Relapse Prevention in Mayfield Heights, OH

A person is never truly cured of addiction, but instead can overcome their problem. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a person can successfully manage their addiction. One of the ways they can accomplish this is through programs for relapse prevention in Mayfield Heights.

If quitting drug and/or alcohol abuse were easy, every person would be able to easily and successfully quit abusing drugs. The staff at a drug relapse prevention program would be out of a job. However, addiction can be difficult to treat and overcome because it is a serious disease that can have life-threatening consequences.

Relapse prevention programs are those that involve helping a person identify the ways of thinking and acting that can lead to relapse. For example, a person could experience the effects of post-acute withdrawal syndrome for as long as two years after quitting drugs and alcohol. This can cause a person to experience symptoms such as fatigue, low energy levels, and stomach upset.

In addition to identifying strategies for a person to understand potential relapse triggers, a person may also participate in relapse prevention programs that help them identify healthy behaviors they can engage in that will help them resist the urge to return to drug and alcohol abuse as well as participate in addiction therapy programs in Mayfield Heights.

Relapse Statistics Amongst Addicts and Alcoholics

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an estimated 40 to 60 percent of people who were addicted to drugs relapse. This is similar to relapse rates for chronic illness. Examples include high blood pressure and asthma.

While researchers know that a person may relapse at least once, they also know that many people successfully quit and engage in relapse prevention programs for a lifetime. Through prescribing medications to help a person quit abusing drugs while also undergoing behavioral therapies to help a person learn how to stay sober for good.

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Relapse

Many addiction experts view relapse as a process, not usually a single event that triggers a person to return to drug and alcohol abuse (although there are always exceptions). The three chief stages of relapse are emotional, mental, and physical relapse.

Emotional Relapse

Emotional relapse occurs when a person is not expressly thinking of returning to drug or alcohol abuse. However, they may start getting more lax in their relapse prevention efforts. They may think it is less important to participate in meetings or engage with loved ones who often hold theperson accountable for their behavior. Some of the symptoms associated with emotional relapse include the following:

Blaming others for their problems

Being moody, quick to anger, or feeling defensive about their behavior

Stopping attending meetings, therapy sessions, or outpatient group meetings

Practicing poor self-care habits, such as not getting enough sleep, eating unhealthy foods, or neglecting one's appearance

When a person is in the stage of emotional relapse, they have the power to reverse these symptoms before they progress any further. They can ask for help from others or their therapist as a means to get additional help. Dual diagnosis treatment in Mayfield Heights is important to catch the relapse in this stage.

Mental Relapse

A mental relapse represents a transition from not thinking about abusing drugs again to starting to recollect times when a person used drugs. A person may also start to formulate a plan and think about possibly abusing drugs again. Examples of the symptoms associated with mental relapse include:

Thinking about the times when a person used drugs as the "good old days"

Starting to hang out with people a person used to do drugs with

Giving up on their recovery

Justifying reasons to return to drug abuse

Creating a plan for using drugs again

The mental relapse phase can be very intense. A person is teetering on the edge, and can easily relapse and return to drug abuse. If they don't reach out and seek help -- often from similar programs to relapse prevention in Mayfield Heights -- they will return to drug or alcohol abuse.

Physical Relapse

Physical relapse occurs when a person does start using drugs or alcohol again. Sometimes a person may believe they could just use a substance once and quit again. However, being willing to use drugs in any form can signal that a person is not in the right mindset to stay sober.

Relapse doesn't have to mean a person will become a full-on addict again. Instead, it signifies an opportunity to learn from and correct the behaviors that led to the relapse. Through relapse prevention in Mayfield Heights, an individual can learn how to do this and more. Call us now at (877) 804-1531.