What is a Relapse Prevention Plan?

A setback can be any behavior that moves an individual closer to physical relapse. Some examples of setbacks are not setting healthy boundaries, not asking for help, not avoiding high-risk situations, and not practicing self-care. A setback does not have to end in relapse to be worthy of discussion in therapy. Then, the patient and clinician work to develop strategies, including cognitive (related to thinking) and behavioral (related to action), to address those specific high-risk situations. With more effective coping, the patient develops increased confidence to handle challenging situations without alcohol and other drugs (i.e., increased self-efficacy). Celebrating milestones and successes along your recovery journey is an important aspect of maintaining motivation and reinforcing the effectiveness of your relapse prevention plan.

How to Create an Effective Relapse Prevention Plan

By incorporating these key elements into your relapse prevention plan, you can enhance your readiness to face potential challenges and maintain your recovery. Remember to regularly review and update your plan as needed, seeking professional guidance when necessary. Celebrate milestones and successes along the way, and always prioritize self-care and well-being. A relapse prevention plan can help you identify triggers, develop coping skills, and understand who is ready to help you in a crisis. A relapse prevention plan helps a person to identify the initial phases of a relapse – emotional and mental – before a physical relapse occurs. Adolescents face unique challenges in addiction recovery due to their developmental stage, social dynamics, and the influence of peer pressure.

Recovery Program

These signs may vary from person to person but can include increased cravings, changes in mood or behavior, withdrawal from social activities, or neglecting self-care. By becoming aware of your personal warning signs, you can take proactive measures to prevent relapse. The model also details how both specific and global strategies can be used to reduce the risk of relapse. Your journey to lasting sobriety is a powerful and transformative process.

Identifying Triggers and Warning Signs

The transition between emotional and mental relapse is not arbitrary, but the natural consequence of prolonged, poor self-care. When individuals exhibit poor self-care and live in emotional relapse long enough, eventually they start to feel uncomfortable in their own skin. As their tension builds, they start to think about using just to escape. I have also included a link to a public service video on relapse prevention that contains many of the ideas in this article and that is freely available to individuals and institutions 5. Your therapist, mental health professional, or SUD counselor will likely also have relapse prevention resources they can share with you. Generally, these resources are available as part of a comprehensive treatment program for SUD.

Relapse prevention plan for alcohol and substance use disorder

As part of relapse prevention it is critical to educate patients about the danger of unintentional overdose after a period of staying clean. With abstinence (or even reduced use), the individuals tolerance level for the drug decreases; resorting to using prior (e.g., pre-relapse) doses of opioids can cause overdose and death. Injectable-naloxone kits may help prevent a fatal opioid overdose in active users. In addition to these common signs, patients may have their own unique indicators as well that signal they are drifting away from recovery. It is important to help patients learn to identify their own warning signs of the relapse processthis will help them increase self-awareness and strengthen recovery. Within the relapse process, there are many opportunities for the individual to intervene, reengage with recovery-oriented behaviors, and get back on track with recovery.

• The difference between these two variables are that tonic processes represent how susceptible one is to relapse while phasic responses serve as factors that either cause or prevent relapse.
• Self-care means being mindful of negative or unhelpful thoughts that could incite relapse.
• According to NIDH, 85 percent of individuals relapse within a year of treatment which is why it’s so important to create a plan to stop relapse from occurring.
• If you’re a support group member, keep trusted group members or leaders’ information in your prevention plan.
• Professional treatment can help manage both the psychological and physical factors of addiction to promote recovery.

For example, celebrating these milestones may provide a tempting excuse to give into old relapse prevention plan habits. Give yourself credit for each small gain you make — one week sober, one month off drugs, etc. For each goal you achieve, give yourself a reward as motivation to keep moving forward. For instance, book yourself a relaxing massage or buy yourself something you’ve had your eye on.

• By knowing the triggers, the patient can put mitigation measures in place.
• With these resources, you’ll be well-equipped to create a comprehensive relapse prevention plan to support your journey to lasting recovery.
• If you’re not sure how to move through the recovery process, follow one of the relapse prevention plan models that are available.
• It can be due to various emotional, environmental, or social triggers.
• The relapse prevention model is a cognitive-behavioral approach designed to limit or prevent relapses.

Marlatt Relapse Prevention Model

• Sometimes, the simple act of sharing the unhealthy thoughts and exposing your negative energy demolishes the urge to use.
• This article provides practical worksheets, actionable tips, and a free template to help you create an effective plan.
• Relapse Prevention is considered among the most important clinical innovations in the substance use disorder treatment and recovery field, and continues to be one of the most widely practiced.
• A relapse prevention plan, often crafted in the safe confines of a treatment setting, is a strategic blueprint for those embarking on the new yet promising journey of recovery.
• They feel they have lost part of their life to addiction and don’t want to spend the rest of their life focused on recovery.

Once you’ve gotten sober again, you can review what happened leading up to and during the relapse. You can identify triggers, improve your coping strategies, and adjust your treatment plan so that it’s more effective. Individuals use drugs and alcohol to escape negative emotions; however, they also use as a reward and/or to enhance positive emotions 11. In these situations, poor self-care often precedes drug or alcohol use.

List Your Triggers and Coping Strategies

But that is the final and most difficult stage to stop, which is why people relapse. If an individual remains in mental relapse long enough without the necessary coping skills, clinical experience has shown they are more likely to turn to drugs or alcohol just to escape their turmoil. Developing effective coping strategies is essential for managing triggers and preventing relapse. Coping strategies are healthy alternatives individuals can use when faced with challenging situations or emotions. These strategies can help individuals navigate through cravings and maintain sobriety.

• The National Institute on Drug Abuse says newer treatments are designed to help with relapse prevention.1 Some people using these therapies don’t return to drugs.
• Sometimes they think that avoiding high-risk situations is a sign of weakness.
• It is important to develop an awareness and make a list of triggers to you can actively avoid them.
• Ben is personally in recovery and has been creating content for drug rehabs for over 10 years.
• Early warning signs of relapse often come long before an addict actually relapses.
• If you are currently engaging in therapeutic support, utilizing a sponsor, or attending meetings, you could discuss your plan in these settings.

The early months following treatment are a time of unique challenges and choices. Convenient and confidential, Hazelden Betty Ford’s Connection program provides you and your loved ones with personalized, phone-based, addiction recovery coaching by professional recovery coaches. Remember, a relapse isn’t a sign of failure but a common part of the journey to recovery. With the right tools and support, you can overcome relapses and continue on your path to a healthier and more fulfilling life. The purpose of this rule is to remind individuals not to resist or sabotage change by insisting that they do recovery their way. A simple test of whether a person is bending the rules is if they look for loopholes in recovery.