According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 40-60% of individuals treated for substance use disorder (SUD) are likely to return to using the substance after treatment. This means relapse is not uncommon while on your healing journey, but learning and implementing proper relapse prevention strategies can help you be one of the individuals who don’t return to substance use. We at Bright Mission Recovery want to help you feel confident in your relapse prevention skills and ensure your long-term success.
What Is Relapse?
Relapse is when you return to substance use after a time of abstinence. This can occur when you try to stop on your own, when you are triggered after treatment, during a stressful time, or for various other reasons. Relapse is not uncommon; however, it does not mean that treatment has failed. Relapse means that you need to reach out for help and support to get you back to where you want to be. With proper education, you can learn skills and strategies to help prevent relapse.
Common Relapse Prevention Strategies
Some strategies that have been used in relapse prevention of substance use include the following,
Medication
Common medications can include naltrexone, methadone, and disulfiram. The use of medication can help treat underlying or co-occurring symptoms, lessen symptoms of cravings, or cause adverse reactions when the substance is used while taking the medication.
Monitoring
Your doctor can perform drug screenings to ensure that you are not taking the substance. They can also ensure you are taking prescribed medications to help with treatment. Family and friends can also help monitor your behavior and get you help if needed.
Therapy
Continued therapy can help you discover underlying reasons for your substance abuse, help in times of crisis when you feel close to a relapse, or get you back on a healing path if a relapse does occur. Types of therapy can include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI). Some holistic therapy methods include yoga and meditation. These methods can help you maintain mental, spiritual, and physical balance within yourself.
Peer Support
Joining support groups, such as 12-Step programs, can help you feel part of a community, have others who understand to lean on, hold you accountable, and keep you on the right path to reach your goals. They are one important aspect of the support system you need to achieve long-term healing.
Why Is Proper Relapse Prevention Education Important?
Understanding what relapse is and how to prevent it is important to keep you on the path to achieving your long-term sober goals. This education includes learning how to identify triggers and coping techniques, how to recognize when you need to, and how to reach out for the help you need.
Triggers are things or environments that remind you of your substance use. They can include sights, smells, sounds, emotions, people, environments, and physical things. Understanding what a trigger is can help you identify them, know your reaction, and learn to cope with experiencing them. This knowledge can help you from relapsing because of them.
Knowing your feelings, emotions, and reactions to different situations can help you identify and respond to them. This means that you can problem-solve and have a healthy response to events in your life. It can prevent you from getting triggered into relapse.
Learning to recognize changes in yourself can help you know when to seek out extra help. Understanding this shows growth towards the new sober you and can help prevent relapse. You can get the help you need before it happens. It also means that you recognize sooner when a relapse has occurred so you can reach out for the help you need.
How Does Bright Mission Help Ensure Long-Term Success of Relapse Prevention?
Bright Mission Recovery utilizes customized healing plans to ensure your needs are met to reach long-term success in your healing. By creating this unique plan, we are able to teach you techniques best suited to help you. We understand that everyone is different, meaning our clients have different personalities, experiences, and needs to be met. This includes the strategies that allow you to feel confident and secure in your relapse prevention when you leave treatment. Some of these strategies include meditation, mindfulness, and yoga.
The therapies we utilize also help you with relapse prevention. CBT helps to change how you think for the better. Our different behavioral therapies can help you recognize and regulate your emotions. Experiential therapies can allow you to find new hobbies and discover who you are without substance use. Many other therapies can help you find who you are working to become on your healing journey, and with every new discovery, we learn more ways to help you prevent relapse.
Relapse prevention is essential in your discovery journey. There are a multitude of techniques that help with relapse prevention, including yoga, meditation, knowing your triggers, and support groups. You need to find the best strategies for you so that you can ensure your long-term success in your healing. We at Bright Mission Recovery want to create a unique and custom healing plan that includes relapse prevention techniques you’ll feel comfortable and secure using. For more information, reach out today at (747) 444-3284. You are not alone on this discovery journey, and we understand that you need a personalized plan to help ensure your long-term healing. With our help, you will feel supported by peers and family while on your journey.