Relapse Prevention Program at Hawaii Island Recovery

While nobody begins their sober journey with the intent to relapse, it is always a possibility. However, it is also not guaranteed to occur. With the right support, planning, and care, it is possible to prevent relapse and wholly focus on your successful sober life. Understanding what relapse is can empower you to best prepare for stresses, triggers, and challenges that may impact your chances of relapse throughout your time in treatment. Hawaii Island Recovery is prepared to work with you and your family to establish an effective relapse prevention program for a sustainable, healthy sobriety. 

However, in the unfortunate event of a relapse, your journey with recovery is not over. Experiencing a relapse in addiction recovery does not mean that you are somehow “beyond” a healthy, sober future. Instead, it is a sign that new plans must be created and adjusted to address your changing needs, stresses, and goals in sober life. Hawaii Island Recovery is always just one call away to help you establish a relapse prevention program or to refocus on your sober efforts following a relapse. 

Relapse occurs when a person returns to the use of drugs or alcohol after receiving treatment for substance abuse or substance use disorder. However, it is more than just beginning to drink or use drugs again. Rather, it is a return to the lifestyles, perspectives, habits, and daily routines that accompany substance abuse and addiction. This return to both substance use and self-destructive behaviors can be difficult to address and often demands a return to some level of professional care. 

Returning to detox and treatment to explore not just the reasons behind the relapse, but also to develop new strategies to prevent relapse in the future, is necessary. However, you do not necessarily have to “restart” your entire sober journey. Rather, you can work with professionals to explore what worked, and what areas may need more development, to continue your sober journey. 

There can be a myriad of reasons that a person may return to the use of drugs, and alcohol, and the lifestyles that accompany their use. Rehab and an effective relapse prevention program are personalized plans to address these unique situations and personal challenges. However, some common triggers that can inform relapse include:

Increased feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, and more also inform your mental health, and can have an impact on your hard-earned sobriety. These feelings can not just affect the frequency and intensity of challenges like urges and cravings, but can also compromise other coping strategies and emotional resilience, increasing the chances of relapse in your journey. 

Others who are continuing to navigate their sober lives successfully may also become overconfident or complacent in their journey, feeling as if they have completely overcome addiction and no longer need a recovery plan or continued support. However, this overconfidence can be dangerous, with this mentality leading to unnecessary high-risk situations, such as going to a bar with friends, or even believing that it is okay to have “just one drink” or to use a drug “just once,” often leading to relapse. 

Relapse starts long before a person reengages with drugs or alcohol. Rather, there are stages to relapse. An effective relapse prevention program developed alongside family, friends, supports, and the professionals of Hawaii Island Recovery can help you address relapse before ever using these destructive substances again. 

The first stage of relapse is emotional relapse, where you may begin to self-isolate from supports, friends, and family, and even skip out on outpatient care meetings and support groups. However, a person may not necessarily be considering using drugs or alcohol again at this time. This stage also experiences an increase in mood swings, anxiety, stress, depression, or irritability, and compromised self-care routines, making addressing these feelings and challenges more difficult. 

The next stage of relapse is mental relapse, where ideas of past drug and alcohol use become more prevalent, especially as a coping mechanism for the recent increase in feelings of stress, isolation, anxiety, or depression. This stage also comes with the romanticization of past use, glorifying past use of these substances while ignoring, diminishing, or minimizing the destructive effects that they had on your life. You may also minimize the risk of drugs or alcohol in your sober life, and even develop a plan to use drugs or alcohol again without loved ones knowing, such as planning what opportunities you may have to use drugs or alcohol, or even creating these situations for yourself. 

Lastly is physical relapse, where you act on the ideas of emotional and mental relapse and engage with drugs or alcohol. This is the stage that is most commonly thought of when “relapse” is discussed. However, you may not just use drugs or alcohol, but return to intense levels of drug and alcohol use quickly along with the lifestyles that enable this level of use. Using drugs and alcohol, as well as losing control over how much, how often, and the effects that this substance use has on your life, is common during this stage. It is also common to return to a high level of substance use quickly, bringing a myriad of dangers, including a risk of overdose.  

Professional treatment to address substance abuse and relapse is necessary, starting with a detox program and working with professionals to explore the reasons behind relapse in your life and develop new plans to address them in the future. 

Identifying the early signs of relapse in yourself or your loved one can be crucial in preventing the more destructive elements of relapse and addressing these challenges before they continue to affect your sober life. Recognizing signs early during emotional or mental relapse can help you maintain a healthy, hard-earned sobriety while still addressing these challenges and preventing them from resulting in a return to the use of drugs or alcohol. Being aware of potential signs of relapse and taking action when recognizing these signs is crucial for effectively enacting a relapse prevention program. 

Identifying emotional and psychological signs of relapse can be the first sign that you need to take action to either address these throughout yourself or help a loved one through these challenges. These signs include:

Potential relapse can also be identified by noticing changes in behaviors in daily life. These behavioral signs of relapse include:

Lastly, early signs of potential relapse can also be identified through physical signs. These commonly include:

While not everyone will experience a relapse in their recovery journey, it is crucial to be prepared for it. Hawaii Island Recovery offers personalized relapse prevention programs, working with you every step of the way to find your collection of skills, strategies, and support for addressing addiction and stress within our walls and instilling the skills and strategies to maintain a healthy, sober life beyond the treatment facility.

Each aspect of your treatment and recovery from alcohol addiction, opioid use disorder (OUD), heroin addiction, or any form of addiction is personalized to your needs and goals. This includes your most effective relapse prevention program. We work with you to explore your unique challenges and triggers and develop strategies for you to recognize these situations yourself, and then address them with a variety of personalized therapeutic options, self-care outlets, grounding strategies, and more. 

However, you are never locked into a single plan or strategy. Practicing mindfulness strategies can empower you to identify when certain aspects of your recovery may be more challenging. You can also always pivot to new treatment options, modalities, and therapies throughout your recovery, from your first step in detox or continuing to manage your successful, sober life as an alumnus. 

Coping strategies to address stress, anxiety, depression, and more are essential to every recovery journey. Working with an addiction and mental health professional to find your best coping strategies can help you address early signs of relapse and overcome these challenges without returning to the use of drugs or alcohol. Practicing effective coping mechanisms while in the safety of a curated sober space can also empower you to find the best strategies for your daily life while continuing to benefit from professional treatment. 

Mindfulness practices, self-care options, exercise, nutritional support, communication strategies, gratitude, and even spiritual practices can all make up effective coping strategies for navigating stress and the effects of the early stages of relapse. Combining effective coping skills with mindfulness practices can empower you to identify stress and take action to safely and effectively process these challenges without drugs or alcohol. The wealth of professionals and peers can be paramount in helping you explore new ideas, perspectives, and strategies in your sober life. 

While addiction can often come with feelings of isolation, overcoming addiction is never a journey for a single person. Having a community of peers and professionals is crucial for overcoming addiction, as well as addressing underlying mental health needs, trauma, guilt, and more in your healing journey. Likewise, our robust community of support can help you navigate stress and prevent relapse at any stage of your healing journey. 

Working with peers in group therapy and experiential therapy, and exploring family therapy programs, can all help you build a strong support network to challenge urges, cravings, and prevent relapse. Many of our staff have also navigated the effects of addiction themselves, adding another layer of sympathy, understanding, and support to our dedicated healing community. Working alongside these supportive people, and developing effective communication strategies, is part of building a strong support network to prevent relapse.

Preventing relapse means putting in a comprehensive effort to address a multitude of stresses and challenges. However, it is always possible. Relapse is not necessarily a part of every recovery journey, but having an effective relapse plan alongside professionals, family, friends, and supports can help you maintain your sober transformation in recovery. Essential elements of an effective relapse prevention program include:

Your relapse prevention program will be unique, and there is never a “one-size-fits-all” approach to anything in addiction recovery. However, this also gives you the agency to take control of your healing. Exploring personal options and creating your own set of skills to address your unique challenges, stresses, and needs is the best way to both prevent relapse and make the most of your daily sober life. 

Your recovery does not end at our walls. While relapse is most common during the earliest stages of recovery, such as during alcohol or drug withdrawal, nobody is immune to stress or relapse at any stage. Even successful alumni can still experience urges and cravings that can impact their sobriety and resilience. Hawaii Island Recovery understands that genuine sober life is a lifelong journey, and we offer ongoing outpatient care and aftercare options to help you continue to focus on your sober healing and journey. 

From outpatient treatment to virtual care options, you are never left without support or isolated at any stage of your recovery. We are always one call away, ready to help you not just celebrate accomplishments in sobriety, but address new stresses and challenges as they arise for a sustainable sober life. 

We also believe in the healing potential of community and working with peers to truly embrace the healing culture and community of a sober lifestyle. Peer support, especially in dedicated LGBTQ+ programs and veterans programs at Hawaii Island Recovery, can give you the understanding and sense of belonging necessary to maintain sober change. Working with peers who have overcome challenges or experienced relapse can be amazing resources for your sober journey, with community, mentorship, and camaraderie being a part of Hawaii’s healing energy and spirit. 

Relapse is an unfortunate possibility in your recovery journey, and being prepared for it is crucial to maintain your hard-earned sober life. Learn how we at Hawaii Island Recovery can help you prevent relapse and make the most of your sober life at (866) 390-5070.