Relapse Prevention Program
No Relapse, You Never have to Use Again!
Once addiction grabs a hold it doesn’t let go easily, and even after rehab, and even with weeks and months of sobriety, relapse threatens constantly. Without learning the skills you'll need to avoid temptation, you have little hope of avoiding relapse.
A big part of drug and alcohol rehab, both during and especially after the residential phase, is relapse prevention programming. More than half of all recovering addicts and alcoholics will relapse back to full blown abuse in the first year after treatment, and you don’t want to be one of those unfortunate once recovering addicts.
But you don’t need to relapse, and by learning what threatens your sobriety, by learning how to keep yourself safe from temptation, and by learning what to do if you do face temptation (and what to do even if you slip) you have a great opportunity to beat your addiction for good. Follow the relapse prevention program, and you never have to use again.
Identifying threats to relapse
Through the therapies both group and individual of rehab, you will unearth those things in your life and environment that trigger your cravings to use, triggers that pose a personal risk to your sobriety and happiness. You can never eliminate all temptation from your life, but once you have identified the biggest threats and temptations, you can take concrete steps to change your lifestyle to reduce your exposure to these threats.
You will develop a relapse prevention plan. A plan that gives you the concrete strategies you'll need to stay sober, to minimize temptations, and reminds you of what to do when you do find yourself close to relapse.
Learning how to control your thinking
You can control more than just your actions…you can even control your thoughts, and stop thoughts that bring you close to relapse before they manifest harmfully in your mind.
Cognitive behavioral relapse prevention therapy teaches you the tools you'll need to avoid those things in your environment that threaten your sobriety, to control your thoughts so that negative ideations don’t bring you back to use. Learn the strategies you'll need to use when you find yourself faced with temptation; find yourself close to use, and without knowing what to do, have little chance of maintaining your sobriety.
Learning what to do if you do slip
Unfortunately, a lot of us will slip at least once in the months after rehab. Addiction is incredibly resilient and consuming, and as hard as we may try to eliminate temptations, most of us get overwhelmed at least once, and in a moment of weakness and thoughtlessness, find ourselves using again.
It's OK. You don’t want it to happen, but if it does, it doesn’t mean that your recovery is over. It doesn't mean that you are a failure and that you have to give it all up and go back to using once again. A slip is OK, a relapse is not. Addicts and alcoholics in recovery are taught what to do if they do have a slip, taught how to use a slip as a strengthening and learning experience, and taught to make sure a slip doesn’t become a relapse.
Relapse prevention after Drug Rehab
For the best chance of recovery, relapse prevention programming can never end with a successful graduation from a treatment program. The initial weeks and months of freedom and sobriety are tough, and without maintaining a commitment to aftercare therapies that help to consolidate the lessons of rehab, the realities of the outside world can overwhelm.
Relapse prevention programming after rehab helps you to modify your relapse prevention plan in response to the real threats to sobriety as they emerge, gives you continuing support and reminds you of what you need to do to stay sober.
Most of us face incredible temptation after rehab, most of us will slip, and a lot of us will relapse completely. Make sure you never need rehab again. Make sure you get treatment at a facility that offers comprehensive relapse prevention programming, and make sure you make a full commitment to aftercare therapies of relapse avoidance.
