Please read Alternative Recovery Methods that Help Substance Abuse first before reading the follow-up article presented here.
Relapse is a regular part of substance abuse recovery. It happens most in the early years of recovery. According to Psychology Today, even someone who has been sober for five years has a 15 percent chance of relapse. If you are in recovery, these statistics can be scary.
However, this means if you relapse, you are not alone. You should not be afraid of getting a relapse; it is treatable. If you stay dedicated to your recovery, you can often recover at a remarkable rate. It is crucial to take the right steps as soon as possible after relapse for the smoothest recovery possible. Here are the steps you should consider:
Seek Professional Help
As soon as your relapse, seek professional help. Going back to your old habits is a dangerous situation. Before recovery, the odds are you had built a tolerance to whatever substance you were using. The more you use a drug, the more tolerant your body is to its effects. However, this tolerance can disappear fast according to the Huffington Post. Even if you have not been sober for an extended period, maybe your tolerance has decreased. But, when you relapse, you often go back to using the same substance you did before the relapse. In other words, you are using far more than your body now tolerates. The behavior is dangerous, and you need professional help right away.
Telling Your Family
It is important to tell family members. They can be valuable in a time of fear and confusion such as this. However, it is typical for family members to feel betrayed or hurt by your relapse. Because of this, have them speak to your medical team, so they understand recovery is not always a straight line. You should not be ashamed of a relapse; many people misunderstand the behavior.
Once your family understands the relapse, they can form a great support system and encourage you back on the path toward sobriety. Furthermore, it might be helpful for those closest to you to learn the warning signs of alcohol and drug relapse if they have not already. Having multiple eyes watching for warning signs is very helpful.
Forgive Yourself
Relapse can make you feel like a failure and ruin any momentum you had going towards your recovery. But, it is crucial to realize relapsing is common. You are not the only one who has experienced this and will not be the last person to experience this. Now, however, the only way to move is forward. It is essential to learn from your past mistakes. But, do not dwell on them or think about how things might have turned out. Use what you have learned from your relapse to create stronger sobriety and not remind yourself of your mistakes.
Adjust Your Sobriety Method
If you relapse, maybe your sobriety method is not yet perfect. While it is possible for an almost ideal strategy to fail, it is unlikely. Odds are if it did not work the first time, you need to tweak your approach to have a better shot the next time. Add in more healthy habits to your routines such as exercise or healthy eating. Both practices could help your recovery effort, and both activities can improve your mood. Exercise habits and eating healthy are tools for helping you stay sober.
Conclusion
Relapse can be a challenging scenario for anyone. However, you are not alone. The behavior is common and affects lots of individuals. By following these simple steps, you can get yourself back on the road to recovery.
