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Drug Relapse Prevention Plan

The drug relapse prevention plan at Stepping Stone Center for Recovery is a major component of drug addiction treatment. We have designed our drug relapse prevention plan to treat "the whole person."

Drug relapse prevention plan strategies for the person in recovery provide the addict or alcoholic with new ways to effectively deal with the disorders, thoughts and behaviors that in the past have combined to create hopeless or helpless feelings resulting in a return to drug addiction. We believe that the proper drug relapse prevention plan will allow the addict or alcoholic to have new ways to cope in order to avoid returning to using drugs and/or alcohol.

Definition of Drug Relapse Prevention

Drug relapse prevention is comprised of educating those people recovering from a variety of addictions so that they will be better equipped to deal with the triggers and/or stressors in their environment related to alcoholism and drug addiction.

Alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases of the brain that are typified by chronic relapse when not treated effectively. An integral part of any effective addiction treatment program, alcohol treatment program or drug rehab is the prevention of relapse.

What is Drug Relapse?

A person must first understand relapse itself in order to understand the basics behind drug relapse prevention. When dealing with healthcare, relapse is best explained as a regression in one’s medical condition after a period of recovery from a specific illness. When it comes to addiction, drug rehab or alcohol treatment, drug relapse is defined as one returning to a specific behavior after a period of abstinence from that particular behavior. This includes alcohol use or drug use in the case of the alcoholic or addict. / Research has shown there to be many outside influences and contributing factors to drug relapse. There are significant warning signs that an individual may be in danger of returning to the self-destructive patterns of substance abuse or other disorders and addictions. Drug relapse does not come on suddenly and without warning since it is a process that takes place over time.

The Basics of a Drug Relapse Prevention Plan

To reduce the possibility of drug relapse there are some basic principals in a drug relapse prevention plan that one must follow:

• Initially, a person must be stabilized medically and psychiatrically and practice relapse prevention. With drug and alcoholism, this generally takes place in a detox program.
• The person needs to be provided with the opportunity to recuperate from the depression, anxiety, stress and hopelessness they have been experiencing during their years of drug addiction and alcoholism.
• Once the person is stable, it is critical for them to establish daily structure. Topics that this structure addresses include, but are not limited to; regular attendance at support groups, begin exercising regularly and establish a healthy eating plan and diet.
• In addition, it is highly recommended to maintain a relationship with their primary addiction treatment provider. They know the individual best.

As the person continues to stabilize, their ability to manage their thinking, judgment, feelings, and behavior will improve dramatically. Please keep in mind that the risk for relapse is at an all time high during their process. As such, it is highly recommended that the person remain in a structured therapeutic environment during this period of time such as a drug rehab, alcohol treatment program or addiction treatment program.

The longer a person is in continual recovery and follows their recovery plan, the greater their understanding of recovery becomes. The greater their understanding, the easier it is to accept what they must do in order to maintain that recovery. There is a saying that says a person can find no serenity until they can accept every person, place, thing and situation for exactly the way it is at that moment. Acceptance can take time, but it is easy to see that when it happens, the risk of relapse decreases.

Preventing Drug Relapse

As with any chronic disease, the possibility of relapse exists. As mentioned earlier, drug addiction and alcoholism are chronic diseases of the brain. These diseases of addiction are influenced by environmental, social, psychological and medical factors. It is unfortunate that this disease won’t just go away because we or others want it to. While preventing relapse is not an exact science and cannot be guaranteed, there are certain guidelines if followed will greatly increase the odds of achieving and maintaining long term recovery, there has never been an addiction or alcoholism treatment program to date that is able to claim that all of their patients have recovered. A key point is that a program which incorporates relapse prevention as a significant part of its treatment greatly enhances a person's chance of embracing quality recovery.

For additional information pertaining Stepping Stone's nationally recognized drug and alcohol treatment program with drug relapse prevention plans, please refer to the clinical services menu or call us directly at 1-800-237-3150.