Growing substance cravings
- Isolating yourself from others
- Lying to others
- Being overly confident about your sobriety
- Not taking care of yourself
- Noticeable changes in your behavior, mood, or attitude
- Skipping out on recovery pursuits (such as your aftercare program, etc.)
- Fondly remembering your past substance abuse
- Changes in sleep habits
- Increased irritability
- Anxiety or restlessness
- Recurring, disturbing thoughts
- Changes in eating habits
If you relate to any of the symptoms above, you may be vulnerable to relapse. This is all the more reason to have a firm relapse prevention plan in place to protect you as much as possible. And knowing the warning signs of relapse can help inform the relapse prevention techniques you include in that plan.
What is a Relapse Prevention Plan?
The challenges of relapse may feel discouraging to you as you go back home and make goals for your newfound sober life. However, it’s important to know that you can maintain sobriety long-term—even if you relapse. But having a relapse prevention plan in place (and following it, of course) will put you in the best position to keep addiction at bay and your recovery on the forefront of your choices and actions. In terms of the bigger picture, both drug addiction treatment and relapse prevention go hand in hand when it comes to reclaiming the life you deserve.
With that said, a relapse prevention plan is a recovery tool that allows you to strategize ways to maintain your recovery goals in the face of relapse risks. It’s a written document that spells out steps you’ll take to address and respond to potential addiction triggers and at the same time, cultivate a healthy, sober lifestyle. You can think of it both like your guide for a better vision for your future, and a helpful accountability checklist. In fact, it’s best if you create your relapse prevention plan with your treatment team and then share it with your support network.
An Effective Relapse Prevention Plan Will Include…
While you can look up relapse prevention worksheets on the internet, it’s best to know going into it what techniques make up a good relapse prevention plan. There are in fact a number of key relapse prevention strategies that are important elements of every plan, such as:
Routines
Every sobriety journey needs structure and routine. When you have healthy habits you want to cultivate, it’s easier to stay focused on your recovery rather than slip back into old ways of doing things—which likely led to your addiction in the first place. Your relapse prevention plan will list out healthy routines you want to establish in your daily life, giving you a better sense of self-control so you can create a new, better normal.
Your List of Addiction Triggers
As you pursue recovery, knowing what your addiction triggers are is an absolute must. That’s why listing out your triggers in advance is an important relapse prevention technique for maintaining sobriety. With an inventory of your triggers, you can purposefully avoid triggering situations, or do your best to anticipate them ahead of time so you can protect yourself. Some common relapse triggers include:
- Negative emotions
- Stress
- Increasing job responsibilities
- Loneliness or boredom
- Physical or mental illness
- Romantic relationships
- Places to access substances
- People who use
Self-Care
Self-care is good medicine not only for your recovery, but also for your soul. When you take care of yourself, you’re in a better physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state. And a healthy overall well-being decreases your chances of relapse. That’s why you should pursue self-care practices like healthy sleep, proper nutrition, exercise, spending time with people you love, and more.
Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness practices help you remain in the present moment. This can especially help you fight off anxiety or stress—addiction triggers in their own right—that can arise from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. At the same time, mindfulness can keep you from spiraling toward old patterns of thinking that led to your addictive behaviors. By learning to stay present, you can get better at regulating your emotions as well.
Meditation for Recovery
In the journey of sobriety, sometimes it’s best to know how to clear your mind and focus. This is where adding meditation for recovery as a relapse prevention technique is especially effective. Often, meditation is combined with mindfulness practices to help cultivate awareness and acceptance of the challenges of recovery. Over time, utilizing mindfulness meditation in relapse prevention can actually reduce your cravings and develop more emotional resilience.
Support Groups
Recovery can be a lonely pursuit at times, so getting the support you need from others is one of the most important relapse prevention strategies. Your relapse prevention plan should include joining a support group, where you can meet others who are also in recovery. Not only does this provide a safe space for you to process your struggles, you can also learn from others who are further along in their sobriety journey. In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for example, you partner with an AA sponsor who can provide invaluable mentorship and relapse prevention support.
Breathwork Exercises
The best addiction treatment centers take a holistic approach to your healing, often utilizing experiential modalities like breathwork as part of your therapy. But breathwork exercises can also be a helpful relapse prevention technique out in the real world. Simple and easy to do, deep breathing and other breathwork exercises can reduce stress and improve your overall mood and mental focus.
Yoga for Recovery
When it comes to developing healthy habits and self-care practices, yoga can be a powerful tool in your sobriety journey—and in preventing relapse. Providing an opportunity for exercise, community support, mindfulness meditation, and more, yoga for recovery should be a key aspect of your relapse prevention plan. Some of the mental health benefits of yoga include:
- Better mental clarity and focus
- Balanced emotional wellness
- Reduced cravings
- Increased pleasure endorphins
- Reduced anxiety and depression
Ongoing Therapy
Just because you’re coming out of an addiction treatment program, it doesn’t mean therapy is now irrelevant to your sobriety in the future. Pursuing ongoing therapy from time to time as a relapse prevention technique is essential to maintaining your sobriety goals. Many treatment facilities—like ours at Defining Wellness Centers—offer an aftercare program to treatment alumni for this reason.
Enhance Your Relapse Prevention Strategy at Defining Wellness Centers
Relapse prevention planning and your long-term sobriety are much more successful endeavors when you seek the help of a professional addiction treatment team through an aftercare program. At Defining Wellness Centers in Brandon, Mississippi, our therapists continue to partner with you as you enter into long-term recovery. Your success is our success, after all. Together, we collaboratively create an aftercare plan (including a strong relapse prevention strategy) that helps you confidently maintain your sobriety goals. To learn more about our aftercare offerings, contact our team today.
