Drug addiction is a habit which in not an easy nut to crack. Inspite of a lot of efforts, therapies, and even a long duration of no use, chances are that a person may return back to the old habit of substance consumption. According to the studies of National Institute on Drug Abuse, around 40% to 60% of individuals relapse within the first year of treatment.
However, when a person returns to the drug use after attaining sobriety, they reduce tolerance to the drug. The body of a person isn’t as dependent as it was once and needs less usage of the drugs to feel its effects. But, the feeling of relapse is not really nice. A person experiences feelings of regret or shame. Furthermore, you may feel like giving up the fight against substance abuse, rather than continuing to work hard.
A relapse is defined as the worsening of a clinical condition which was previously improved to some extent. It means the resumption of substance consumption after a continuous effort to stop abstinence.
The risk of relapse is greatest in the first ninety days of recovery. This period is sensitive to stress and tempts a person to fall back its previous patterns of behaviour. It’s only the willpower and the inner strength that can keep a person stay away from the relapse.
The given signs and symptoms will be on the surface if a person would start resuming substance consumption habits once again:
Unfortunately, relapse after gaining soberity is a common occurrence. More than half of the recovering addicts experience this moment of weaknesses. Here are some of the common triggers for relapse:
There are other causes which bring the person back down to the path of uncontrollable drinking and excessive drug use. Have a look:
Patients should learn relapse prevention skills to live a happy and healthy life. So, here we bring the following practice which helps relapse prevention:
Q1. What is a relapse?
Ans. A relapse means resumption of substance abuse after an attempt to stop its usage. For example – a person who returns to drug usage after months may experiences a relapse.
Q2. How to cope up with relapse?
Ans. One should seek support of family, friends and other people to cope up with a relapse. Surround yourself with the people with positive mindset who provide you right guidance to recover from a relapse.
Q3. Why do I keep relapsing to alcohol consumption?
Ans. You might keep falling back to relapsing to alcohol consumption because you might be surrounded by the people who consume alcohol regularly or you visit the same places where you used to consume alcohol.
Q4. What is relapse prevention?
Ans. A Relapse Prevention Therapy is a kind of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy that primarily treats addiction and substance abuse. It harnesses cognitive and behavioural coping strategies to prevent future relapses in the similar situations.
Q5. How do coping strategies help clients prevent relapse?
Ans. Coping strategies like talking to a counsellor, joining a leisure activity, performing yoga distract the person’s mind from substance consumption and help them sustain on the path of recovery from addiction.
Q6. What to do when someone relapses?
Ans. When someone relapses, take him/her to the counsellor and seek help. You can also ask him/her to meditate. You must also encourage him/her to attend social events.
Q7. Why addicts relapse?
Ans. Addicts who do not complete their substance de-addiction programs or easily get stressed with the life situations are prone to relapse.
Here at Anatta Humaversity, we manage relapse cases and helps a person go back to doing the things that he/she loves the most. We are staffed with educated and dedicated staff that designs the treatment model according to the needs of patients and families to make sure they experience positive outcomes every time.
Managing Director and Counsellor
Primary Counsellor and Facilitator
Since 2003, he has been actively treating those afflicted and affected by chemical dependency using Meditation and Counseling as cornerstones of therapy.
Psychiatrist and Consultant
M.D(Psych) PhD.D.F.M
Dr. Jerajani is a consultant psychiatrist with a niche practice in Mumbai for the last three decades. He has worked in the field of Chemical Dependency ever since.
Administrative Director & Family Therapist
Management expert & counsellor
Vandana Hiranandani is an important part of the team of Anatta that helps organise Seminars, Workshops and Awareness Programs facilitated by Anatta Humanversity.
Director and Counsellor
B.H.M.S.,PG Hom.(Lon.)
A Bachelor in Homoeopathic Medical Science from Mumbai with a Post Graduation from The Hahnemann College of Homoeopathy – London.
Consultant Cardiologist, expert in Addiction management & HIV-AIDS care
Dr. M. Shashidhara Menon trained at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune (1974) and Institute of Naval Medicine (Mumbai University), India, has done post doctoral Fellowship training in HIV Medicine and Biostatistics from the University of South Florida, USA