Relapse Shows Up in Many Recoveries
Drug addiction is considered a relapsing disease for good reason. Relapse is not simply one event. It is a pattern of behavior. Drug relapses occur when drug addicts try to stop using drugs but then return to their previous drug use habits after a period of abstinence. It can be a complex issue, with many causes, and it may include other factors, such as alcohol or depression.
Relapse prevention programs help people recognize the warning signs of relapse and avoid or manage them. A person in recovery from an addiction is often at risk for a return to drug use during periods of stress or when exposed to drugs or drug-related situations. Relapse prevention programs teach drug addicts how to anticipate, prevent, and overcome these challenges.
Relapse prevention programs emphasize personal responsibility. They teach people that they are responsible for their behavior and that relapse is part of the process of change, not a sign of failure. Instead of feeling defeated by a relapse, people in recovery can view it as an opportunity to learn about themselves and what triggers or situations may put them at risk for future relapses.
Relapse prevention programs help participants identify and avoid high-risk situations that may increase their chances of returning to drug use, such as being around others who use drugs. They also teach skills for managing emotions that can lead to relapse, such as anger, depression, and anxiety.
People in recovery remain at risk for taking alcohol again, even after years of not drinking. For this reason, many professionals refer to AUD as a "relapsing" disease. The return to drinking may be gradual or rapid.
After completing a formal treatment program, continuing care or aftercare is the next step for maintaining recovery. This type of support can help individuals with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) avoid relapse and prevent a return to drinking.
Signals That Relapse Risk Is Rising
Behavioral treatments help people cope with alcohol use disorder or a substance use disorder through changes in thinking, behavior, and social environment.
In behavioral treatment for alcohol problems, people attend individual or group counseling sessions. The focus of the sessions is on helping individuals identify their own personal motivations to change, find new ways to cope with challenging situations, and plan how to apply what they've learned during therapy when faced with these situations in the future.
Relapse prevention techniques are important elements of many behavioral therapies for alcoholism and drug addiction. In relapse prevention treatment, therapists help patients identify their own high-risk situations (such as being around people who use drugs or drinking alcohol) so that they can develop strategies to cope with those situations before they occur. These coping skills might include calling a friend when feeling tempted to drink or using another activity instead of drinking when boredom sets in.
Behavioral treatments help people cope with the stress that may lead to relapse or continued drug use. The specific behaviors a patient needs to learn vary with the person's circumstances; but the general goal is to change the patient's thoughts, attitudes and behaviors to support sobriety.
Counseling also helps patients develop social skills they can use in place of substance abuse when dealing with problems or difficulties. Behavioral treatment programs often employ cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the premise that a patient's maladaptive thoughts and feelings are learned patterns of behavior. Therapy helps the patient recognize these unhealthy thought patterns, which can lead to relapse. Behavioral treatment also helps patients develop coping skills and strategies for resisting drugs.
Behavioral therapy can help patients understand their triggers and teach coping strategies to prevent relapse. The goal is to change unhealthy thought patterns that lead to substance use. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches people to identify and challenge negative or inaccurate thoughts, which can influence decisions about using substances.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps identify feelings and situations that increase the risk of relapsing. The therapist also teaches coping strategies for dealing with those triggers.
These thoughts and feelings lead to triggers, which can cause relapse if people don't learn how to handle them in a healthy way. The goal of this therapy is to help people change their negative thinking patterns so they're less likely to return to drug abuse or drinking after completing treatment.
Structured Aftercare Options
Hospital-based outpatient treatments can include counseling, medications, 12-step meetings, and family support groups. Outpatient programs are also offered by mental health clinics, private substance abuse practitioners, and hospitals.
Continuing care often includes regular check-ups with your counselor or doctor, attendance in support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and following up on referrals to other helpful services. It is important that aftercare include family members. Family therapy can help families communicate better and set limits for their loved one. Family counseling can also help the rest of the family cope with feelings about the person's drinking.
After residential care, continuing treatment programs can include outpatient therapy, counseling for families, referrals to social services, and mutual-support meetings.
Aftercare and continuing care are terms used interchangeably for services provided after alcohol treatment or after discharge from the hospital. They include counseling, education, medication management, case management, family therapy, support groups, and sober housing.
Aftercare is also referred to as "step down" because it reduces the intensity of the level of care a person receives after an initial period of higher-level services.
When a patient leaves a residential treatment program they usually move from the highest intensity level to a lower level. This includes intensive outpatient programs (IOP), or partial hospitalization programs (PHP). Aftercare can include continuing to attend these types of structured programs on an outpatient basis. However, aftercare may also consist of participation in a non-structured support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
Aftercare should be designed so that when someone experiences a relapse they have clear direction and support for getting back into the program. Aftercare plans should include crisis prevention and management procedures, relapse prevention strategies, and a plan for ongoing support.
Aftercare may also involve learning about alcoholism and its triggers, as well as how to cope with cravings. Other important aspects of aftercare can include finding new hobbies and developing healthy relationships, as well as setting up regular check-ups with your doctor.
They are often referred to a series of outpatient counseling sessions. This is also called aftercare. These sessions help the recovering alcoholic remain sober and learn how to function with sobriety. Aftercare can be in a variety of formats including individual or group therapy, psychotherapy, educational programs, 12-Step meetings, or self-help groups.
Medicines That Lower Relapse Risk
Naltrexone comes as a tablet taken once a day, and an extended-release injection given every 4 weeks. Naltrexone is given to reduce or eliminate craving for alcohol. Naltrexone is available as an oral medication or a long-acting injectable formulation that can be administered by a health professional every 4 weeks.
Acamprosate is a medication taken three times a day. It helps to restore chemical balance in the brain to help with cravings and urges to drink. Acamprosate helps prevent relapse in alcohol-dependent persons. Acamprosate will not cause an unpleasant reaction if you drink alcohol. If someone drinks while taking acamprosate, continue taking the medication and notify their doctor.
Disulfiram causes flushing, headache, nausea, and vomiting when a patient takes the drug and drinks alcohol. Disulfiram is available only by prescription and should never be given to a person who is acutely intoxicated or without his/her full knowledge and consent.
Peer Meetings and Recovery Networks
Mutual-support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous add peer-to-peer connection to the recovery process. They meet regularly and share their stories of quitting drinking with each other.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a 12-step program that works with people with alcohol use disorders.
Many treatment centers and doctors recommend that you stay involved in mutual-support groups while receiving more traditional treatment and for some time afterwards.
Participation in group therapy and peer support networks is common aftercare for people with an AUD. Support groups provide a safe environment where people can talk about their drinking habits openly, share experiences that helped them cope with their addiction, learn coping skills from others who have overcome similar challenges, and gain encouragement to keep trying even when things seem tough.
Many AA meetings are held in churches and other places of worship. Each meeting has a different format, with some focusing on discussion among the attendees while others have speakers who talk about living without alcohol and overcoming problems. People usually share their experiences at meetings, discuss how to deal with life's problems, and offer encouragement and support to one another.
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a mutual-support group designed specifically for people recovering from drug addiction.
AA meetings include personal testimony about struggles with alcoholism and are an important part of recovery for many. The meetings offer members a place to share their feelings, learn how others have dealt with similar issues, and develop coping skills. Meetings also allow members to learn from each other's experiences and gain hope by hearing that recovery is possible.
Steps After a Return to Drinking
A return to drinking is not a reason to hide from treatment, but a reason to get more. When someone who has quit drinking returns to the bottle, they need to immediately begin talking with their therapist again and work through what went wrong and why.
The therapist can help the person find out if there were any triggers in their environment that led them to drink again. They may suggest removing those triggers or finding other ways of dealing with them if they can't be removed altogether.
A relapse is not a failure, it's just an event that happens on the road to sobriety. After a return to drinking, some people find it helpful to seek professional help.
How a program handles a return to drinking matters because it's common for people in recovery to relapse. It's important that relapses not be viewed as failures but rather as learning experiences and opportunities to try new ways of dealing with cravings, urges, or problems that may have led to the relapse.
You can learn how a program will respond if your loved one stops attending meetings, stops practicing abstinence, resumes drinking alcohol, or is otherwise unable to follow the treatment plan.
- The person should be encouraged to call the treatment provider as soon as possible and to attend regular follow-up sessions.
- These sessions might also include other supportive services, such as counseling, support groups, and social activities, which are important for relapse prevention aftercare.
- A person in recovery needs to feel like he or she has the ongoing support of family members, friends, counselors, and peers.
- The person should not be shamed or blamed. This approach is counterproductive and will only make him or her less likely to seek help.
- Rather than punishing relapse or trying to force the person into treatment, it is better to acknowledge it, set reasonable limits, and encourage the person to start the process again.
Relapse is not failure. Recovery from AUD, like most long-term health issues, requires lifelong attention, effort, and management. Relapsing does not have to mean the end of recovery.
The treatment team should recommend services and activities that will support recovery, as well as a set of specific goals that the person wants to reach. This helps keep them motivated.
Recovery Supports Available in Georgia
Community Service Boards connect people with behavioral health, substance use, developmental disabilities, and other recovery supports available in their community.
Across Georgia, Community Service Boards connect residents to substance use recovery supports.
In Georgia, GCAL partners with 988 so callers reach out to 988 and are connected with crisis resources.
Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) is a statewide crisis line, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to all Georgia residents. GCAL professionals can provide telephonic crisis help and dispatch mobile teams. GCAL also provides information regarding state-funded behavioral health providers in your area.
If someone is experiencing a crisis or mental health emergency, GCAL can dispatch a mobile crisis team to the individual's location.