How to Create a Relapse Prevention Plan

Lifeskills South Florida employs highly specialized clinicians that will help equip you with the life skills needed to become more independent and prepared for life after recovery. We provide our clients with individualized treatment and relapse prevention plans while also offering dual diagnosis treatment in both residential and outpatient settings. To learn more about enrolling at Lifeskills South Florida, please contact us. Former substance abusers with co-occurring mental health issues may wish to enter this type of program if they are successful in staying on their medications and attending all therapy and treatment programs.

These thoughts can lead to anxiety, resentments, stress, and depression, all of which can lead to relapse. Cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation help break old habits https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and retrain neural circuits to create new, healthier ways of thinking . In bargaining, individuals start to think of scenarios in which it would be acceptable to use.

What Is Relapse Prevention?

You must devise ways to stay accountable to the plan which you have created. It’s usually based on proven strategies suggested by research. It’s personalized to your personal needs, struggles, and goals. Contact Bayview Recovery to join our judgment-free, uplifting and supportive recovery environment. We have witnessed our son’s healing from the inside out and are grateful … For the time Tommy and Dennis and others have invested into his life.

• Additionally, it helps to delete and block numbers of past drug contacts or others who may compromise your recovery effort.
• Relapse prevention plans typically include a list of coping strategies, emergency contacts, support groups, and other helpful resources.
• Some not always apparent – to help sustain a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
• Think about what’s driving you to quit, such as rebuilding damaged relationships, keeping a job, or getting healthy again.
• There are different models to try to prevent a future relapse.
• Dual diagnosis is a large part of some peoples’ recovery journey.

Now you may wonder, what exactly would a relapse prevention plan look like? Nature can help the healing process during your recovery journey. Studies have correlated the promotion of both physical and mental health with exposure to nature. Whether or not you’re in formal treatment, it’s important to develop a plan as early as possible.

Step 5 | Accountability

Having a relapse prevention plan is helpful for preventing you from going back to old, unhealthy behaviors. Some studies suggest that enlisting help from outside sources can help you stay on track with your sobriety goals. Speak with family members, friends, and outpatient support groups about your reservations and fears while in recovery. Relapsing on drugs is often thought of as a moral failing, making long-term recovery feel next to impossible. Addiction, like diabetes or asthma, can be properly managed if it’s treated as a chronic condition and one that requires personalized, ongoing support and treatment, long term. More than 60% of individuals in recovery relapse within weeks to months of beginning addiction treatment.

At Lifeskills South Florida, clients present to us at various stages in their recovery journey. For some individuals, Lifeskills is their first experience in treatment, and for others, they have struggled through years of addiction and have been in and out of multiple treatment centers. A relapse prevention plan is an important tool for anyone recovering from any substance of abuse. They’re often drafted alongside a professional in treatment and can serve as a contract between counselor and client. Such plans help you recognize the risk factors for addiction, identify warning signs of relapse, and stay sober. A relapse prevention plan usually entails a personalized set of tools, coping skills, and strategies that help you deal with cravings and life stressors. A relapse prevention plan should be created in collaboration with your treatment team at the end of rehabilitation.

Relapse Prevention Plan (Depression)

These are all great examples for motivational objectives you may want to strive for. The real risk of relapse comes from isolation, so make sure you connect with people you can turn to for support or guidance. Many people find it easier to maintain sobriety when they have an accountability partner or a support group who holds them accountable for their actions. When plotting a strategy, plan with an offensive mindset. Restore health and wellness through regular exercise and a nutritious diet, create self-accountability measures, adhere to medication-supported recovery , and continue outpatient therapy. This model is based on the belief that substance use becomes a habit that requires little effort or attention, like any habit eventually becomes. Avoiding relapse involves initiating problem-solving skills needed to block the automatic behavior.

A relapse trigger is anything that might cause you to want to use drugs or drink alcohol. It can be a person who causes stress in your life, a place where you used to use drugs, an item that reminds you of your drug using days. Relapse triggers can also be situational, such as at certain events or when certain issues or conversations come up. Write down things that cause you stress, worry, anxiety, or any other negative emotions.

Are There Stages and Warning Signs of Relapse?

Third, the main tools of relapse prevention are cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation, which change negative thinking and develop healthy coping skills . Fourth, most relapses can be explained in terms of a few basic rules . Educating clients in these few rules can help them focus on what is important. Our evidence-based treatments are all provided by trained, educated, and accredited staff who are knowledgeable in their respective fields. Recovery is a life-long commitment, so learning relapse prevention skills and coming up with a long-term plan for yourself is a crucial aspect of drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Our facility is welcoming and secure, so you will feel safe and comfortable in all treatments. A good relapse prevention plan will include a solid course of action that outlines coping skills and ideas for managing relapse triggers and cravings that may arise in times of stress.

You could even find yourself hanging at the same spots and with the same people, creating an opportunity for relapse. Withdrawal symptoms like nausea, shakiness, and sweating can be so difficult that you want to use drugs again just to stop them. Medications relapse prevention plan can help you manage withdrawal symptoms before they trigger a relapse. Being aware of the stages of relapse and having a plan to deal with them can help prevent you from using again. Follow these 10 techniques to help you stay on track with your recovery.

You can rework the plan as time goes on and needs change or you learn more through 12 step programs. The more detail you add to your relapse prevention plan, the more helpful it will be during various events and high-risk situations. Writing down your plan and going over your set goals often can increase its effectiveness.