Although approaching addiction treatment with positivity is the best way to go about it, it is also important to be realistic with your treatment as well. Unfortunately, relapse is a very real possibility to consider and avoid during addiction recovery. Here are the top 5 reasons why people give up on sobriety and how you can avoid them.
1. Mental Health Problems
Problems with depression, anxiety, and even just coping with an upsetting life event can lead a recovering addict to relapse. Other types of mental conditions can lead to this as well. A way that mental health problems can be avoided during addiction treatment and recovery is through going to therapy that is relevant to your situation even after drug rehab. For example those who have experienced trauma may want to see a therapist that specializes in this along with a therapist that specializes in treating recovering addicts. Get tips on how to avoid relapse from Abbey Care Foundation.
2. Pushing Themselves too far
Another common reason why people relapse is by pushing themselves too far too soon into their recovery. Usually this appears in the form of over confidence, especially just after detox. For example, a recovering alcoholic going to a casino with a bar because they think that they will be just fine in that situation might find that they are more tempted than they had originally thought. A good way to avoid this is to remember to take your recovery slow and take all of the necessary precautions. “For this reason, we always recommend to our clients to enroll into an intensive outpatient program, or at least some sort of peer support program”, says Terri Edwards, COO at Briarwood Detox Center.
3. Boredom
Another very common cause to relapse is experiencing boredom. It is not unusual for substance abusers to fill their free time with using drugs, and not doing this may initially feel strange. An easy way to combat boredom is to fill your time up with hobbies. These can be old hobbies that you take up again or hobbies that are brand new to you. This is a chance for you to have fun with your recovery.
4. Being Impatient
Another cause for relapse is being impatient, especially when the recovering addict is new to sober living. It is important to remember that addiction recovery is a process that should never be rushed, and that it is normal to feel as if your treatment is taking a while. A way that you can avoid having this mentality get to you is by staying in contact with members of your support system, support groups, and any other people who support you and your addiction recovery. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
5. Poor Physical Health
Like mental health, it is also important to keep up with your physical health as well. Curing physical ailments with addictive substances is never advised, but is a common reason for a relapse. For this reason, addiction professionals promote eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly to prevent feeling worse.
Conclusion
It is always best to enter addiction treatment and recovery with as much positivity as possible. However, this does not mean that the possibility of a relapse should be forgotten about. It is helpful to understand what the most common reasons for a relapse are so that you can also know how to avoid them. For example, knowing that boredom can be a common addiction trigger can let you know that you should fill all of your free time with positive and fun activities. This way, that common addiction trigger should not be a problem for you.
