Relapse Prevention Tips
What is Addiction?
Drug and alcohol addiction are on the rise across the country. It impacts everyone from all walks of life. Addiction is a disease of the brain that has impacts on a person’s behavior, emotions, social and physical abilities. Those that are in recovery have a daily battle to prevent relapse. Addiction is chronic and relapse is often part of the recovery path. Relapse does not indicate failure, it is just a setback. Most chronic diseases have a relapse, addiction recovery is not the only one. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that the rate of relapse is between 40 to 60 percent for chronic diseases, including addiction.
It comes as no surprise that recovery from addiction is a difficult and life long process. Most often, this includes a period of relapse, which can be a major setback. It is possible to fully recover from addiction and there are some tips to help those in recovery prevent relapse. The family and friends of those in recovery play an important role in helping those who suffer from addiction stay on the path to a healthier life.
Tips For Relapse Prevention
There are some clear indicators that an individual may be suffering from a relapse. It is important to recognize them and get help for the individual quickly. Some of those include poor habits with sleeping and eating, anger, mood swings, hanging out with people with whom the individual once used drugs and alcohol. Emotions that are part of everyday life may be triggers for someone working on addiction recovery. It is imperative for an individual going through recovery to understand his or her emotions and find ways to handle them. Things such as yoga, breathing exercises, an exercise routine, or regular conversations with a counselor are useful in dealing with everyday stress.
Free time can be challenging for someone in recovery because, in those moments when an individual has nothing to do, it is easy to fall back into old habits. Boredom is an enemy for someone in the early stages of recovery. An individual should find things that are fulfilling to fill empty hours such as volunteering, exercising, or finding a new hobby. Resting and downtime are good for everyone. That is different from large gaps of time with nothing to do that can lead to boredom.
Support groups and meetings are an integral part of recovery. It is important that the individual does not skip any group meetings or therapy sessions. Part of recovery is creating new healthy habits and support groups are part of that. Missing one meeting can lead to easily missing more meetings. One should not get in the habit of missing meetings. Support groups provide a team of people that understand the current struggle and can provide ways to help. They are a safe place for someone in recovery, to be honest about where he or she is.
Being prepared for any situation is also important. One of the hardest things for someone in recovery is getting into a situation and not knowing the best way to react. This may cause someone to quickly fall back into bad habits. These bad habits often lead to a path of relapse. However, being prepared for as much as one can is helpful. It is impossible to be prepared for every situation, but having a list of people to call in low moments, or when temptation hits, can help avoid a relapse. The individual should keep a list of contacts with him or her at all times.
It is incredibly important for someone in recovery to take care of himself. This is the time to focus on one’s health and wellness. Addiction takes a physical, emotional, and mental toll on an individual. It is important for an individual to heal those parts of himself so that he is better able to deal with everyday stress, as well as caring for his family. It may seem selfish, but it is not. This is an incredibly important part of recovery. The individual must know that he is important and deserves to take care of himself. This includes things like eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercise.
Other Important Tips
It is important to remember that recovery happens one day at a time. An individual should focus only on today and making the next right decision. Anything more becomes overwhelming. If you or a loved one is dealing with addiction in the Inland Empire and San Bernadino areas of Los Angeles, please contact Recovery Revelations today for help. It is never too late to get the needed help. Start today by contacting us.
