According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most people relapse at least once during their treatment. Relapse is a part of addiction. By understanding the key ways that you can slide back into the addiction, you can better prepare yourself for them.
1. Stress
One of the key triggers for relapse is stress. When people get stressed they often turn to drugs or alcohol in order to calm the stressful feelings. Unfortunately, this usually ends in addiction or relapse.
2. Depression
Withdrawal usually triggers depression. This depression usually causes relapse even if it did not cause the addiction in the first place.
3. Anxiety
Anxiety is also a cause and a trigger for addiction and relapse. Most people diagnosed with anxiety during treatment are given medication to stop the anxiety. If they go off this medication their chance of relapse is greater.
4. Overconfidence
When people are in treatment, they become overconfident of their abilities to cope with triggers. They wind up confronting their triggers too soon and end up in relapse.
5. Loneliness
Loneliness is often a trigger for relapse. People who are lonely are more likely to suffer from an addiction and when they go back to the loneliness of their life they wind up in relapse.
6. Self-pity
Self-pity is another thing that causes both addiction and relapse. When you start to feel sorry for yourself, you wind up wanting the drugs to make it stop again.
7. Hanging out with Friends who Use
When you start hanging out with your old friends who still use, they usually offer drugs. This alone can trigger a relapse. It is very difficult to say no.
8. Going to Places where Drugs or Alcohol are Used
If you go places that drugs or alcohol are in use or that you used to do drugs in you are probably going to trigger a relapse.
9. They Do Not Change the Behaviors that Got Them into the Addiction
When you do not change the behaviors that started you on the addiction, you find that you will end up relapsing. This reason gets a lot of people. They think they managed a permanent change but in reality, it was only a superficial one.
10. Lack of Motivation
When you are not motivated to change, you do not. Without the desire or proper motivation to quit you do just end up relapsing.
11. Lack of Support
Lack of support often triggers relapses. When you have no family or friends to help you through it you often end up lonely and feeling isolated.
12. Stopping Treatment too Quickly
When you end your treatment for whatever reason prematurely, you end up ending your recovery from addiction.
13. A Physical or Psychiatric Disorder that Remains Untreated
A physical or psychiatric disorder that is not treated is an easy way to both cause addiction and relapse back into it.
14. Isolation
When you are socially or physically isolated, it becomes easier to start doing drugs again.
15. They Do Not Recognize the Signs of Relapse and Do Not Get Treatment in Time
When you do not recognize the signs of relapse, you won’t seek treatment in time. Relapse is preventable.