Causes of Relapse

CAUSES OF RELAPSE

RELAPCE is common for people who struggles with addiction to relapse at least one during recovery. Some even fall off the wagon several times before getting sober for the last time. 

infact despite approved treatment for substance use and addiction,     more than two third of individuals would relapse after initiating treatment.

Six Major Causes of Relapse

1.       Poor Drug Adherence

2.       Stress

3.       People or places connected to addiction behaviour

4.       Negative or challenging emotions

5.       Seeing or sensing the object of your Addiction

6.       Time of celebration

· Poor Drug Adherence: The Poor Adherence of individuals to their drugs might be a major trigger to relapse. Not taking of medication prescribed by medical practitioners for mental illness or substance use and other addiction might lead an individual to relapse.

·  Stress: This is the top cause of relapse and many people who struggles with addiction turns to their taking of substance and other activity of choice as a maladaptive ways of coping which might bring about lapse or Relapse.

·  People or places connected to addictive behavior: People who are into addictive behavioral are prone to relapse regardless or whether or not they are drinking, smoking or using drug likewise certain places that reminds them of their addiction can be a trigger for them. Even family members can be a trigger especially if they make them feel childlike of vonourable.

· Negative or challenging emotions: People who struggle with addiction needs effective ways of tolerating, managing and making sense of negative feeling encountered in daily life. Alcohol or drug or addictive behavior used to provide temporary relieve from those feeling, but you can not rely on them. It is good to realize that those negative feeling you are having does not have to be a sign of impending setback rather than learning how to face your emotion without escaping into addiction. Taking down a note of those your negative feeling and asking yourself why could be a coping skill to take it off.

Things you can do when having negative emotions are;

1.      Meditating
2.      Journaling
3.      Even prayer
4.     Find a healthy way to relieve your negativity and boost your  mind.

·  Seeing or sensing the object of your Addiction: Reminder of Addiction can trigger relapse during recovery. The sight of using substance, watching people sip cup tail in a bar or restaurants are reminders that seems to be everywhere in the early stages of quitting. Wanting to fall back into your addiction during recovery is a normal process but recovery is not just about building a new life which is easier and desirable. In recovery your focus should be in building a new life thinking about a negative consequences that you experience while participating in your addiction such as the people you hurt and relationship you lost.

·  Times of celebration: Positive situations such as birthdays, wedding, burial, Salah day,  Christmas, Easter, public holiday and weekends can be a trigger too. You may feel happy, in control and confident that you can handle one drink, one smoke or one mild flirtation with the attractive stranger but can you really keep it under control. people who struggle with addiction frequently loss their capacity to know when to stop, therefore that one drink can turn into a binge or treating self to one unnecessarily buying more than expected.

Conclusion

learning to recognize triggers with the help of therapist can help you overcome these causes of relapse and building a support network as a useful tools in preventing relapse. Do everything possible you can to protect yourself but don’t beat yourself if you don’t sleep. Remember relapse is not sign that recovery failed. You are navigating a new and unfamiliar part. So with continued therapy and support you should be able to build stronger defense against common triggers.