Relapse Prevention; Understanding Relapse and How to Prevent Relapse

Relapse prevention needs to be the most important thing in a person's life if they are recovering from alcohol addiction or drug abuse. Addiction relapse is always a danger for any person who once abused drugs or alcohol. The consequences of this happening can be disastrous, and many of those who have an addiction relapse never recover again. Having a long period away for alcohol does not make the return to it any easier; there are countess stories of people who have been sober over twenty years who then relapsed and died within a few months. I have never seen anybody who relapsed that didn't end up back in the same mess again. For most people who relapse the consequences of their addiction are worse than it ever was; and that was the case when I drank again after a couple of years sober.

I had an addiction relapse in my twenties and it took me almost ten years to stop again. The mental suffering and physical abuse made life unbearable for most of the time. Prior to alcoholic relapse I had the crazy notion that the two years away from alcohol with give me a clean slate; it didn't. As soon as I picked up my first drink the addiction was back in full force; I have no doubt that the same would happen if I decided to drink again tomorrow. I don't think this will ever happen though, because I know for a fact there is not one spec of enjoyment left in booze for me. The fact that I'm confident does not mean that I'm complacent, and I take all measures possible in regards to relapse prevention.

I am now over three and a half years sober. I have only thought seriously about addiction relapse once during this time, and it was a few months into my walk away from alcohol. I was still early in my recovery so my emotions were all over the place at the time; I felt very raw. I had a row with my wife over something minor and felt so full of anger; I did not know what to do with all this bottled up rage. In the past I had dealt with my emotions by drinking, and this is what I felt like doing. I stormed out of the house determined to drink again. I didn't though; instead I took my motorbike and spent most of the next two days riding around Thailand. I would keep on wanting to drink, but I would say to myself, 'maybe in the next town'. I would get to the next town, and postpone it again. Eventually I realized that I didn't want to drink at all and went home. Things could have been so different and I am so grateful for the fact that I kept on riding because my sober life has been so fantastic since that time.

It is important for all of us people in recovery to understand relapse and be aware of the relapse triggers; hunger, anger, tiredness, and loneliness. We need to know how to prevent relapse because we may not ever get sober again.

If anybody is having a bad time in recovery and feels the urge to relapse then please consider the following advice for relapse prevention;

- If you feel like drinking postpone the decision. Promise yourself that you can drink tomorrow and not today. Never drink just on the spur of the moment. At least if you have some time you can think things out more fully.

- Talk to somebody you can trust. During a time when we want to relapse our thinking can be completely crazy. If we talk things through with somebody then maybe we can see things differently.

- If we belong to a support group then go to a meeting and share. If we don't belong then consider joining one. I don't use a 12 step group or any support group, but I would far rather be in AA than in the gutter.

- Read some recovery literature or visit recovery websites, read all you can about relapse prevention.

- Post on a recovery forum about how you feel.

- Go for a walk or do some exercise.

- Write down how you feel about things, and don't stop writing until your head feels clear.

- If a loved one or friend is giving you stress get away from them for a few hours.

- Believe that your life will get better if you don't drink or use again. I promise you that this is true; at least it is my experience anyway.

- The feeling to drink or use will pass if you don't act on it.

- Remember what it was like; do you really want that.

- If there is any chance that there could be something else wrong with you that means you don't feel good in recovery then go see your doctor. Dual diagnosis means that someone has another health problem that has not been diagnosed along with their addiction; e.g. depression.