When you recognize that you’re suffering from a substance use disorder, you end up facing the challenge of getting clean and sober. This involves going through detox and a treatment program that allows you to start living a new, healthier lifestyle. However, there will always be the risk that you’ll relapse sometime in the future, particularly if you stop using the resources and coping mechanisms that you learned to use in rehab. Fortunately, there is help when you fear that you’re in danger of relapsing.
When you call The National Rehab Hotline at 866-210-1303, you’ll be connected with a counselor who can discuss your situation with you. Since the craving to use typically lasts no more than seven minutes, this phone call can help you save yourself from making a mistake that will have long-lasting consequences.
Addiction Relapses Are More Common Than You Think
It’s a myth to believe that you have failed in your recovery attempt if you do relapse. While this is a setback, you can move forward with a successful recovery from that point. In fact, many recovering addicts do relapse at least once in their lives, and the relapse usually comes with their earliest attempts to stay clean and sober. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, between 40% and 60% of recovering addicts experience at least one relapse. While you should do everything you can to avoid relapsing, the results of this study indicate that relapsing is an expected part of the recovery process. In simpler terms, you should not feel embarrassed or humiliated to admit that you need help to avoid a relapse.
You should call The National Rehab Hotline at 866-210-1303 as soon as you begin to suspect that you may be in danger of relapsing. This is because a relapse can be significantly more hazardous to your health than the threat you faced with your initial substance use problems. Depending on how long you have been in recovery, your body may not be prepared for the renewed exposure to alcohol or drugs.
The detox step that starts your recovery is important because it flushes the drugs or alcohol out of your system. As a result, your brain, central nervous system, and vital organs learn to function in a sober state. This means the tolerance for drugs and alcohol you developed over time is gone. If you feed a craving by using the same dose size that you took the last time you used, you may be subjecting yourself to an amount that your body can’t handle. This is why so many recovering addicts end up overdosing upon relapsing.
Why Do Recovering Addicts Relapse?
In an article written for Very Well Mind, Dr. Elizabeth Hartney mentions that relapse is a normal part of addiction recovery, affecting people who suffer from nicotine and alcohol addiction as well as affecting those struggling with an opioid dependency. While giving into cravings is a common experience, the reasons for relapses vary from individual to individual. There are external and internal triggers that can prompt a relapse, so if you experience any of the following triggers, you should call us at 866-210-1303 as soon as possible. Talking with a counselor in a crisis situation can help you cope with these triggers.
Stress
Anxiety and tension are strong triggers that every addict faces in recovery. Since substance use is a common method for dealing with stress for those with substance use disorders, relapsing is often a response to stress after beginning recovery. It seems like an easy solution to a recovering addict, but you may not realize that using alcohol or drugs will only alleviate stress temporarily. Once you lose the euphoric sensation that the substance provides, the stress will return and will usually feel more intense. Healthier coping mechanisms, such as physical exercise or meditation, are more effective in dealing with daily stress.
Peer Pressure
External triggers come in many forms, including old friends and familiar places where obtaining an addict’s preferred substance is easily available. For example, if you live near a bar that you frequented in the past, the temptation to step inside for “old time’s sake” may be too strong. Once the familiar sights and sounds affect you, any cravings you feel will be stronger.
Similarly, reuniting with old friends with whom you used substances in the past will usually lead to a relapse. Even if your friends aren’t pressuring you to use again, you may feel tempted to use to help you fit in with them. These are a few reasons addiction counselors urge recovering addicts to move into a new community. Spending some time in a sober living house can help by giving you the time to find a home in a community you like.
Co-occurring Conditions
A co-occurring mental disorder is common among the majority of addicts, and when this condition isn’t treated, the possibility of a relapse is increased. According to Help Guide, 37% of those with alcohol use problems also suffer from at least one mental or emotional health disorder. The same is true for 53% of drug users.
Identifying these mental health issues is vital to a sustained recovery because, in many cases, the individual’s mental health problems contributed to the addiction. Often, drugs or alcohol are used by the individual to compensate or self-medicate for emotional health problems. This creates a cycle of substance use that leads to addiction. If your mental health issues aren’t treated, you will likely feel the need to relapse in order to self-medicate in the future.
Is a Relapse Prevention Hotline Safe?
When you do experience these triggers, the best thing to do is to call The National Rehab Hotline at 866-210-1303 to get help. Our advisors are trained to help you deal with your substance use problems, and we take that role very seriously. Many of us are also in recovery, so we understand your fears and concerns from a first-hand perspective.
We’re sworn to protect your privacy and keep everything you say confidential. Additionally, the call you make to the hotline is anonymous. You’re not required to give your real name or any other information that could be used to identify you. The only purpose of The National Rehab Hotline is to provide you with the help you need to avoid relapsing.
How Can You Know That Calling a Hotline Is the Right Thing to Do?
Many people resist calling The National Rehab Hotline because they don’t really believe they are in crisis or facing relapse. They feel as though they would be taking up the time of advisors who could otherwise be helping others who really need the help. Your first step in preparing for a call to the hotline is realizing that your sobriety is important and that you should avail yourself of the free help we offer.
You should also consider what an advisor can do for you. We will discuss your situation with you and give you the opportunity to talk about why you fear you might relapse. We can offer you advice or recommend healthy coping mechanisms that you can use in place of using drugs or alcohol. We will also inform you about resources in your community that will help you get more intensive or practical help for your addiction.
Even if you’re not the individual with an addiction problem, you can still benefit from calling The National Rehab Hotline. You can call and talk to an advisor about a loved one who is struggling with their substance use disorder. This will give you the information you need to help your loved one stay sober or seek the treatment they need to live a clean lifestyle.
This may involve finding out about available treatment facilities in your area, or the advisor may help you learn how to convince your loved one to seek help. Addiction treatment is significantly more effective when an addict wants to get clean. The help that one of our advisors can provide to assist you in talking to your loved one can be an essential first step.
Be Able to Recognize the Warning Signs of Relapse
Identifying the signs of a potential relapse can be a little trickier than recognizing an existing substance use disorder. This is because you’ll want to recognize the potential for relapse before you or your loved one starts using again. It’s not easy to predict behavioral patterns in this way, but there are a few signs that indicate the potential for relapse.
Romanticizing drug or alcohol use is one of the most common signs that a relapse may be impending. Despite the troubles that your substance use disorder may have caused, you’ll begin recalling only the good memories relating to your substance use.
Recovering addicts in this position tend to forget that they may have destroyed relationships, risked their jobs, or lost their homes. Instead, they will focus more on the fun they had while intoxicated or high. Life will seem to have been easier, so using again may not seem so bad.
Someone facing a potential relapse will also convince themselves that they won’t develop addiction problems with their next use of alcohol or drugs. If you are in crisis, you may think you can take just one dose of a drug or drink one glass of beer without falling back into the cycle of addiction. Unfortunately, it rarely works out that way. If you take the chance and use just that one time, you may end up back into your high-risk behavior patterns without realizing it.
As the danger of relapse becomes more imminent, you should pay closer attention to the remarks others make about your behavior. People on the verge of relapse go through changes in behavior that help them prepare to use again.
For example, a common behavioral change is to seek isolation. You may stop attending support group meetings and may distance yourself from your sober friends. If someone shows concern about these changes, you may also lash out at them. Reacting strongly to comments about your behavior will be the result of others verbalizing the same fears you have been feeling about a relapse.
Additionally, you’ll use the opportunity to alienate those who might interfere with your substance use. If this situation seems familiar, you should reach out for help immediately. Talking to one of our advisors can help you avoid relapsing before you destroy all of the progress you have made.
Take the First Step in Getting Help
Often, recovering addicts who reach out for help realize that they may need more than one telephone conversation to help them stay clean. The National Rehab Hotline is a free resource that can help you cope with an immediate crisis, but the advisor you talk to can direct you to other resources.
They can help you start a new addiction treatment program that meets your needs. In some cases, this may involve returning to an inpatient rehab facility. However, some recovering addicts who have already participated in one inpatient program may be better suited for an outpatient program. Outpatient services offer the flexibility that will let you meet your familial and career obligations as you get the help you need. You can discuss your treatment needs with one of our advisors when you call the hotline at 866-210-1303.
At the same time, you should also be aware that calling the hotline doesn’t obligate you to begin a new addiction treatment program. If you just need help getting past an immediate craving, that’s the only help you’ll get from our advisors. You determine how much help you need. We’re available to answer your questions and talk to you about your experience. If you want more help or you want information about resources in your community, we’re happy to provide it.
While relapses are common, you can avoid this challenging setback by knowing how to recognize a problem. If you think you may be in danger of using again, it’s up to you to seek the help you need to avoid relapsing. Having a short conversation about your fears or cravings can help you stay clean, allowing you to ride out the temptation to use.