Sober Living Austin | What To Do When Relapsing into Addiction

There are many reasons why people relapse into addiction. The most common reason is the need to escape from a difficult emotional situation, and this can happen even after years of sobriety. Some warning signs may indicate someone is about to relapse, including changes in mood, attitude, or behavior; neglecting responsibilities, and feeling isolated. This blog post will provide an informative overview of what to do when relapsing into addiction. 

 

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Accept that relapse is a part of recovery

It's hard to accept that relapse is a part of recovery. You might even feel like you've failed yourself or your family. But many things can lead to relapse, and they don't all mean you're destined for failure.  So learn to accept that relapse is a part of recovery, and try not to judge yourself or feel guilty. Realize that you can live an addiction-free life after you've relapsed into addiction.

Seek professional help to determine the cause of your relapse

If you're struggling with a relapse of your eating disorder, it's important to seek professional help. It can be difficult to admit that you've fallen back into old behaviors and habits when food restriction is so closely tied to feelings of control for some people.  So it's best to talk with a qualified therapist about what your relapse means and how you can move forward. 

Clinical depression and addiction are linked, which means that disorders such as bulimia or anorexia can often lead to drug abuse. So when you're relapsing into addiction, it might mean you have a disorder like depression that needs treatment.

Seek professional help to cope with a relapse

A "slip" is when someone stops practicing good self-care habits, including healthy eating and exercise. So if you haven't been exercising or taking care of yourself after experiencing a slip back into your old eating disorder behaviors, it's best to seek professional help right away to regain balance in your life and avoid heading down the path of addiction again.

Facing reality is key when returning from rehab to the real world. So make sure you don't get caught up in denial about what led to your relapse. If you ignore the issues that are at the root of your addiction, it's more likely that you'll fall back into old habits. So try to be honest with yourself and others about what happened, and how you can prevent a similar situation from occurring again.

Relapse prevention is an important part of treatment for addiction. So if you're going back into recovery after a relapse, learn all about relapse prevention so that you avoid falling into bad habits when returning home from rehab. 

Learn about triggers and how to avoid them in the future

Understand what triggers your addiction, including any feelings that may have led to the relapse.  So if you're struggling with an addiction, it's important to understand how feelings and emotions such as boredom, anger, sadness, or loneliness can contribute to your recovery. So try identifying and working through your triggers so that you don't fall back into old habits after rehab.

Learn new things about yourself after the relapse

Make the most out of this second chance at life by learning something about yourself after relapsing into addiction. So try exploring different hobbies or finding other ways to have fun when returning home from rehab without turning to drugs or alcohol as a distraction from reality. So remember to be positive and live in the present, even though you might want to return to old habits. So learning new things about yourself after a relapse can help you live a happier life in recovery.

Make lifestyle changes that prevent future relapses

When making lifestyle changes, try focusing on activities that interest you, such as reaching out to family members or going out with friends instead of isolating yourself and getting caught up in depression. So it's important to make time for the people who support your sobriety after returning home from treatment because social support is important when dealing with addiction issues. So talking with others and living life without drugs or alcohol can help improve your emotional well-being during recovery. So spend time doing those things you love to do without the influence of drugs or alcohol. So relapses can be used as opportunities to learn more about yourself and make improvements that will help you stay sober in the future.

So it's important not to blame yourself for relapse after leaving rehab, but instead focus on removing your addiction triggers and making healthy lifestyle changes that can improve your self-esteem in recovery.

Talk about it! Open up with friends and family, find an online community, or talk anonymously on forums like Reddit

Get support from peers, family members, and professionals

Surround yourself with people who understand what you're going through. So if you're free of your addiction for a while but then relapse into it again, make sure you share your feelings with someone so that you don't feel like there's no one to turn to for support. So when relapsing during recovery, turn to licensed counselors and supportive friends and family members for help.

 

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Reach out for support from other people who are struggling with addiction

There's strength in numbers. So reach out to others who've also relapsed, because the more you talk about your experiences with others, the easier it is to heal and move on. So don't be ashamed of your struggle; find someone that understands firsthand what you're going through. Know that there really are resources for persons either just beginning or in recovery from food restriction disorder (FRD), binge eating disorder (BED), anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge-eating disorder.  

Allowing others to support your sobriety gives them power over your addiction

Never underestimate the importance of seeking support. Sober living facilities, mutual recovery groups, and counselors all have a role in keeping people sober. So don't isolate yourself by attempting to maintain complete sobriety on your own or by avoiding social situations where people are likely to offer you help when relapsing into addiction. Sooner or later, this will lead to relapse; trust that others are there for you whenever relapsing into addiction so that you're able to ask for help when it's needed most.

You can't keep blaming others if you relapse

If a friend or family member is relapsing into addiction, it's best not to confront them right away. You might want to approach them as soon as possible, but a confrontation may cause them to close up and refuse to talk about their situation. So instead, share your concerns with someone who can provide support for you and the person who is struggling with addiction.

If you're a recovering addict yourself, it's best not to isolate yourself from loved ones when going back into recovery after a relapse. So reach out and get help if you notice that you've slipped again in any way.

There are many things outside of your control, and someone else might share responsibility for the situation that led you to relapse. However, when relapsing into addiction, you need to take any available accountability upon yourself so as not to blame other people for situations beyond their control. You have the ability and power to control your own actions. So take responsibility whenever relapsing into addiction by admitting what needs improvement in your thought processes and belief systems regarding how people relate to you.

Accepting responsibility for your actions will help you stop blaming others for problems that occur in your life after a relapse into addiction. So try to think before acting, and count to 10 before responding when stressed or angry. Remember that only you are responsible for your actions, even if other people push your buttons or act unfairly. 

Find a new addiction - take up running, knitting, or cooking as hobbies to replace drug use

Find a new addiction with the same or similar effects as drugs and alcohol. So take up running, knitting, or cooking as hobbies to replace drug use. Exercise regularly so that you can relieve stress without turning to food or alcohol for comfort. So if you're a runner, keep on running; if not, try something else that keeps your mind busy rather than thinking about things that make you sad.

Problem-solve when tempted by old friends who are doing drugs or alcohol

If an old friend tries to pull you back into addiction after a relapse, call upon problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities from past experiences in recovery from eating disorders (ED). So sit down with them and come up with alternative behaviors to deal with relapses into other addictions like alcoholism and drug use. So you don't have to hang out with them, but instead, develop a goal-oriented plan for interacting with them so that neither of you relapses into old habits and bad behaviors.

Live clean and sober every day

There is no magic formula involved with staying clean and sober after relapse from drugs and alcohol. Staying clean and sober every day means living by the Sober Living Code.

The longer you stay clean and sober after a relapse into addiction, the better chances you'll have of achieving lasting sobriety. You should continue to attend meetings while in Sober Living, which will help reinforce your abstinence from drugs and alcohol for many years to follow. If there are no meetings available in Sober Living, then consider finding a meeting close to where you're relocating when leaving Sober Living after a relapse into addiction.