February 11, 2025

Relapse Prevention

Relapse is common during recovery, but it doesn’t have to derail your progress. With the right tools and support, you can learn to overcome challenges, recognize warning signs, and create a life that supports long-term sobriety. No matter if you’re new to recovery or you’re looking to reinforce your skills, relapse prevention is a powerful tool that can support lasting success.

What Causes Relapse?

Relapse can happen for many reasons. While stress and difficult emotions are common triggers, even positive feelings or subtle environmental changes can contribute. Here are some reasons why relapse happens:

Stress or unresolved trauma
Negative emotions like anxiety, irritability, or depression
Positive emotions like happiness or excitement that one may want to enhance
Cravings brought on by reminders of past substance use
Trouble sleeping or thinking clearly during early recovery
Being around people or places connected to old habits
Hormonal changes that can affect mood and stress
Feeling unmotivated or lacking purpose in life

What Are The Three Stages of Relapse?

Relapse typically doesn’t happen immediately. Instead, it’s broken down into three phases: emotional, mental, and physical. These stages make it easier to recognize the early warning signs before a full relapse happens.

Stage 1: Emotional Relapse

Emotional relapse can start quietly, which makes it more challenging to recognize. At this point, the person is not actively thinking about using substances and may even be determined to avoid a relapse. However, they may unknowingly fall into patterns of denial and believe they are not at risk. This mindset can keep them from using coping strategies that could potentially stop the relapse from progressing.

Some early signs of emotional relapse include:

Pulling away from friends, family, or support groups
Avoiding meetings or staying silent during discussions
Becoming overly focused on others’ problems instead of their own
Neglecting basic self-care like proper sleep or nutrition

Stage 2: Mental Relapse

When an individual goes through a mental relapse, they will often experience an intense internal battle between staying sober and returning to substance use. During this phase, the person may feel torn between their commitment to recovery and the growing temptation to use again. As this stage advances, the mind will start to rationalize relapse, making it harder to resist.

Signs of mental relapse include:

Strong cravings for substances
Reminiscing about people, places, or things tied to past substance use
Focusing on the perceived positives of using while downplaying past consequences
Lying or hiding feelings and intentions
Bargaining with oneself about using “just once” or in a controlled way
Actively seeking situations where relapse becomes more likely
Planning a relapse or imaging scenarios where substance use feels inevitable

Stage 3: Physical Relapse

Physical relapse is the final stage where thoughts of using have turned into actions, and the person is actively seeking out or consuming their substance of choice. This phase frequently happens when the individual believes their resumed use will go unnoticed.

During this stage, one may:

Contact dealers, old friends, or anyone connected to their substance use
Visit places where substances are easily accessible (e.g., liquor stores or smoke shops)
Getting transportation to places where they can get substances
Actively consume the substance, sometimes justifying it as a one-time event

What Are Relapse Prevention Skills?

Relapse prevention skills are tools and strategies that help individuals stay on track with their recovery by managing triggers, emotions, and risky situations. These skills allow people to recognize early warning signs of relapse and build healthier ways of coping.

Why Relapse Prevention Skills Are Important

Relapse prevention skills give those in recovery a foundation to build upon for sustained sobriety. Without these skills, it’s easier to fall back into old patterns when faced with stress, cravings, or difficult emotions. In fact, research shows that developing strong coping skills reduces the likelihood of relapse over time.

How to Lower the Chances of Relapse

To lower your chances of relapse, you’ll need to find effective and healthy ways to handle stress, manage cravings, and deal with roadblocks you may face along the way. You’ll also want to create a strong support system and build habits that will help you maintain long-term sobriety. Here are some tips to consider.

Build a Reliable Support Network

A strong support network is made up of people who encourage and motivate you to stay sober. This might include friends and family who believe in your goals, others in recovery who understand what you’re going through, and professionals like therapists or peer support workers who can guide you and keep you on the right track. Attending support groups can also help you feel less isolated and give you space to connect with people facing similar challenges.

Benefits of a solid support network include:

Reinforcing healthy behaviors through encouragement and accountability
Providing resources for managing cravings and stress
Encouraging positive and non-addictive social ties
Strengthening resistance to relapse through shared experiences and advice

Develop Healthy Ways to Handle Challenges

Recovery comes with its fair share of challenges, but having healthy ways to cope can help you overcome them. Here are some healthy coping strategies to consider:

Exercise like yoga, running, or walking
Creative outlets like painting, writing, or playing an instrument
Practicing mindfulness or meditation
Leaning on your support network for advice, encouragement, or a listening ear
Reconnecting with spirituality or religious faith

By staying busy and engaged, you can handle the ups and downs of sobriety without feeling the need to turn to substances for relief.

Participate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a popular and evidence-based treatment that helps individuals identify and change unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that could lead to substance use. Here’s what you might do during a CBT session:

Identify triggers and high-risk situations for relapse
Challenge and reframe negative thought patterns
Practice problem-solving techniques to handle stress or conflict
Learn strategies to cope with cravings and manage negative emotions
Set realistic and achievable goals for growth and recovery

Research supports that CBT is highly effective for preventing relapse. CBT can reduce anxiety and depression, improve relationships, boost self-esteem, and support overall health.

Create a Relapse Prevention Plan

One of the most important things you can do on your recovery journey is create a relapse prevention plan. This plan will help you understand your triggers, recognize your strengths, and rely on the people and resources that support you. To increase your odds of success, your plan needs to be unique to you and your situation.

When building your plan, ask yourself these questions:

What motivates me to stay sober?
What situations, feelings, or environments make me feel vulnerable to relapse?
How can I handle stress or tough emotions in a healthier way?
Who are the people i can trust and reach out to if I feel Iike I’m struggling?
What hobbies or activities can I focus on to keep my mind and body engaged?

These questions will help give you direction when creating your plan and will make it easier for you to stay on track even when you run into obstacles. It’s okay if your plan changes over time as it’s meant to support you on your own unique journey.

Commit to Sobriety With Ethos Recovery

Relapse prevention is an important part of staying sober. Recovery isn’t always easy; however, you can build a foundation for lasting sobriety by developing essential skills to handle its challenges.

At Ethos Recovery, we are a community that offers a safe, supportive space where you can grow and thrive on your journey. If you or someone you care about is ready to take the next step, reach out to us today to learn more about our services.