Values
This term describes things or beliefs that are deeply important to a person and can act like a roadmap guiding their life choices.
What are values?
This word describes people, places, things, emotions, or situations that can increase the chance of a relapse.
What is a trigger?
This term refers to the often-subtle changes in thoughts, feelings, or behavior that tend to show up before a relapse happens.
What are early warning signs?
This is the name for a personalized written plan that lists a person's triggers, warning signs, coping strategies, and supports.
What is a relapse prevention plan?
This is the general definition of relapse: a deterioration or worsening in someone's health after this.
What is a period of improvement?
This term describes a specific goal a person sets around what they'd like to improve about their overall mental health.
What is a wellness goal?
Triggers can be external, like certain people or places, or this other kind — coming from inside a person, such as stress or anxiety.
What is an internal trigger?
Most relapses don't happen all at once — instead, they tend to unfold in this gradual way, developing over time.
What is gradually?
Along with triggers and warning signs, a strong relapse prevention plan also includes coping strategies, a step-by-step emergency action plan, and this — a list of people who can help.
What is a support network?
The core, encouraging belief behind relapse prevention work is that relapse is not this — it's viewed instead as a learning opportunity.
What is failure?
Living life "on autopilot" — making choices without reflecting on them — can gradually pull someone away from this.
What are their values?
Common categories of triggers include physical states, situations, mental health symptoms, and this — specific self-talk like "I don't need help" or "What's the use?"
What are thoughts?
Widely reported early warning signs of a mental health relapse include changes in sleep, appetite, energy, and this — a person's attention to hygiene, nutrition, and daily routines.
What is self-care?
When noticing a warning sign, one helpful question to ask yourself is whether this is elevated, and what you could do to lower it.
What is stress?
Relapse prevention applies not just to substance use, but to any deterioration in this broader area of a person's health.
What is (their) mental health?
Regularly pausing to check whether your day-to-day choices line up with what matters most to you is an example of doing this.
What is a values check-in (self-reflection)?
Left unaddressed, a trigger can lead to this strong and persistent desire to use a substance or engage in an unhealthy coping behavior.
What is a craving/urge?
People aren't always the first to notice their own early warning signs — this is why friends, family, and other supportive people are often described as this.
What are "extra eyes and ears" (allies/support system)?
Involving supportive people in building your plan — and asking them to play a specific role — is a recommended step because they can help you notice this.
What is a relapse starting / early warning signs?
Experts often describe relapse as unfolding in stages — starting with an emotional stage, followed by this stage, marked by cravings and internal conflict before any actual return to the behavior.
What is mental relapse?
Comparing where you were some months ago to where you'd like to be in the future is one way of noticing this kind of difference in your life.
What is the gap between past and desired behavior/goals?
A key reason for identifying your personal triggers is so you can do this in advance, before you're actually facing the trigger.
What is making a coping plan/strategy?
Recognizing an early warning sign right away and acting on it can help a person avoid this more serious outcome.
What is a full relapse?
Experiencing a relapse does not mean this — it's often described instead as a normal part of recovery that can offer useful insight.
What is treatment/recovery failing?
The overarching, positive goal that relapse prevention work is aimed toward is this state.
What is wellness?