Addiction Relapse

The path to recovery for an drug addict is a life-long commitment. Addiction relapse is a very common issue that can plague many addicts. Addiction relapse occurs long before the individual begins using again. In fact, there are professionally documented warning signs to be aware of. More than 25 years ago, the Gorski and Miller study pinpointed 11 indicators of a potential drug or alcohol relapse.

1. Attitude Changes:

The danger of addiction relapse begins when an individual in recovery starts to experience negative shifts in attitude. Attending supporting groups and working the program loses priority. The individual begins to experience addictive thought patterns that are unmanageable.

2. Increased Stress Levels:

Changes in one’s environment can naturally lead to increased stress levels for anyone. An individual in recovery may not be prepared to deal with increased stress levels in a healthy way.

It is the beauty of human nature to find joy in helping others. However, this willingness to help others can sometimes become self-destructive. If you are in a relationship with a family member who is struggling with addiction, whether that individual is a parent, a child, a significant other or even a friend, it is no easy role to be in. Of course you want to help the people you care for. But, it is extremely important to understand that just as an addict cannot control his or her drug addiction, neither can you control an addict’s behavior.

When helping another turns self-destructive, it is clear that a codependency has developed. Codependency can be described as an overwhelming desire to control another person’s behavior and to be significantly affected at a deep emotional level by another’s behavior. This is a particularly common feature of relationships that involve drug and alcohol addictions.

Making the decision to join a rehab program is certainly not an overnight decision. But if you allow yourself to take the first steps toward recovery, doors will be begin to open for you that can lead to a clean and rewarding way of life.

Let go of Denial

If you struggle with addiction, the first step can be the biggest — letting go of your denial. Admitting you have a problem can be liberating and lead the transformation toward recovery. But as long as you deny you have a problem, the cycle will continue, as will the haunting guilt that can overwhelm you.
The first of 12 Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous reads, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — That our lives had become unmanageable.”

Does this sentence resonate with you? Maybe the truth of the sentence feels uncomfortable.

Step Two: We came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

The first Spiritual Principle found in the Second Step is Hope.

“OK, so I’m insane. Now what?,” You ask? In Step Two, we are offered hope that we too, can get better. Hope is a belief in something that is possible. It doesn’t mean that by working this step we will be instantly restored to sanity. It means that if we continue to stay clean and sober and work the rest of the steps, that we could be restored to sanity. That sounds like a pretty good idea! How do we be restored?

In the First Step we learned that we were addicts and or alcoholics and that our lives had become unmanageable as a result. In the Second Step, we come to learn that the answer to this un-manageability is a Power greater than ourselves.