3 Stages of Relapse - ARISE Treatment Center for Drugs & Alcohol

Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease that can affect every area of your life. Because of the severity of addiction, recovery requires ongoing and lifelong management. Unfortunately, failure to continue managing the condition makes it likely for people to relapse before they achieve long-term sobriety.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the relapse rate for addiction is somewhere between 40 to 60%.

While relapse is common among recovering addicts, it is possible to avoid it. Relapse doesn’t happen overnight. It typically occurs in stages. Understanding the stage of relapse and each stage’s symptoms can help individuals spot the warning signs and prevent a drug and alcohol relapse.

Understanding the Three Stages of Relapse

When you think of a relapse, you probably imagine someone abusing drugs or alcohol after a period of abstinence. While this is a part of addiction relapse, this is only the end stage. Drug and alcohol relapse typically occurs in three stages: emotional, mental, and physical.

The stage of relapse you are likely familiar with is the physical stage when someone actually uses drugs or alcohol–but there are stages leading up to this. Being aware of the emotional and mental stages of relapse can allow you to take action to prevent the physical stage from occurring.

The three stages of relapse are:

 

Stages of Relapse in Addiction Recovery

 

1. Emotional Relapse

The first stage of relapse is emotional.

Most people suffering from addiction abuse substances to numb negative emotions they experience, like anger, irritability, depression, or anxiety. During an emotional relapse, the negative feelings that used to consume you will return.

Signs of emotional relapse include:

  • Bottling up your emotions
  • Isolating yourself from your loved ones
  • Poor eating and sleeping habits
  • Not attending your recovery support meetings
  • Focusing on other people’s problems instead of your own
  • Not managing feelings like anger, sadness, irritability, or anxiety in a healthy way
  • Becoming defensive or intolerant of others
  • Experiencing mood swings
  • Neglecting to ask for help when you need it
  • Poor self-care
  • Not having fun sober

When those feelings come back after you have gotten sober, you are at risk of relapsing. If you do not have effective coping mechanisms to use when you experience these negative emotions, you will likely move on to the mental stage of relapse.

2. Mental Relapse

The next stage of relapse is mental.

When you do not work on managing the feelings associated with an emotional relapse, you will fall into a mental relapse. Mental relapse is characterized by fantasizing about abusing substances to soothe your difficult emotions. You might experience strong cravings or urges to abuse drugs and alcohol or begin justifying substance abuse in your head.

Signs of mental relapse include:

  • Cravings for drugs and alcohol
  • Thinking about people, places, or things associated with your past substance abuse
  • Associating with old friends you used to abuse substances with
  • Minimizing the consequences you experienced during addiction
  • Glamorizing or romanticizing drug abuse
  • Thinking about situations that would be “acceptable” to abuse drugs in
  • Believing that you can use substances in a controlled manner
  • Lying to others or even yourself
  • Looking for opportunities to relapse
  • Imagining, fantasizing, or planning a relapse

If you do not engage in healthy coping mechanisms and ask for help, you could quickly move on to the physical and final stage of relapse. Unfortunately, relapse is incredibly dangerous, as many people attempt to use the same dose of drugs they were taking when they had a tolerance, placing themselves at risk of an overdose.

3. Physical Relapse

The final stage of relapse is physical. During this stage, you start using drugs or alcohol again after a period of abstinence.

It is important to remember that while relapsing is not a good thing, it can happen to anyone. Beating yourself up will only make it less likely for you to reach out for help and achieve sobriety. If you experience a physical relapse you should always reach out to someone you trust, explain your situation, and decide what your next steps should be.

Since relapse is common among recovering addicts and alcoholics, you should always have a plan in place in case it happens to you. This plan could include going back to rehab, attending frequent meetings, checking into a detox center that can help you through withdrawal, modifying your relapse prevention plan, or participating in more individual and group therapy sessions. Whatever your plan is, it should include a variety of supportive methods proven beneficial for addiction recovery.

Find Help After a Relapse

If you or a loved one recently relapsed on drugs or alcohol, getting substance abuse treatment can help. Whether it’s your first or third time relapsing, a drug and alcohol rehab center can provide you with the tools and support you need to get back on track. With a combination of evidence-based behavioral therapy, group counseling, and relapse prevention planning, addiction treatment programs can offer you a strong foundation of sobriety to build upon for years to come.

At Arise Treatment Center, we pride ourselves on providing our patients with individualized treatment plans, and the services you are provided during your stay with us will be personalized to suit your specific needs. A comprehensive treatment plan that addresses your needs can help reduce the risk of relapse and pave the way for sobriety for years to come.

To learn more about our drug and alcohol rehab programs or to find help for yourself or a loved one, please contact Arise Treatment Center today.

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