The 12 Palms rehab blog publishes weekly addiction related articles directed to help and guide families and addicts on the addiction treatment and recovery.
When an individual decides to enter rehab, he or she is making a lifelong commitment to maintain sobriety. Once in rehab, substance abusers learn that recovery isn't a destination, but a life-long journey, one that they must learn to navigate to avoid the danger of a relapse.
The warning signs of a return to addiction can be better understood in the context of a relapse process, which usually begins inside the individual’s mind long before they actually relapse:
The individual stops making progress in recovery, which can happen they are faced with a challenge they feel unable or unwilling to deal with….
They then try to ignore the signs that they have stopped making progress…
The lack of progress begins to make life uncomfortable; the individual turns to poor coping mechanisms to deal with this…the frustration and internal discomfort continue to bubble away internally…
A trigger event provides the opportunity for this internal discomfort to rise to the surface. It could be a minor argument over something trivial, but the individual overreacts because the tension has been building up over time…
The individual begins to experience increasing emotional turmoil. This is the sort of discomfort that they used to deal with by turning to alcohol or drugs; now that they are sober, they may feel particularly vulnerable to these emotions. The inner turmoil makes it harder for the individual to think straight and carry on with normal life…
The emotional unrest may become more obvious to other people. The individual may appear angry or agitated. Their behavior may be erratic. At this point , they will stop doing the things they need to do in order to maintain sobriety…
The individual now feels overwhelmed and out of control; they spend more time thinking about how alcohol or drugs once allowed them to escape the difficulties of life. The motivation to stay sober is now no longer enough to prevent them from relapsing.
At 12 Palms Recovery Center, we know how easy it can be to relapse. Our individualized rehab programs not only help our clients reach sobriety, but also provide them with the tools they will need to help ensure a lasting sobriety. That includes including learning to recognize the warning signs of an impending relapse, so they can take action to shut it down:
• Focus on the reasons why they gave up their addiction, as well as their hopes and aspirations in recovery. If they have been keeping a recovery journal, now is a good time to go back and read it.
“If someone wants to get sober, this is a wonderful place to do it...12 Palms saved my life.”
— Fred
“When an addict is finally willing to admit that they are completely powerless over their addiction and need help recovering, they are left with a choice.”
