Part of relapse prevention involves rehearsing these situations and developing healthy exit strategies. WellBrook Recovery provides outstanding rehabilitation care for individuals struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. Using an individualized approach in a comfortable setting, WellBrook Recovery’s expert team addresses the root of the issues, promoting lasting inner peace. Understanding the dynamics of relapse and employing the Five Rules of Recovery can create a robust support system and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Making a deal with yourself, like reaching a milestone such as a recovery anniversary, as a reason to use is the second stage of relapse. The only way to recover is total and complete abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Recovery means creating a new life for yourself so it’s easier not to use. If this is avoided, everything contributing to your addiction will still be there, causing relapses.
“5 Rules of Recovery” That Can Help Prevent Relapse
Structure helps manage the unpredictability and chaos that often accompany addiction. It can provide a sense of normalcy and stability, which is incredibly soothing during the tumultuous times of recovery. First and foremost, recognizing that recovery extends beyond stopping the substance or behavior itself is vital.
Sticking with it requires you to change your life so that not using it becomes easier. This might involve examining current relationships, avoiding triggering locations, and learning how to change negative thought patterns. Making no changes to your lifestyle will result in being exposed to temptations and triggers that were in place during active addiction.
- Guilt and shame are obstacles to recovery, because they make you feel like you have been damaged and that you don’t deserve recovery or happiness.
- This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.
- It’s a wake-up call to evaluate your life and change your damaging habits and behaviors.
- The goal lies in creating an action plan that aids in maintaining sobriety and preventing relapse for a lifetime.
- The tasks of this stage are similar to the tasks that non-addicts face in everyday life.
Identifying and Managing Relapse Triggers
Denied users don’t acknowledge their problem and don’t imagine full cessation of their use. Without self-care, you are still at risk of relapse even if you attend counseling sessions and group meetings. When you aren’t taking the time to take care of yourself, there is a deep, unconscious sense that you don’t deserve to be taken care of. Keep reading to learn about the stages of relapse and the five rules of recovery.
It is common that we think we are alone and unique in our suffering. Confessing what you have done also prevents you from slipping into denial, suppression, repression, and forgetting. In this stage, individuals are not yet considering making any changes in their addictive behavior. They may even be unaware or in denial about the negative impacts of their addiction. The five phases of recovery include pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. When you use, you are usually trying to escape some kind of feeling and want to escape and feel, so you can say that drugs and alcohol were your forms of self-care and self-medication.
Stage 2: Contemplation
There will be challenges and setbacks in many stages, but you can equip yourself for success with the five rules of recovery. Remember to be completely honest, change your life, ask for help, don’t bend the rules, and practice self-care. The journey through addiction recovery is filled with distinct stages that each bring unique challenges and moments of growth.
Clinical experience has shown that the following are some of the causes of relapse in the growth stage of recovery. This is also the time to deal with any family of origin issues or any past trauma that may have occurred. But they can be stressful issues, and, if tackled too soon, clients may not have the necessary coping skills to handle them, which may lead to relapse.
Addiction Freedom Now
If you find yourself craving drugs or alcohol, check yourself to see if you feel one of these so you can take care of it first, as these can often cause your cravings to be more intense. This way, you can focus on your physical and mental wellbeing while avoiding relapse. Effective relapse prevention not only helps individuals avoid returning to substance use but also empowers them to build a fulfilling and healthy life. Understanding and implementing these strategies can significantly enhance the likelihood of sustained recovery. To build a new life, individuals in recovery must develop healthy connections with others, engage in rewarding activities and hobbies and practice good self-care. Therapy is also incredibly important, as this helps individuals understand themselves, their reasons for using substances and how to cope in healthier ways.
More Mental Health Information …
Although this idea may be overwhelming, you won’t need to change everything about yourself and your life. It’s a wake-up call to evaluate your life and change your damaging habits and behaviors. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) explains that experience shows the five rules can define most relapses. Learning these simple rules can help you understand that recovery is achievable and not as complicated as it may seem. The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing.
What are the five rules of recovery?
In this stage, individuals may experience physical cravings and temptations to use “just one more time”. Developing healthy coping skills and building a strong support system enable individuals to successfully navigate the abstinence stage and lay the foundation for long-term recovery. Emotional triggers can be powerful forces that lead to relapse if not properly addressed and managed.
Recovery is a journey with inevitable ups and downs; self-compassion is your compass through both. Just as you wouldn’t verbally abuse a friend who slipped in their recovery, speaking with yourself in this unkind way is not useful either. Their love and encouragement can provide the strength needed to continue the journey, even when it feels insurmountable. Opening up to them, letting them in on your struggles, and accepting their support can fortify your resolve and provide a five rules of recovery cushion against the hardships of recovery. Engaging with self-help and recovery groups such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), NA (Narcotics Anonymous), or other similar communities can provide a sense of belonging and understanding. These groups offer a platform to share experiences, gain insights, and receive encouragement from others who are walking the same path.
Understanding these stages of recovery can be crucial for anyone embarking on this path with a loved one. From the early phase of acknowledging a need for change to the sustained commitment to long-term maintenance, each stage represents a critical step forward. Gain insights into these stages with Wellbrook Recovery – leaders in addiction rehab – so you can better support your loved one in what lies ahead.
Recovery is not merely about abstaining from one’s addiction; it’s about fundamentally transforming your lifestyle as it relates to the addiction. This comprehensive change is crucial because addiction often intertwines with the fabric of your daily life, habits, and social circles. I’ve seen countless times how straying from these guidelines can lead to stalled progress and eventual relapse.
Most people begin their road to recovery hoping things in their lives will not have to change. Treatment allows them to realize that going back to their old lives is essentially going back to the addiction. The idea of change is hard for most people and can be overwhelming. Changing one’s life does not have to entail changing every single thing. However, evaluating negative influences, tempting situations, and triggers are imperative when seeking to create a positive environment in which recovery can flourish. Moving away from negative past experiences and influences creates a foundation upon which one can move forward, towards a happier and healthier existence.
You must learn to address, rather than avoid, negative or uncomfortable feelings. Practicing self-care is one of the most overlooked parts of recovery but one of the most essential. Many people initially turned to drugs and alcohol to escape, relax, or reward themselves. Those needs don’t disappear in recovery; learning to satisfy them and practicing healthy alternatives and coping skills is self-care. When addiction has a hold on you, lying becomes second nature.
Challenges Encountered in Recovery
But with the right action plan, you can manage these thoughts. It is important to accept these as a normal part of recovery, and let the thoughts pass. When you’re completely honest you don’t give your addiction room to hide. It’s about a few little changes that can change the path of your life. The more you can avoid high-risk situations, and the more you can anticipate them and prepare for them, the greater your chance of success. There are five simple rules that cover most of what you need to do in recovery.