Understanding Relapse
A relapse is a deterioration in an individual’s state of health after a period of improvement or recovery. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, relapses in addiction are common among individuals who have also been treated for other health conditions such as high blood pressure and asthma.
A relapse does not always indicate treatment failure either, but serves as a signal for resuming, changing or starting new treatment.1
Common Relapse Causes
Relapses are especially common in cases of addiction and substance abuse. However, it is considered a natural path in the complex recovery process when appropriately handled. Relapse in substance abuse and addiction commonly occur in response to a relapse risk, which could be places where substances are being abused, an advertisement for alcoholic beverages, or people who are also involved in substance abuse.2
In addition, negative emotional states like depression or anger and social pressure are also common relapse reasons. Relapses also occur in three distinct stages known as the emotional, mental, and physical stages of relapse.3
The History of Relapse Prevention
The relapse prevention model was introduced around three decades ago and has become the best model so far for addiction treatment and substance abuse relapse prevention. The relapse prevention model, which was proposed by Marlatt and Gordon, suggests that primary determinants like high-risk situations and a person’s family or social background can contribute to relapse.4
The model incorporates relapse prevention strategies that involve identifying each individual’s high-risk situation and enhancing their coping skills for relapse prevention.5 Coping skills for relapse prevention are a vital component of relapse prevention plans, as the ability to cope with life’s problems is proposed to impact the likelihood of relapse.6
What Are Relapse Prevention Programs?
A relapse prevention program helps provide a prevention plan consisting of techniques, activities, and prevention tools to reduce relapse risk factors and build protective behaviors. These relapse prevention programs assist individuals in setting up their own relapse prevention plan templates.
In addition, a relapse prevention program helps individuals to identify and address early warning signs and potential risks for substance use or addiction relapse. Relapse prevention programs also help individuals gradually implement coping skills that can help prevent relapse.
How to Create A Relapse Prevention Program?
Creating a relapse prevention program requires certain planning levels, and it works better with professional help. Therefore, it is essential to have relapse prevention plans that are needed in creating a relapse prevention program.
Such techniques may include:
- Self-assessment and self-reflection
- Recognizing and identifying early warning signs
- Healthy lifestyle strategies
- Development of healthy coping skills
What Are the Limitations of Relapse Prevention Programs?
Limitations of relapse prevention programs are factors that could influence and possibly hinder the results of the program. These limitations include the following:7
- Relapse prevention strategies may not be suitable for people with more complex or chronic health disorders or learning difficulties
- A relapse prevention program requires full cooperation from the patient; without it, there is not much a therapist can do
- Relapse prevention programs can be time-consuming
What Are the Benefits of Relapse Prevention Programs?
There are many varied benefits of relapse prevention programs. These include:
Building Awareness
Relapse prevention program help individuals build the ability to identify high-risk situations and probable risks that could cause a relapse. A relapse prevention program allows an individual to notice the early signs and develop skills to prevent a possible relapse.
Developing Coping Skills
Studies have shown that the ability to deal efficiently and effectively with life’s problems by developing the right coping skills can reduce the risks of relapse. Furthermore, these coping skills can be self-taught or help from the right personnel through efficient relapse prevention programs.
Planning for Emergencies
Going through a relapse prevention program helps individuals know all about their potential risks and guide their reactions when they find themselves in high-risk situations.
Assessing and Reinforcing Confidence
Relapse prevention programs help individuals get involved in prevention activities like support groups which help boost their confidence to return to society after rehabilitation.
Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive restructuring is a strategy that slowly helps people change their beliefs and thinking patterns. This reduces the impact of an unhelpful thinking style on a person’s lifestyle. Participation in adequate relapse prevention programs teaches an individual to be able to use cognitive restructuring techniques in daily activities, helping reduce stress and improve the quality of sleep.9
Other Benefits
Relapse prevention programs will enable an individual to access various forms of therapy like individual relapse prevention therapy and family or group therapy. These therapy programs help people live their life without being defined by substance use addiction.
What Can Be Included in Relapse Prevention Programs?
There are multiple different aspects that can be included in relapse prevention program, and these often depend on each person. These will be detailed below.
Potential Risks
Relapse risks can differ for everyone; they could be internal (stress, anger) or external (people or places). Identifying risks can be included in relapse prevention programs to make patients aware of these risks and help them reduce the chances of relapse.
Management Plan for Cravings
A craving is the tendency or compulsion to abuse substances and is common in substance use disorders and addiction. Several studies have shown cravings can cause relapses. Relapse prevention programs can include a relapse prevention plan to manage cravings.8
Relapse Prevention Tools
These include mind-body relaxation and cognitive therapy, and these tools are used to develop healthy coping and relapse prevention skills. Relapse prevention programs can incorporate using these tools to help avoid relapse.
Support Groups
Peer support can be essential in relapse prevention because of the similarities that members of the same support group share, leading them to feel less lonely. Relapse prevention programs can include support groups to achieve the program’s purpose.
Lifestyle Improvements
Making a few lifestyle improvements such as exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, relaxing, seeking new hobbies, and making new friends can help keep an individual from relapse.
Continued Therapy
For individuals in recovery, life after the rehabilitation process is a continuous journey toward staying sober. After primary treatment of substance use disorders or addiction, relapse prevention programs can carry out continued therapy to help individuals deal with life after rehabilitation and reduce the risks of relapse in them.
Specialized Relapse Prevention Programs at San Diego Detox
People can prevent relapse by identifying high-risk situations and avoiding or managing them adequately. Cognitive restructuring and lifestyle improvement can also prevent addiction relapse, which involves inculcating healthy living into an individual’s lifestyle and implementing stimulus control techniques. People can do this by discarding items and behavior patterns directly associated with addiction or substance use disorder.10
Our Addiction Treatment and Relapse Prevention Options
At San Diego Detox, we provide detoxification, residential inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and relapse prevention programs designed specifically to ensure sobriety in the long run. San Diego Detox addiction treatment center offers personalized substance abuse and addiction treatment to ensure that cravings and withdrawal symptoms that may cause relapses are managed appropriately.
Our relapse prevention options are built around pharmacotherapy and behavioral counseling to ensure patient comfort and treatment success.
Contact Us Today
Relapses are not synonymous with failure, and they do not mean the end of treatment. Addressing relapses on time and adequately can ensure that the addiction process will be successful in the long run.
Contact us at San Diego Detox for more information on recovery and relapse prevention plans and programs and to get professional help with relapse prevention today.
Resources
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/relapse
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10890810/&ved=2ahUKEwinmrPFy5T5AhUDzaQKHWrLCFkQFnoECA0QBQ&usg=AOvVaw0dOctE6UbUuDkZbD8-vEb_
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163190/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10890810/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/relapse-prevention
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/#:~:text=it%20may%20not%20be%20suitable,re%20anxious%20or%20emotionally%20uncomfortable
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4436542/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cognitive-restructuring
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5844157
