Relapse isn’t just about picking up a drink or a drug! (part one)

Physical relapse is the final action of a much deeper process and when we look at relapse, we can see that the “relapse” started sometimes weeks or months ago.  We need to understanding that addiction relapse is not just the physical action of picking up a drink or a drug.

When looking into addiction relapse we can see that it breaks down into 3 main areas such as: mental awareness, emotional wellness, and physical relapse.

The key to continued recovery is to be aware of early addiction relapse symptoms in order to preventative action. Lets take a look at each section and hopefully this can give you some insight into your own process.

The mental relapse:

It is hard sometimes to recognize the earlier stages of the mental addiction relapse due to the fact that we are the only ones struggling with this war inside of our heads. Most times it can start of so innocently and warp into an oddly sick obsession. The mental process can break down, sometimes slowly, sometime quickly and our lines of defenses are not so clear

Looking at the earlier stages of mental relapse:

• Justifying actions
• Minimizing addictive behaviors
• Thoughts about old places, friendships or experiences
• Playing around with relapse, thinking about ways that you can conceal your addiction relapse
• Lying
• Not tell others about your thoughts and remaining in isolation
• “War stories” glamorizing your past using/behaviors
• Associating with past negative social networks which puts you into harms way

We have only listed a few, it’s important to know what your red flags are around your patterns of mental relapse. One of the most important tools in dealing with mental relapse is to include a healthy support system that is educated in what your red flags look like. Disclosing your mental relapse signs to your support system can be an overwhelming task however is completely essential if you want to tackle your addiction. Bring people closer can have amazing benefits and start to create a sense of self-esteem, inclusion and overall trust.

Developing tools for dealing with you mental relapses:

Journaling:

can be an amazing and effective tool for developing a deep awareness of our mental processes. Using the journaling tool can be very powerful and help us to see the complexities.

Accessing a healthy support group:

Talking about the internal process can be a very powerful tool and it lets people understand us! We are not alone and there are many options for us such as 12-step groups, rehab treatment, sponsors, community addiction services, help-lines, counsellors, relapse prevention and etc..

Healthy Activities:

Get into action, a restless mind breeds many problems! Walking, belonging to a sports group, yoga, acting, running clubs, hobbies and ect.. If we are creative we can find many free activities to be involved in. Many times looking at someone’s relapse we can see it was a person doing the same old things and expecting different results.

Reading positive materials:

Picking up positive and supportive materials can be the backbone of new thinking. As they say garbage in – garbage out! Starting your day with powerful and positive reading material can help us to put the right foot down and feel like we are on the right track.

Taking time out:

Slowing down and have time to meditate or simply just slowing down and giving your self-time for self care. We are more open to accepting change when we are in a calmer state, charging the batteries help us to refocus.

Emotional Wellness:

We need to pay special attention to all signs of relapse however our emotional wellness can be a major contributing factor to our overall chances of long-term success. Balanced emotional wellness is something that just doesn’t happen over night and sometimes can take years to really take shape. In most cases, our addition served as a tool, keeping us feeling safe and suppressing our emotional process.

It quite common that once someone stops their addiction, they can experience a traumatic emotional rollercoaster ride and feel that they are on shaky ground at the best of times. Understanding that this common experience is part of a first step in developing awareness and tools for dealing with or newfound emotional process. This is one of the reasons why 12-step groups have been a contributing factor to the success of sobriety. The feelings of been alone can be overwhelming and to much to deal with.

In part two we are going to take a closer look into the Physical signs, common tips in dealing with relapses and much more…

Submitted by LDR Holistic Treatment Servives