Tips on Avoiding and Preventing Relapse

Once an individual has completed rehab and entered the maintenance phase of recovery, the real test begins.  Instead of being surrounded by fellow recovering addicts, counselors and strong family support, the recovering addict finds himself in a brave new world of temptation, pressure and obstacles.  This is true for anyone but these challenges can present difficulties to the newly recovering addict.

Here are a few tips to remember as you begin your new life, clean and sober:

Stay in the Program

Just because you’ve left the rehab treatment center or you are no longer attending daily outpatient therapy sessions does not mean you are on your own.  By staying in a support program, perhaps for years, you can continue to reinforce the skills you’ve learned along the way.  You can apply the principles of recovery to your daily life by consistently reminding yourself there are people to help you. Attend NA or AA meetings every day on your lunch hour or on your way home from work.  You’ll make friends who understand who you are and where you come from, and you can support each other as you face the temptations of everyday life.

Stay Away From Harmful Influences

It is not uncommon for the recovering addict to want to share their new lifestyle with friends or family members who have not yet made the leap into recovery.  Unfortunately, these same “friends” who shared the addiction experience with you may, in turn, bring you back into a lifestyle you would rather avoid.

It is better, at least until you are firmly rooted in your recovery, to refrain from contact with people and locations that bring your former life back into the forefront of your new world.  In order to increase your chances for staying clean, create new connections and new friendships in a healthy community.

Change Habits and Routines

Do you drive to work through a neighborhood where you have used or purchased drugs?  Find a new route to work.  Do you spend every Friday night at a local club because you enjoy the atmosphere and music?  Find a new hobby.  Is your favorite section of the beach a local hangout for the high-powered executives who like to unwind a little on the weekends?  Find new waves.

Making changes in your life is difficult.  Saying goodbye to old ways of doing things and former activities you’ve enjoyed can bring on feelings akin to grieving.  It is perfectly acceptable to grieve for these losses, but it is important that you make the changes you need in order live your life without the everyday temptations that these former aspects tend to bring.

Surround Yourself With Healthy People

One of the most important rules of a drug-free life is that the life is, in fact, drug free.  A zero-tolerance policy concerning drugs is essential to making sure your life is unaffected by the choices of others.  It is easy to believe that everyone has a choice - that you have no right to make choices for others.  If they wish to use casually, they have that right.  As true as this statement may be, you also have rights.  You also have choices.  You can choose to not allow these individuals into your life.  You are not a casual user.  You are a recovering addict. Your life is more important than your friends’ desire to get high.

Ask for Help

Perhaps the most important tip of all, remembering to ask for help can literally save your life.  Especially in the early days of recovery, temptations to use will come in many forms.  Got your job back?  Let’s celebrate!  Your childhood pet passed away?  You may be tempted to escape the pain, as you have in the past, through the use of drugs or alcohol.

It is in these moments that asking for help is so vitally important.  There are several ways you can ask for help:

• Call your AA or NA sponsor, regardless of the day or time.
• Call your pastor or deacon if you’re a member of a church.
• Call a trusted family member.
• Call your rehab facility or get in touch with your counselor.
• Visit a local emergency room and explain the situation.

Before you choose to use, make sure you think about the strides you’ve made and what using will really cost you.

A List of Aftercare Support Groups for Recovering Addicts

For an addict, one of the most important days of their lives comes when their drug treatment counselor says, “You’re ready for aftercare.”  Aftercare is the part of the process that comes after an addict has successfully completed a drug treatment program.  It means they are ready to begin their lives anew.  That, all by itself, can be a scary proposition.  To help the recovering addict through the ups and downs of daily life, there exists several established aftercare support groups that are available - day and night - to help keep the recovering addict on the straight and narrow.

Narcotics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous was founded in the 1950s after the model of Alcoholics Anonymous.  It is an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping drug addicts and anyone who would like to join them along the way to stay clean and sober.  A quick visit to their main website can put the recovering addict in contact with a chapter close by.  If there isn’t a meeting available due to distance restrictions, there are phone numbers available for support.

The concept of this organization is based upon recovering addicts helping recovering addicts.  They do not care how much an individual used, what kinds of drugs were abused or how those drugs may have affected the life of the abuser.  They care about what will happen next, and they have had decades of success helping addicts reach sobriety.

LifeRing

LifeRing is a support network for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts based upon the concept that the positive self can reach out to support the positive selves of others.  In the same manner that two addicts may use together, LifeRing teaches sober individuals to stay sober together.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous, affectionately known as “AA” around the world, is a place where those addicted to alcohol can celebrate their sobriety, obtain counseling, reach out to others in service, as well as call upon others in their group for help when they need it.

Local Churches

For those addicts who reside in small, rural areas of the country, it is possible that there are no “famous” support groups in the area.  This doesn’t mean there are no places to turn to for support.  Local churches often have a support group that will meet locally, combining modalities and sharing life stories of victory and defeat.  If there are no organizations or support groups, a recovering addict may find support and help by starting a group of their own.

Local Hospitals

Because of the health implications involved in drug and alcohol abuse and recovery, it is not uncommon for local hospitals to have a list of nearby support groups.  A visit to a local emergency room when a recovering addict fears they may relapse is a better choice than the alternative, of course.  However, finding a support group prior to that situation is a better course of action.

There are many support groups available that can offer a recovering addict a safe place to talk with others who have been through similar life experiences.  This can be a crucial piece of the recovery plan and has proven to be beneficial in a great majority of successful recoveries.

Who needs Rehab?

Rehab is designed for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. In many cases, their lives are out of control because of their addictions and they need outside help. Many people will try to quit drugs numerous times before they are finally able to do so. It does not matter whether or not they try on their own or need to enter several rehabilitation programs. While this can be frustrating for the addict themselves and also for people who love and care for them, this is typically a part of the process of getting clean. Very few people are able to quit cold turkey the first time they attempt to do so.

There are many types of rehabilitation programs, designed to treat different addictions. People find them selves addicted to not only drugs but also all gambling, sex and even pornography. If a person finds themselves out of control or getting out of control, they may be interested in getting some type of intervention and rehab offers this.

Rehab facilities are organized differently. Some are residential where persons actually get to stay in the group home or building. Others are outpatient programs where individuals are allowed to visit the facility for meetings and/or counseling. Some rehab programs take the form of support groups, giving individuals the opportunity to talk about their addictions, their successes and their struggles.

Individuals who need rehab may not necessarily be at a point in their lives where they are out of control. They make just be concerned with some of their behaviors and want to stop themselves before they end up in trouble or addicted. In this sense, it is a preventative measure. It is much easier to nip a problem in the bud before it gets out of control, versus waiting until you feel overwhelmed.

Mostly, rehab is for people who need professional help and who have not been able to stop a certain behavior by themselves. They recognize that they need someone outside of the situation to help turn things around.

Persons who are in an environment that is not conducive to getting clean may also choose to go to rehab. This gives them an opportunity to focus on their sobriety and to get away from people or situations which make it easy or enticing to take drugs, drink alcohol or engage in behaviors that are unhealthy and that they would like to quit.