Recovering from drug and substance use
addiction is a lifelong process that is
exhausting, stressful, overwhelming, and
very lonely. If you or your loved one just
graduated from treatment, you should create
a relapse prevention plan to improve
treatment outcomes and strengthen recovery
efforts.
A relapse prevention plan should include
relevant relapse prevention
coping skills
that make the rehabilitation process a
positive and rewarding endeavour.
Fortunately, you can learn most of these
skills in drug rehab centres, such as The
Retreat New Zealand.
Why Are Coping Skills for Relapse
Prevention Important?
Coping skills to prevent relapse
are important for anyone who wants to live
happily after recovery. Over time, those
recovering from drug and substance use
addiction should implement these skills to
prevent relapse and improve the quality of
their lives. The recovery process following
drug and alcohol addiction is a period of
personal growth with significant
developmental milestones.
With the risk of relapse at every stage,
learning coping skills for relapse prevention
is beneficial. Common triggers of relapse at
various steps include:
Stress
Boredom
Relationship issues
Financial challenges
Anger and grief
Specific people and places
Most drug treatment centres have programs
that educate clients on various coping
skills that help them recover successfully.
Recovering persons can adapt various relapse
prevention skills in their daily schedules
to maintain recovery.
Relapse Prevention Coping Skills
1.Relax in All Situations
Stress and uneasiness are the two main
contributors to drug and alcohol use.
Learning relaxation and stress relief skills
eliminate the urge to use alcohol to calm
down. As such, most drug rehab centres teach
clients various programs, such as cognitive
behavioural therapy and dialectical
behavioural therapy, which help them learn
important relaxation skills.
Learning new ways of destressing makes
managing various addiction challenges and
maintaining sobriety easier. Common
relaxation skills include:
Nature walks
Yoga and meditation
Deep breathing
Listening to music
Warm baths
Journaling and listing things that bring
you happiness
Reading
2.Delaying Responses
Drug and alcohol use can exacerbate
impulsive behaviours. Using drugs for long
periods, even for recreational purposes,
makes one more reactive. Addiction issues
lead to serial lying, stealing, anger
issues, and aggressiveness. Unfortunately,
these rushed decisions always lead to
painful consequences.
Learning to delay responses helps
recovering persons manage impulsive
decisions. With this, you can make informed
and rational decisions. Delaying skills are
especially important during intense and
stressful situations where you feel
pressured or rushed. Always take your time
and think through the whole situation before
responding. Recovering persons can use this
skill daily to maintain relationships,
change habits, and manage emotions.
3.Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Practising meditation and
mindfulness
can help recovering persons handle difficult
emotions and thought patterns, evaluate
internal feelings, and focus on the present
without negativity and judgment. Several
studies have shown that meditation and
mindfulness help relax the mind and
positively affect the body.
The benefits of practising meditation and
mindfulness include the following:
Flexible approach to life
situations
Better kindness and compassion
Reduces stress and anxiety
Improves concentration and mental
clarity
Better self-control
Improves emotional intelligence
As mentioned, recovering from drug and
substance use addiction is stressful and
overwhelming. However, mindfulness and
meditation techniques help affected persons
manage these agonizing situations.
4.Be Honest with Self and Others
As mentioned, lying becomes a default habit
for anyone struggling with drug and alcohol
addiction. Before committing to recovery,
most people lie about their substance abuse
history. For instance, some lie about how
drug use affects their bodies, family
relationships, work, and more. Most addicts
lie to keep using these drugs due to
addiction.
Those recovering from substance use
addiction should learn to be honest and tell
the truth. Being honest with yourself and
others is an important skill for anyone to
achieve long-term recovery successfully. For
instance, make it clear if you have issues
with your family members and can’t forgive
them. Similarly, if you are still struggling
with cravings, ask for support from your
friends, family, and sober community
members.
5.Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly and living an active
lifestyle are also beneficial to addiction
recovery and relapse prevention. Exercising,
which includes simple physical activities,
stimulates the release of endorphins in the
body, which are the feel-good hormones.
Through this, physical activity relieves
stress, reduces depressive symptoms, and
helps eliminate chemicals and other toxins
in the body absorbed from drugs. You should
also make it a routine to eat a proper diet
after strenuous workouts.
6.Have a Daily Journal and Gratitude List
Journaling is an excellent way to release,
express, and workout on thoughts and inner
feelings. Most people start abusing drugs
and easily relapse into drug use because of
unexpressed thoughts and emotions. Having
these thoughts on paper helps recovering
persons handle their emotions better and
more efficiently.
That aside, journaling daily is a way of
taking inventory of your life. It helps you
acknowledge real-life situations, what to
improve, and what you are grateful for.
Generally, developing journaling skills can
help those recovering from drug use
addiction maintain a positive attitude and
avoid relapse.
7.Get Busy
Idleness and boredom significantly
contribute to drug and alcohol use.
Therefore, as you prepare for discharge from
drug rehab, you should find something
engaging to do. You should replace old
habits with positive habits to prevent
relapse. Most rehabs and addiction treatment
centres encourage clients to find something
that can keep them busy.
This includes learning new languages,
exploring new destinations, playing sports,
dancing, reading, hiking, and learning new
skills. Filling your schedule with healthy
activities uplifts your emotional
well-being.
8.Deep Breathing
While breathing is normal practice, it has
other benefits beyond sustaining life.
Adjusting your breathing patterns can help
you achieve control over your life. Deep
breathing techniques have significant
impacts on the brain chemistry. It improves
emotions and regulates mood.
Get Help
Most people recovering from drug use
addiction have a palpable fear of relapsing.
However, relapse can’t happen if you are
prepared and equipped with various coping
strategies. Adopting these coping skills in
your daily routine significantly reduces the
risk of relapsing.
Contact
The
Retreat New Zealand
to learn more about relapse prevention
strategies.