Everyone who goes through the addiction recovery process knows that it’s challenging. There is a lot involved – not just the physical detoxification component of it, but also in identifying people, places, and situations that could push someone to want to revert to old addictive patterns of behavior. The beginning of our recovery journey can be particularly difficult, especially with the fear of relapsing. Relapsing is defined as the recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement. There’s a common misbelief that relapse means a person has failed – and that’s not true. It’s simply part of recovery.
There are three main parts to relapse – physical, mental, and emotional.
Emotional relapses may occur in a person, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will physically relapse. If anything, it means that they’re at an increased risk for relapsing because of the thoughts they’ve been having lately and how they’ve been acting. If a person is feeling anxious, defensive, angry or other intense emotions, or is even starting to miss some of their meetings, they may be experiencing an emotional relapse.
Mental relapses occur when a person is at war between using the drug/substance and staying sober. When this happens, there may be a flood of thoughts about using that are hard to simply put away. A person may find themselves lying to the people closest to them, romanticizing using the substance/drug in the past, dwelling on people, places, or things that tie directly to the substance of their choice, reverting back to spending time with people who used to use, and more.
Physical relapses could involve using an old drug of choice only once, or it could happen multiple times.
Ultimately, relapse prevention is about healing – and if you’re ready to begin your journey towards holistic wellness, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.
Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery center. If you are ready to seek treatment to develop the tools you need to overcome life’s obstacles and be on the road towards happiness, health, and well-being, call us today at 844-857-5992 for a consultation. It’s never too late, and there are people here ready to help you – it’s never too late to begin taking steps towards a happier, healthier life.
