How to deal with relapse in recovery?

Relapse. It’s a simple word, but there is so much meaning behind the seven letters. Every story is different, and the plot is ever-changing. The characters come and go, and there are moments when you – the protagonist – will face challenges and uncertainties that try and set you off course.

If you’ve had a brush with it, or you feel close to returning to a drug or alcohol addiction, now is your moment to step out of the storybook and to face your realities.

You have options now. But it is so much easier when you reach out for help.

Delamere is here for you, right now. And we have options too; live chat, email, telephone or contact form. There’s always a way for you to get in touch in a way that you feel comfortable with.

Is relapse a failure?

Returning to addictive behaviours should not be seen as a failure. A rejection in recovery principles could happen after grief or trauma, and it takes constant energy and support to ward this off. There are triggers and warning signs to look out for, but this is still not totally foolproof to stop a potential return to active addiction in all cases.

Overcoming a relapse or potential return to addictive behaviours

If you have had a slip or relapse in your recovery, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get back to the good place you were in before. Even though it may feel hopeless right now, that feeling can pass with the right treatment and support.

You have had a myriad of struggles up to this point, and you have to battle every day. Situations like this can bring your attention back to the reasons why you got treatment in the first place; the reasons why you knew you needed to give up drugs or alcohol.

For that reason, some people with addictions say that a short term slip may have made their recovery stronger, showing that all hope shouldn’t be lost when recovery principles are rejected.

What to do next?

When you are thinking about letting go of your recovery plan, whether in its entirety, or for casual use, you can reach out to us at any time. We know that you may be facing triggering situations or emotions, and might need to talk these through to avoid heading back into the cycle of addiction.

If you have had a slip, and are looking to find your feet again, we run recovery renewal retreats. This means that you can always come back to us at Delamere so we can help you to kickstart your recovery once more.

We will work with you to review your aftercare treatment and recovery plan, and we will look at how the return to addictive behaviours happened and identify key triggers. Once we have identified the reasons you may relapse in the future, we will show you how to avoid this happening again by integrating further coping strategies into your aftercare treatment.