Relapse refers to a recurrence of your prior symptoms after termination of therapy. It is crucial to have a relapse prevention plan in place to help you identify the early warning signs and deploy effective coping strategies before they turn into more serious symptoms or lead to a recurrence of your addictions.

Relapse is a gradual process that goes through 3 stages: Emotional, Mental and Physical. Each stage has its unique signs and you will benefit from catching those signs early on so that you can prevent yourself from moving on to further serious stages.

Three Stages of Relapse

Common Signs

What can help you if you begin recognizing these signs?

Stage 1: Emotional Problematic thoughts, emotions and behaviours have begun taking root

• Preferring to isolate from support system
• Skipping support groups or going just for attendance
• Recognize uncomfortable and distressing emotions building up but you keep ignoring them
• Your thoughts, emotions and behaviours are retreating to your older pre-therapy self
• Mood swings are a common occurrence
• You have gradually stopped self-care and other preventive strategies learned in therapy

Stage 2: Mental

Your resistance to return to prior behaviours has decreased. Your mind is in a state of turmoil and thoughts of using it again to escape the pain are becoming stronger

• Cravings for your substance of choice have increased and you seem to be losing the battle
• You are slowly resorting back to old habits by visiting the same friends or places that remind you of how your addiction made you feel
• You have gradually stopped becoming observant of and avoiding the triggers you identified in therapy
• You are beginning to wonder if things were that bad before
• You are justifying and rationalising using again
• You are fantasising about using it again
• You are lying to yourself and others to get the opportunity to use it again
• You are planning ways through which you can use it again but in a controlled way

 Stage 3: Physical

The culmination of not dealing with the above causes you to give in to your cravings and urges

This is the final stage. The consequence of not using effective coping strategies to deal with the signs of the emotional and mental stage. Even if you have relapsed to this stage there is still hope to stop the vicious cycle from recurring again if you seek help immediately