One of the most important parts of life after addiction treatment is having a plan to prevent relapse. Having a plan means you’re prepared to withstand life’s challenges and maintain your sobriety through them. But how exactly do you prevent a relapse from happening?
What is Relapse Prevention?
Relapse prevention involves education on tools and coping mechanisms that can help you get through a craving. A variety of sources can trigger cravings. This can include something as small as running into an old friend, or as big as the loss of a loved one.
Since practically anything can cause a craving, it’s important to prepare for these situations in advance. This is why quality addiction treatment centers work with their clients to craft a relapse prevention plan.
What Should Be in a Relapse Prevention Plan?
Plans to prevent drug relapse are not one-size-fits-all. What triggers a craving in one person may not affect another. Therefore, facilities must customize plans for each person’s needs.
The most important part of relapse prevention is practicing self-care. While this can mean different things to different people, in general, self-care means ensuring you are eating appropriate amounts of food, getting enough sleep, and managing your stress levels. All of this is often easier said than done. That’s why it’s vital to create new habits during treatment that become the foundation of your relapse prevention plan.
You should also have a person in mind that you can talk to whenever you’re feeling the urge to use. Sometimes, just talking about how hard it is to stay sober makes it easier to do so. It will also remind you that you have a support system in place that wants you to succeed.
Another effective way to prevent relapse is to distract yourself through a craving. In treatment, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in activities you may not have tried normally. This opportunity gives you the chance to discover new hobbies that you can use to distract your mind when you feel like you want to use. Drug cravings typically last about 30 minutes. If you can distract yourself for 30 minutes, you’re much more likely to get past a craving than someone without those skills.
Learn How to Prevent Relapse
The only way to create a comprehensive plan to prevent relapse is to undergo addiction treatment. The professionals there can help you create a plan to maintain your recovery for the rest of your life. Without treatment, you’re left to develop these strategies on your own. This leaves you without the support of knowledgeable professionals that have seen cases like yours before.
So take a step toward lasting recovery and develop a relapse prevention plan Meridian ID trusts. All it takes is a simple phone call.