You’ve worked hard to gain sobriety. You’ve spent a lot of your time trying to manage your addiction, stopping the addiction, and healing your wounds. You are ready to get back to life, but you’re worried. What is a relapse? It is something that is going to happen to you? What can you do to avoid it? At Red Oak Recovery®, our team can help you to be in the best place possible to avoid it. For more information on our men’s addiction treatment center in North Carolina, contact the experts at Red Oak Recovery®.
What Is Relapse?
Relapse is a term used to describe a return to drug or alcohol use. It does not matter if it is just one time. It also does not matter if you are using the same type of drug. If you stop using drugs, work on healing through recovery, and then start using any drug again, including alcohol, you have relapsed.
Why Is Relapse a Bad Thing?
Unfortunately, addiction is a chronic condition, meaning that there is no cure. The only way you can maintain the level of health and sobriety you desire is by working aggressively to stop using. You may have had to go through a detoxification process before you got clean. During that time, you may have felt your body craving the drug you were using. You may have had pain and discomfort. You just wanted to relieve that with the drug you choose. Yet, you knew just how much you wanted to get to sobriety.
The problem is that even just one drink or use of a drug can cause your brain to become addicted again. Your brain remembers that feeling and craves it. When you enter recovery, you have more control. If you choose to use substances again, you will be back where you started. You may have to go back to rehab to relearn how to manage your addiction again.
What Can You Do About Relapse?
What is relapse going to do for you? It could limit your health, puts you at high risk for overdose, and creates turmoil in your life. Yet, you can avoid it. With proper care and ongoing support, you can work through times where you feel the need to use it. Here are some tips:
- Ensure you have a relapse prevention plan.
- Work to minimize stress in your life and, when you cannot, learn to control it.
- Keep working with a therapist who can guide you.
- Avoid feeling alone and overwhelmed without someone to call.
- Stay in your treatment program.
Our team offers comprehensive solutions to help you, no matter if you are in relapse or you are just thinking about it. We encourage you to reach out to us for immediate help, including through programs such as:
- Men’s drug addiction
- Individual counseling
- 12 step addiction treatment
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Trauma therapy programs
You have control over your future. You just need a bit of help staying on the right course.
Reach Out for Immediate Help from Red Oak Recovery®
What is a relapse in your mind? What are you worried about happening to you? Our team at Red Oak Recovery® wants to help you. We want to give you the tools, resources, and support you need to avoid being in this position. At Red Oak Recovery®, we help men between the ages of 18 and 30 to overcome addiction, using a combination of evidence-based and experiential therapy. Our treatment programs include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Group therapy
- Adventure therapy
- Experiential therapy
If you’re ready to stop using drugs or alcohol after a relapse, contact Red Oak Recovery® today at 866.457.7590 for help.
