Lastly, effective relapse prevention plans should outline personal high-risk situations you’ve identified, along with strategies for managing them. It’s beneficial to create this plan collaboratively with a therapist or sponsor, ensuring that support systems are in place. Discussing potential triggers in recovery groups can also lead to practical strategies and accountability, enhancing your resilience against relapse. People with substance use disorders are less likely to relapse when they surround themselves with supportive, drug-free social groups. Social pressure isn’t always a negative effect—it can also encourage healthy habits and support your recovery process.
Evolving Strategies
However, in some cases, a single lapse in recovery can result in a complete return to previous substance use behaviors. If a person is in therapy during emotional relapse, the focus of therapy may pivot towards reinforcing the importance of self-care. Learning various acronyms can help a person identify when they need to improve their self-care, such as HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Addiction Relapse Risks Tired).
Emotional Triggers
Whether it’s family, friends, or others in recovery, having people you trust can provide emotional support and help you manage relapse risk. Combining a solid support system with addiction treatment and addressing any underlying issues will strengthen your recovery and help you avoid relapse. For someone in early recovery in alcoholism, drug abuse, or substance dependence, these moments can create a lot of emotional distress and psychological stress.
Stage 1: Emotional relapse
- Many recovering addicts also have underlying behavioral health concerns that may require additional, separate treatment.
- However, it’s important to keep in mind that many people with substance use disorders are exceptionally good at hiding their use from those around them.
- While it is more controlled and brief than a full relapse, a series of lapses can easily progress to relapse.
As with any chronic illness, there is a chance for symptoms to resurface. However, a relapse of any disease doesn’t mean that the treatment was unsuccessful. Understanding triggers and having a plan are key to getting back on track toward sobriety.
Instead, addiction specialists define relapse as a total return to previous substance abuse. Negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, and stress are critical triggers, as they may push individuals toward substance use for relief. Interestingly, even positive emotions, such as excitement during celebrations, can lead to high-risk situations if they tempt a sense of overconfidence. Remaining aware of these emotional triggers is vital for anyone in recovery to maintain long-term sobriety.
Brain Imaging and Genetic Factors
Self-efficacy refers to a person’s confidence in their own ability to achieve something. When a person’s self-efficacy is low, they may have a hard time believing in their ability to maintain sobriety. Some relapses start with lapses that become more prolonged or frequent until the individual returns to uncontrolled substance use. Focusing on emotional wellness each day reduces restlessness, irritability, and discontent, which can build up over time and lead to relapse.
This paper examines the new research on identifying biological factors that contribute to addiction relapse risk. Prospective studies examining relapse risk are reviewed, and clinical, biological, and neural factors that predict relapse risk are identified. Clinical factors, patient-related factors, and subjective and behavioral measures such as depressive symptoms, stress, and drug craving all predict future relapse risk. Among neural measures, brain atrophy in the medial frontal regions and hyperreactivity of the anterior cingulate during withdrawal were identified as important in drug withdrawal and relapse risk. Caveats pertaining to specific drug abuse type and phase of addiction are discussed.
Managing Emotions
If you are friend or family to someone with an opioid use disorder, it would be a good idea to keep Naloxone on hand for if and when an overdose occurs. Research shows that alcohol and opioids have the highest rates of relapse, with some studies indicating a relapse rate for alcohol as high as 80 percent during the first year after treatment. Similarly, some studies suggest a relapse rate for opioids as high as 80 to 95 percent during the first year after treatment.
- Chronic abuse of substances also results in greater incentive salience such that there is an increased “wanting” of drug, particularly in stress- and drug-related contexts 16.
- Talking through the trigger and enlisting someone else’s help can provide you with the motivation and assistance needed to overcome the trigger and stay sober.
- In treatment, patients learn to identify any high-risk situations and the warning signs of relapse, and create relapse prevention plans they can apply to dangerous situations, triggers and other life stressors.
- It may also involve normalizing occasional thoughts and relapse, and learning methods to let go of them quickly.
- At this stage, working toward avoiding triggers or high-risk situations in which relapse could occur is critical.
If you are looking for drug and alcohol detox, inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab or ongoing support for your recovery, our drug and alcohol treatment centers can offer you the help and guidance you need. These are places or events where drugs or alcohol are easy to access, increasing the chance of falling back into old habits. For people with longer-term recovery, outsiders can see more clearly the behavioral changes and warning signs that coincide with relapse, like someone suddenly disappearing from their home-group Twelve Step meeting.
Identifying high-risk situations that may lead to relapse is crucial for maintaining sobriety. These situations are defined as any event or condition that increases the likelihood of substance misuse. By understanding and recognizing potential triggers, individuals can better prepare and strengthen their defense against relapse, making recovery a more sustainable process.
Whether through mindfulness techniques, journaling, or engaging in healthy activities, confident individuals actively strengthen their skills to manage cravings and emotional distress. These coping skills become essential tools in high-risk situations, turning potential relapse triggers into manageable challenges. If trauma remains unaddressed, it can increase feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-worth—all of which can undermine recovery and heighten the risk of relapse.
These actions can leave gaps in their recovery, making relapse more likely. Staying away from high-risk situations is a key step in protecting your recovery and maintaining a healthy, substance-free life. High-risk situations include places like airports, resorts, or social events such as parties and holidays where alcohol or drugs are present. In this article, we’ll discuss the most common causes of relapse, why relapse comes with such a high risk of overdose, and how to find long-term sobriety upon relapsing, most particularly related to opioids. Besides the tips listed on this page, there are some additional strategies you or your loved one can employ while maintaining a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle.