How to Avoid Relapse After Treatment

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Honesty, Open-mindedness and Willingness are Indispensable

Most drug rehabs and addiction & alcoholism treatment centers provide a standard level of care for a primary initial time period and then offer additional step-down programs that enable the client to gradually reintegrate themselves into the rigors of daily life while outside the protective bubble of treatment.

During this time, the client would normally have the opportunity to essentially test out some of the many relapse prevention techniques he or she had learned during the treatment process, but in an environment that offers more leeway to encounter some of life's daily hurdles. Preparing to prevent relapse after treatment is essential.

The first thing to keep in mind is this; if the person is not truly committed to recovery and willing to take contrary action then the entire process is doomed to failure. Without a high level of willingness on the part of the client to act in a manner that sometimes doesn't "feel" good then it's just a matter of time until they relapse.

But under the assumption that he or she is ready to embark on a new way of living, there is no question that with the right set of tools and experiences, a sober and rewarding life awaits them! A very integral part of the initial drug rehabilitation process involves what is called "Relapse Prevention", or learning how to prevent relapse after treatment. This is a multi-faceted component within the overall recovery process and involves information, discovery, suggestions, etc.

For example, some key elements of relapse prevention involve: leaving your old friends and acquaintances (who are still drinking and using drugs) behind and making new sober connections, avoiding making any major life decisions within the first year or so of sobriety, enlarging your spiritual way of living, creating healthy living habits, obtaining commitments at local 12-Step meetings and much more.

The fact of the matter is that while we were drinking and using drugs our entire lives were consumed with addictive behaviors and in order to make a complete 180 degree turnaround our new lives must be almost entirely consumed with positive contrary actions to how we used to live.In the final analysis it comes down to how committed is the individual to their own personal sobriety.

Many drug rehabs and treatment centers talk about success rates and one thing is for sure, someone who has a 100% commitment to their new found sobriety will have a 100% success rate! 

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