Relapse Prevention in Denton, TX
Relapse occurs when a person who was formerly sober starts to use drugs and/or alcohol. Because many experts define addiction as a "chronic and relapsing disease," relapse is not an uncommon occurrence on a person's addiction journey. However, programs that provide strategies for relapse prevention in Denton are aimed at helping people learn researched techniques as to how to avoid drug or alcohol relapse.
A person will often seek relapse prevention treatment programs in Denton after going through the detoxification process. While a person can and should engage in relapse prevention their entire life, doing so during the first 90 days of sobriety is very important. At this time, a person may still be experiencing the post-acute withdrawal symptoms phase, which can make a person more vulnerable to relapse. While ideally, no person who has gotten sober after struggling with drug addiction will relapse, this is not usually a realistic goal for individuals. A person may relapse several times before ultimately becoming sober for a lifetime. Through relapse prevention in Denton, a person can recognize the patterns associated with relapse and keep them from happening in the future.
Relapse prevention is a descriptive term that an represent many different drug treatment approaches. Examples of these programs include taking medications designed to help avoid relapse. An example is disulfiram (Antabuse), a medication that will make a person feel very ill if they return to drug or alcohol abuse. Self-help programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, are also examples of relapse prevention programs.
Relapse Statistics Amongst Addicts and Alcoholics
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the statistics surrounding relapse are similar to those of other chronic medical conditions. Examples of these conditions include diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma. The development of a drug and/or alcohol addiction can be one that takes years to occur. For some, these deep-seated habits are not something one can easily break. If it takes years to develop the habit, sometimes it takes a person years to fully understand how to like a sober life.
According to the NIDA, an estimated 40 to 60 percent of people who suffer from drug addiction will relapse. This relapse rate is lower than that of hypertension and asthma, which has a relapse rate of 50 to 70 percent.
Warning Signs and Symptoms of Relapse
Research tells addiction specialists that the most common triggers for drug relapse are stress, seeing people and places that remind a person of a time when they did drugs, and being around drugs are all common relapse triggers. Drug relapse prevention programs focus on helping a person identify when they may be experiencing these emotions or putting themselves in dangerous situations. Then they may also participate in cognitive-behavioral techniques, which involve identifying how to say no to drugs in a particular setting or situation.
Researchers have identified three specific stages of relapse. Each builds on the other before a person returns to drug abuse. These stages are:
- Emotional Relapse: Emotional relapse occurs when a person stops taking good care of themselves and is therefore more likely to experience stressful situations where they may return to drug and/or alcohol abuse. Examples could include stopping going to meetings, starting to blame others for problems they are experiencing, and refraining from getting enough sleep or eating healthy foods.
- Mental Relapse: Mental relapse occurs when a person starts to think about the time they used drugs and reflects on that time as "the good old days." They may start to think that doing drugs wasn't all that bad or if they started using again that they could better control their habit. They may start to plan a time when they could start using drugs again. Dual diagnosis treatment in Denton can help treat a mental disorder alongside an addiction.
- Physical Relapse: Physical relapse is when a person gives in and starts using drugs again. This doesn't have to be a life sentence to drug abuse. Instead, a person needs to reach out for help. They can participate in relapse prevention in Denton that could, moving forward, help them resist the urge to return to drug and/or alcohol abuse in the future. They may even wish to try new techniques to prevent the future incidence of relapse.
Examples include taking medications used to treat drug addiction, such as buprenorphine (Suboxone) or methadone for those addicted to opioids. They may find a new program that helps to relieve their stress, such as restorative yoga, tai chi, or art therapy.
All of these relapse prevention treatment options can help them get back on the right track toward preventing a future relapse. Call us now at (877) 804-1531.