Addiction recovery isn’t always a straight road. It has many twists and turns in the form of withdrawal and other problems. Sometimes, the same road can also take a U-turn. Meaning, you can even relapse. But that’s not a permanent setback.
Relapses are a part of the recovery journey. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that about 40% to 60% of recovering addicts relapse before achieving complete sobriety. So what leads so many of them to relapse?
There are multiple reasons for a relapse to occur. The primary ones are:
- Environment
Your environment during addiction recovery plays a major role. If you are surrounded by people who support your sobriety, chances for relapse are low. However, if you live with people who also consume alcohol or drugs, relapse is more likely to occur. Also, if you continue to hang out with your friends abusing substances, relapse can occur in a short while. Besides these, relapse can also occur if you live in a stressful environment.
- Relationships
People around you also have a huge role to play in your addiction recovery. If your family continues to consume alcohol around you, relapse is more likely to occur. Also, if you have troubled relationships at home, or with a loved one, your substance abuse can spurt again. Any relationship that reminds you of your old habits is likely to cause a relapse.
- Boredom
One of the side effects of addiction is that you lose interest in hobbies. Maximum of your time is spent after substances. Thus, now that you are sober, you have a lot of time to spend otherwise. However, if you do not use this free time wisely, you are likely to go back to substances.
- Optimism
Optimism is good to recover from addiction. It helps you feel better about yourself and keeps you motivated to remain sober. However, over-optimism is not good. You might feel great being sober for a few days. That’s worth feeling good about. But thinking that you don’t need therapy or treatment anymore would be a mistake. Such optimism, or rather, over-optimism can land you into trouble. You may end up consuming substances again. Thus, be optimistic, but not over-optimistic.
- Physical pain
Any type of physical pain, especially in the case of painkiller addiction, can remind you of drugs again. If you were addicted to painkillers, then experiencing any kind of pain could remind you of those drugs. Hence, immediately consult a doctor in case of pain or discomfort.
Seek Help if you Need it!
You can also always visit our rehab, Taylor Recovery for relapse prevention and assistance. We are located in Houston, Texas, and offer a specialized relapse prevention program. Contact us now to know more!