Relapse prevention is a must to stay sober. An addiction can be relentless while waiting on the sidelines for you to make a mistake. As a human, you will consistently have to work on your shortcomings to exhibit growth. If you are not willing to do something about your shortcomings, you may find yourself in a precarious situation that might lead you to a relapse. Recognizing the signs of relapse before they ever come up can help you easily identify them when they do.
Stress
Once you get back into the swing of things in sobriety, stressors can play a factor. Not being prepared for the brutal reality of life could get you anxious and afraid, causing you to make bad decisions to cope. Jobs, relationships, financial matters, and not keeping up with self-care could produce a stressful environment. When you get spun out of control due to the circumstances around you, a drink or a drug may seem like the best way to take the stress away.
Unrealistic Expectations
Resentments are the number one offender that cause people to relapse. If you dig deeper, resentments are caused by unrealistic expectations that you set for others, or for yourself, or you believe others have set for you. Too high of expectations is a disaster waiting to happen for a couple of reasons.
You could be extra hard on yourself, making you push yourself in the wrong manner. If you do not reach whatever you are trying to achieve, you might decide that being sober is more complicated than you thought and numb out with drugs and alcohol.
Isolation
Addiction is lonely because most people isolate to hide how bad their situation is. Isolating in recovery is also lonely. You need people to encourage your sobriety because you may start thinking that your recovery is for naught. Fellowship and being of service is the cornerstone of recovery because if you do not hear the solution from others who can relate, you may listen to your addiction, telling you that you were not that bad. People in recovery need each other, and you will find people that will enhance your recovery when you suit up and show up.
Mood Swings
There will be no doubt highs and lows in your mood. When they get in the way of your daily life, you will see problems arise in your mental health. Long-lasting bouts of anger, depression, frustration, entitlement, and intolerance take a toll on a person’s psyche. You became sober to try and improve your life, so if you are not experiencing shifts in joy, you may turn right back to drugs and alcohol to feel better.
Dishonesty
A common character trait of addiction is the inability to be truthful. In recovery, you find tools that will assist you in becoming more honest with yourself, and in return, become honest with others. You will find that if you give an inch, your addiction will try to take a mile.
Putting yourself in any situation that could be unprincipled could lead you back down the rabbit hole of dishonesty and straight towards a relapse. Trying to do the right thing when no one is watching is the best choice you can make to stay sober.
Broken Habits
As you started getting sober, you did certain things that helped you get better results in your recovery. If you start breaking the habits that were so helpful to you in the beginning, you may find yourself sliding in everything, which can be detrimental for your sobriety.
You may need to change some aspects of your program, such as what meetings you attend, the literature you read, or changing the day you go to therapy. The rule of thumb would be to replace what you have been doing with something just as comparable.
Eliminating them will do more harm than good. Changing certain aspects of your recovery may liven up things a bit or make you grateful for what you have been doing all along.
Arrogance
Recovery means getting right-sized in your sobriety because if you think you know everything, you are keeping yourself from discovering the solution. Confidence is often mistaken for arrogance, which will only deter your spiritual intuition and block positive energy.
If you take your recovery for granted, you will put yourself in jeopardy for relapse. A mentality of “I got this” will only prolong you from comprehending everything you need for long-term sobriety. Arrogance will seemingly need to give all the answers, while humility will seek the solution to stay sober.
Although relapse is not your intention, you still need to have a healthy fear that relapse could be a possibility if you are not doing the right things for your recovery. What you need to know about relapse is that anyone who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction can relapse if they are not cautious, including you.
Paying attention to these signs is essential to maintain sobriety. Be thankful that you made it into recovery in the first place because you may not have another recovery in you if you go back out there. Be proactive in your recovery and take care of today what you may not be able to get back tomorrow.
We want to give you a chance for long-term sobriety here at Valiant Living by helping you get sober and providing a relapse prevention plan to maintain your sobriety. Through evidence-based therapy options and the endless adventure of Colorado, Valiant fosters connection, encouraging clients to get connected to themselves, their peers, their families, and their higher power. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today for more information: (303) 536-5463
