Preventing Relapse: 9 Common Warning Signs

Mar 28

Relapse is a very common part of the recovery journey; in fact up to 90% of those in recovery have had at least one relapse on their journey to sobriety. Relapse is never something to be ashamed of; instead it’s an opportunity to learn about yourself and your triggers.

It’s easy for a relapse to sneak up on you if you aren’t familiar with the warning signs. Relapse is a slow process that begins far before you pick up your first drink or begin use again. It starts with an emotional relapse, followed by mental and then physical relapse.

If you are working toward long-term sobriety, it’s important to recognize the following signs of relapse, so you can take action to keep them from progressing to full physical relapse.

Stage 1: Emotional Relapse

Emotional relapse is typically the first stage of relapse. In this stage, you aren’t thinking about returning to use, but stress, triggers or difficult situations bring up negative emotions and thoughts that previously fueled substance misuse. If you don’t have the tools to manage these emotions healthfully, you can slip into unhealthy behaviors that eventually lead to relapse.

Here are 4 signs of emotional relapse to be aware of:

1. Isolation

Perhaps life has gotten busy and you’ve stopped going to your peer support group or seeing your therapist regularly. But if missing a few meetings turns into stopping altogether, canceling other social activities and/or avoiding friends and family, then you are beginning to isolate.

Isolation and loneliness are risk factors for relapse, and making time for social activities with your sober support network is key to maintaining sobriety. If you find yourself beginning to isolate, commit to at least one sober social activity a week, even if you feel anxious about going. No one will judge you for missing a few meetings or social events, and more often than not you’ll feel better and more energized after going.

If you have a loved one who is struggling with addiction who begins to show signs of isolation, check in with them to see how they’re doing.

2. Increased Stress Levels

Stress is part of all of our lives, but increased levels of stress due to a stressful event, or life stressors slowly building over time can cause negative emotions, which, left unattended, can lead to loss of sleep, appetite and declines in mood. Our chances of relapse increase during times of higher stress or loss of a structured schedule paired with increased stress: for example when one loses a job. Make sure to engage in stress-relieving activities regularly, talk to a therapist about stress management tools and watch for other signs of emotional relapse when in times of elevated stress.

3. A Decline in Self-Care and Healthy Living Habits

Self-care encompasses everything from regularly eating nutritious meals, getting enough sleep, exercising, maintaining personal hygiene, seeing a therapist, and/or keeping up with medication-assisted treatment. Healthy living habits are critical to everyone’s mental health and ability to manage life’s stressors, and they are essential for having the mental capacity to manage stress and ward off cravings and triggers.

If you find yourself slipping in one or more of these self-care areas, make getting back on track a priority. Developing and maintaining healthy habits is key to maintaining sobriety and achieving your goals outside of your recovery journey.

4. Mood Changes:

If you find yourself feeling increasingly sad, irritable, anxious, depressed or generally discontent, this can be another early sign of relapse. These feelings can lead to isolation and reduction in self-care that slip into wanting to mask these feelings with recontinued use. Make sure to discuss any changes in mood with a mental health professional to find tools, coping mechanisms and/or medications to help you manage your emotions in a healthy way.

Stage 2: Mental Relapse

When we aren’t able to address negative emotions, stress and challenging situations in a healthy way, it’s easy for us to slip back into thinking about returning to substance use as an escape. At first, you might find yourself thinking about how nice it would be to unwind after a stressful day with a drink, with zero intention of actually following through. However, as mental relapse progresses, these thoughts often shift to fantasizing about use and, later, planning for relapse.

Occasional cravings or thoughts of returning to substance use are normal and part of the recovery journey. We cross the threshold of mental relapse once we begin to become consumed with the mental struggle between wanting to use again and wanting to maintain sobriety.

Here are 5 signs of mental relapse to be aware of:

1. Intense Cravings

Encountering the places, people, situations, and/or emotions tied to your past substance misuse can bring on intense urges and cravings. Try to avoid the people, places and things you associate with substance use to avoid triggering a relapse and work with a mental health professional to develop strategies for situations, such as holidays or social gatherings, that are a challenge to maintaining sobriety.

Be aware that beginning to reconnect with old friends who use is a warning sign for relapse. While your old friends are not bad people, being around those who are actively using and misusing substances is a common relapse trigger that should be avoided whenever possible.

2. Looking Back on Your Addiction Fondly

Be aware of times that you begin to become nostalgic for your old lifestyle. When you’re not in a healthy place mentally or emotionally, it’s tempting to forget about the pain, loss and brokenness that came with substance misuse. If you find yourself daydreaming about the good feelings of use without any of the consequences, you should seek help from your support network (sober friends, family, a peer support group, and/or a therapist).

3. Minimizing the Consequences of Relapsing

You may find yourself minimizing the consequences of having ‘just one drink’ or planning ways to restart use while maintaining control. Unfortunately, for those that struggle with addiction, just one drink is a slippery slope to full relapse despite the best of intentions.

4. Replacing One Addiction with Another

Whether you substitute marijuana for alcohol or throw yourself into crossfit with the same addictive behaviors that you once had for substance misuse, it’s important to not let addiction creep into other areas of your life. While it’s good to have goals and fill your free time with activities that bring you joy and satisfaction, it’s important to find balance and not replace one addiction for another.

5. Planning to Relapse

If you find yourself planning when, where and how you will use again, even if it’s just having one drink to ‘loosen up’ at a work party, you are on the edge of mental relapse slipping into physical relapse. It’s easy to convince yourself that it will just be this one time, or just once a week, or that this time you’re ready to handle drinking in a healthy way, but that first drink or use most often leads to an uncontrolled relapse.

If you get to this point, remember you still have time to course correct. Avoid the place you planned to relapse and reach out to your network for support and accountability. It’s okay to admit that you’re struggling and lean on others in times of need.

Stage 3: Physical Relapse

The final stage of relapse is beginning to use the substance again. This starts with the initial ‘lapse’, for example having a beer at a summer backyard barbeque or a glass of champagne to ring in the New Year. Relapse then occurs when the use continues and becomes out of control.

Unfortunately, lapse often leads to relapse despite our best efforts. Whether you’ve experienced a lapse or a relapse, it’s important to do your best to avoid feelings of shame that lead to trying to hide your relapse instead of owning it and taking steps to return to sobriety. Relapsing doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or that you can never obtain long-term sobriety. If you’ve relapsed your focus should be on getting back to sobriety asap, whether that’s starting withdrawal management (detox) or finding an in-patient or out-patient treatment program.

Relapse is always an opportunity to learn, and it’s important to take time to think about the steps that led you to relapse, so you can avoid relapsing again in the future.

If you’re concerned that you’re starting to show early release signs or have relapsed and aren’t sure where to start, please connect with our team, and we’ll help you find the right next steps for your recovery journey. Not ready to talk to someone? That’s okay! Our brief 7-question Recovery Roadmap quiz will give you personalized next steps instantly, coupled with additional resources based on your unique situation.

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Written by Liz Haas, Recovery Resources Digital Marketing & Outreach Specialist

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