Relapse Prevention

Relapse prevention is the main reason most individuals seek treatment. By the time most seek help, they have already tried to quit on their own and they are looking for support. Relapse is a gradual process with distinct stages.   

There are 3 stages associated with relapse including: emotional, mental, & physical. The goal of treatment is to help individuals recognize the early stages in which the chances of preventing relapse have the greatest chance of success.

Relapse can occur at any time in the recovery process.  Recovery is a process of personal growth with developmental milestones. Each stage of recovery has its own unique situations and risks of relapse.   

The stages of recovery include:

Abstinence Stage
Post-Acute Withdrawal
Repair Stage
Growth Stage

The main tools of relapse prevention are cognitive therapy  and mind-body relaxation, which are used to develop healthy coping skills.

Most relapses can be explained in terms of a few basic rules which when followed can transform your life including:

Change your life.
Be completely honest.
Ask for help.
Practice self-care.
Do not bend the rules.

This process of bringing awareness to where one is at in the recovery process and relapse stages will help an individual to recognize the risk and utilize their relapse prevention tools to sustain a life of recovery.  

Sources
Melemis SM. Relapse Prevention and the Five Rules of Recovery. Yale J Biol Med. 2015 Sep 3;88(3):325-32. PMID: 26339217; PMCID: PMC4553654.