Relapse Prevention
The first relapse prevention action to take when you have cravings.
Reach out to your support system and share how you feel.
The difference between a “lapse” and a “relapse.”
The "lapse" is the initial drink or drug use. The "relapse" is the return to uncontrolled using.
List the consequences of Negative thinking.
Cognitive Automatic Thoughts can lead to anxiety, resentments, stress, and depression, all of which can lead to relapse. Cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation help break old habits and retrain neural circuits to create new, healthier ways of thinking
In which stage of recovery Relapse has more risk to occur?
Post-acute withdrawal
True or False. In recovery from addiction, people have to develop a healthy fear of the people, places, and things that were part of using.
True. This requires significant mental retraining because those people, places, and things were previously associated with positive emotions.
The first goal of treatment for relapse prevention.
Learn triggers and the early warning signs (red-flags).
True or False. Cognitive therapy is very effective in relapse prevention.
Cognitive therapy is one of the main tools for changing people’s negative thinking and developing healthy coping skills. Its effectiveness in relapse prevention has been confirmed in numerous studies.
True or False. Redefining Fun is an important coping skill for Relapse Prevention.
True. Clinical experience has shown that when people in recovery are under stress, they tend to glamorize their past use and think about it longingly. They start to think that recovery is hard work and addiction was fun. They begin to disqualify the positives they have gained through recovery. The cognitive challenge is to acknowledge that recovery is sometimes hard work but addiction is even harder.
True or False. Post-Acute Withdrawal symptoms have a prolonged duration, which can last up to 2 years.
True. Post-acute withdrawal symptoms can last up to 2 years and the danger is that the symptoms tend to come and go. It is not unusual to have no symptoms for 1 to 2 weeks, only to get hit again.
True or False. Addiction requires lying. Addicts must lie about getting their drug, hiding the drug, denying the consequences, and planning their next relapse. Eventually, addicted individuals end up lying to themselves.
True. Clinical experience shows that when recovery addicts feel they cannot be completely honest, it is a sign of emotional relapse. Practice Honesty every day. A simple test of complete honesty is feeling “uncomfortably honest” when sharing within their recovery circle.
True or False. Relapse begins weeks and sometime months before an individual picks up a drink or drug.
True. Relapse encompasses three stages: emotional, mental, and physical.
True or False. Relapse prevention involves saying no just before you are about to use.
False. Saying "no" 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.
What is a "Setback" in relapse prevention?
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.
How long can a person in recovery from addiction stay in the Repair Stage?
Clinical experience has shown that the second stage of recovery, the Repair Stage, usually lasts 2 to 3 years. This is the stage where recovery addicts confront the damage caused by addiction to their relationships, employment, finances, and self-esteem. They must also overcome the guilt and negative self-labeling that evolved during addiction.
Why is abiding to rules important for recovery?
The purpose of abiding to rules 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. A warning sign is when clients ask for professional help and consistently ignore the advice.
List six signs of emotional relapse.
1) bottling up emotions; 2) isolating; 3) not going to meetings; 4) going to meetings but not sharing; 5) focusing on others (focusing on other people’s problems or focusing on how other people affect them); and 6) poor eating and sleeping habits.
The definition of negative thinking.
Negative thinking refers to a pattern of thinking negatively about yourself and your surroundings. Negative thinking that underlies addictive thinking is usually all-or-nothing thinking, disqualifying the positives, catastrophizing, and negatively self-labeling.
The four stages of Recovery.
1) Abstinence Stage
2) Post-Acute Withdrawal
3) Repair Stage
4) Growth Stage
List the five rules of Recovery.
1) change your life; 2) be completely honest; 3) ask for help; 4) practice self-care; and 5) don’t bend the rules. REMEMBER: No one achieves recovery by just not using.
The three fundamental changes that need to happen to recover from addiction.
Change negative thinking patterns
Avoid people, places, and things associated with using (Change the 3 Ws - Who, Where, What.)
Incorporate the five rules of recovery
What is one helpful acronym to identify lack of self-care.
HALT: hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. For some individuals, self-care is as basic as physical self-care, such as sleep, hygiene, and a healthy diet. For most individuals, self-care is about emotional self-care.
1) craving for drugs or alcohol; 2) thinking about people, places, and things associated with past use; 3) minimizing consequences of past use or glamorizing past use; 4) bargaining; 5) lying; 6) thinking of schemes to better control using; 7) looking for relapse opportunities; and 8) planning a relapse.
The difference between Post-acute withdrawal and acute withdrawal phase.
In the acute withdrawal occur physical symptoms. The Post-acute withdrawal has mostly psychological and emotional symptoms.
List seven symptoms of PAWS.
1) mood swings; 2) anxiety; 3) irritability; 4) variable energy; 5) low enthusiasm; 6) variable concentration; and 7) disturbed sleep.
The difference between "non-users" and "denied users."
A denied user is in chronic mental relapse and at high-risk for future relapse. Clinical experience has shown that everyone in early recovery is a denied user. The goal is to help individuals move from denied users to non-users.