Why Do Addicts Relapse When Things Are Good?
Addiction relapse is unfortunately a very common phenomenon. Studies show that around 40-60% of individuals relapse within 30 days of leaving an inpatient rehab center! So why do people relapse? It is disheartening to know that despite all the months of difficult work, energy, and money, a former addict has a very high chance of becoming addicted again to their drug of choice.
However, this is not a reason to despair. Join Avenues Recovery and discover that the journey to lasting sobriety often involves periods of relapse and recovery. With the right knowledge, you can handle the temptations and resume your journey to recovery.
What Is A Relapse?
A relapse is when a person starts using drugs or alcohol again after recovering from addiction.
It’s important to view addiction relapse as a learning experience rather than a failure of treatment, a poor choice on the part of the recovered addict, or a weakness in character. Relapse just indicates that the recovered addict must consult with their medical professional so they can continue treatment, modify their treatment plan, or try a new treatment type altogether.
If you educate yourself on the risk factors, are aware of the ones applicable to you, and equip yourself with the tools to handle whatever is putting you at risk, you are much more likely to handle the cravings and temptations or avoid them entirely.
It’s also important to note that the longer one abstains, with support from family, friends, and medical professionals, from using their drug of choice, the greater the chance that they will not relapse. Specifically, according to long-term sobriety statistics, if a recovered addict can get through the first year without relapsing, their chances of staying sober grow exponentially.
Three Steps To Drug Relapse:
What causes an addiction relapse? Relapse is usually triggered by thoughts, emotions, people, events, and other factors that remind a person of their life before recovery. For example, meeting a friend with whom a recovered addict used drugs with in the past, may cause the recovered addict to crave using drugs again.
The process of drug or alcohol relapse happens in three steps:
Emotional Relapse
This step can take place months before the person starts using drugs again. The recovered addict lets go of their newly cultivated positive habits such as proper sleep, good personal hygiene, exercising, working, eating healthily, and maintaining positive relationships, which are essential for keeping a drug-free lifestyle. They may also feel negative, trigger emotions, and fail to use the tools they’ve learned to deal with them appropriately.
Mental Relapse
This is where the recovered addict starts thinking about using their drug of choice again. The idea percolates in the mind, and the recovered addict may start to minimize the difficulties associated with being addicted to drugs, glorify their past, and secretly think of ways to re-access their drug of choice. At this stage, the recovered addict battles intense cravings while still wanting to remain sober at the same time.
Physical Relapse
This is the final step, where the recovered addict actually uses their drug of choice. While this may be classified as just a ‘lapse’ in sobriety, using the drug just once usually metamorphoses into a full-blown addiction once again. The recovered addict loses control over their actions and finds themselves unable to quit using the drug once more.
Don’t wait until you hit a physical relapse. As soon as you enter the stage of emotional relapse, reach out to Avenues for the correct help and support to ensure that you retain your sobriety.
What Is The Relapse Cycle?
First, something happens to trigger the recovered addict, and they are unable to deal with the trigger effectively. As a result, they use their drug of choice and then feel horrible about it. This causes them to turn to their drug once again to remove the negative feelings they felt as a result of failing to abstain from the drug. This ends in a cycle of using the drug, feeling guilty, worthless, despair, and other feelings, and turning to the drug again for relief.
It’s important to recognize that addiction, like many physical conditions, is chronic. Whereas a choice is made when a person decides to engage in drug use, the chemical changes to the brain and body make the person lose control over their power of choice. Ongoing treatment, support, and therapies are needed to manage the condition and remain drug-free for life.
What Causes Relapse?
So, why do people relapse in the first place? Below are some of the high risk situations for relapse. Every recovered addict should be aware of all of these triggers and take appropriate action so they can be prepared to deal with the triggers as they arise instead of falling for addiction.
Physical Triggers
Many possible triggers can cause addicts to relapse, including people, places, and things. These are personal to every former addict. Often, friends that the recovered addict socialized with and engaged with in drugs in the past can trigger a desire to use the drug(s) again. Therefore, especially in early recovery, it’s important to limit or break off connections entirely with friends who are unable to remain sober in your presence or people you are used to using drugs while socializing. There are also certain environments, such as a local park where the recovered addict uses drugs, that can cause cravings again. Finally, seeing seemingly minor things that were used with drugs can also trigger a drug relapse, such as a syringe, a pill, etc.
Negative Emotions
People who struggle with an addiction will often have a hard time dealing appropriately with negative emotions. Feelings such as anger, sadness, or stress were handled by consuming drugs in the past; when these feelings resurface once recovered, they may cause a relapse if the recovered addict isn’t able to employ proper coping methods. That’s why, during the recovery process, it’s important to learn how to understand, manage, and react to negative day-to-day emotions.
Lack of Social Support
Just as important as it is for recovered addicts to remove themselves from unhealthy people from their drug days, it’s necessary to surround themselves with healthy, supportive people who will help them along the journey. With no social support, the recovered addict is more likely to seek out old, unhealthy friends, who will encourage a relapse. Additionally, it’s vital to repair relationships with healthy family members and friends who have become frustrated, hurt, or abandoned by the addict.
Environment
Visiting a place where there will be drugs or alcohol, such as a party, a bar, or a casino, can trigger cravings for the substance, and, therefore, a drug or alcohol relapse. It’s a good idea to have an accountability partner or a chaperone accompany the recovered addict to places that they cannot avoid where there may be drugs or alcohol.
Prescription Medications
A person experiencing physical pain or an emotional or mental disorder may have to take prescription medication as treatment. Many people are not at risk of developing an addiction to these medications, but people with a history of drug use are at risk of relapsing. It’s important to be under the supervision of a professional, specifically when using more addictive meds like opioids.
Happiness
This may seem strange, but feeling ecstatic or particularly thrilled can cause a relapse. This is because the recovered addict is accustomed to celebrating happy moments with drugs or alcohol and naturally would want to enhance their good mood with drugs to give it an edge. It’s a good idea for an addict in recovery to learn how to appreciate being happy or celebrating a milestone without any aids.
Pride and Complacency
Many recovered addicts can get cocky, believing that they are cured of drug addiction and will never use drugs again, even when very tempted. The truth is that drug use disorder is a condition that one does not simply recover from - it has to be managed for the rest of their lives. The good news is that the more time that passes drug-free, the lower the chance of relapse, and eventually, it is possible to be around people using drugs without it becoming a trigger for relapse. But in the meantime, don’t become overconfident.
Withdrawal Symptoms
The withdrawal symptoms that are felt after abstaining from drugs are unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, insomnia, nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches, vomiting, and much more, and can last anywhere between 6-18 months. In an effort to stop the symptoms, many recovered addicts relapse. The best way to largely avoid withdrawal symptoms is to get a medical drug detox at a drug rehab.
Mental Health
Usually, people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol have an underlying medical diagnosis that is untreated. Only dealing with the substance abuse problem leaves the underlying issues behind, which can prompt the recovered addict to turn to drugs as a relief. Possible mental health issues include PTSD, Bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, depression, and anxiety, all of which must be treated with medication and/or therapies.
Poor Self-Care
A crucial component of recovery is learning to practice positive self-care habits such as proper sleep hygiene, eating healthily, exercising regularly, engaging in healthy relationships, and maintaining a productive job. A recovered addict who neglects their basic needs is at risk of falling back to the old habits associated with their drug addiction days.
Boredom or Isolation
It’s important for a recovered addict to lead a full, busy, productive life. Boredom or feelings of loneliness can cause a recovered addict to relapse. Of course, no one should fill every moment of their lives with activities as a means to escape negative emotions, but it’s a good idea - especially in early recovery - to fill empty time with activities that aid recovery, like a work-out at the gym or attending a group therapy session.
What To Do After A Relapse:
If your loved one has relapsed, the most important thing is to stay calm. Refrain from getting angry, frustrated, or irrational. Although relapse is extremely disappointing, it should be viewed as part of the recovery process, and indeed, with the right support, the addict can and will recover again.
Stay with your loved one and monitor their behavior. Relapse can cause strong effects on a person since they haven't engaged with the drug for some time. Call their therapist or other medical advisor and emergency medical services if necessary. It‘s important to note that over time, people in active addiction will develop tolerance to their drug of choice, meaning that they will need an increased dosage of their drug to feel the same effects. After abstaining from the drug for a while, a person who relapses may take the same dose they did previously, not knowing that their tolerance level has dropped in the meantime. This can be extremely dangerous and cause an overdose. Of course, if you suspect an overdose, call the emergency services immediately.
Recovering After a Relapse
It’s important to have a strong support system through both relapse and recovery. Try to be encouraging. Remind your loved one that they are still in the process of recovery and relapse is normal. Reassure them that relapse does not make them a bad, weak, or horrible person. In a more sober moment, encourage your loved one to consider speaking to their therapist and drawing up a new treatment plan that includes relapse prevention.
It’s a good idea for the person dealing with drug addiction to:
- Resume 12-step meetings, group therapy sessions, and one-on-one therapy
- Enter a reputable rehab facility for medical detox and other inpatient treatment
- Surround themself with encouraging, supportive, healthy family and friends
- Maintain a positive lifestyle, take care of themself, and fill their time with meaningful activities
- Build up their confidence, remember their strengths, and set goals for their life.
No Matter Why People Relapse, Treatment Is Always Available
Life can be beautiful after a relapse. Keep a positive mindset and know that although unfortunate, relapse is just a learning experience. Knowing why people relapse can encourage you to get help so you can adjust your treatment plan and stay sober for the rest of your life. Reach out to Avenues Recovery today so our experienced addiction counselors can guide you. We’ve helped 30,000 people to get sober and stay sober and we’re here to help you too.