Relapse Prevention in San Angelo, TX
The objective of relapse prevention in San Angelo is to teach recovering addicts strong new skills for reducing the risk of returning to a pattern of self-destructive substance abuse after leaving rehab.
Programs for relapse prevention are never the same for every person. Just as the triggers behind each person's addictive behaviors are different, the strategies needed to maintain sobriety will also need to be tailored to each person's unique needs.
What is Relapse Prevention?
Relapse prevention for addiction focuses on teaching recovering addicts strong new skills and tactics designed to help them remain clean and sober over the long term. Many people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction have a long history of self-destructive habits associated with substance abuse.
The objective of relapse prevention in San Angelo is to help each recovering person identify their own individual addiction triggers. Programs for relapse prevention also focus on teaching people to recognize early warning symptoms of a potential relapse and then take positive action to avoid returning to a pattern of dysfunctional behavior.
An important factor every recovering person learns is that relapse does not mean that the drug rehab in San Angelo has failed. Rather, relapse means that the relapse prevention strategies currently being employed by the person need to be adjusted and tweaked with different tactics to reduce the risk of it happening again.
Relapse Statistics amongst Addicts and Alcoholics
Statistics released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse show that the relapse rates for drug or alcohol addicts are similar to those of other chronic health conditions, such as asthma, hypertension, or type 1 diabetes.
It's estimated that people who have completed a comprehensive drug and alcohol rehab program have a relapse rate between 40% and 60%. By comparison, a person with hypertension or asthma is likely to experience relapse rates between 50% and 70%.
While the relapse rates for rehab graduates can seem high to some people, it's important to note that the rates are even higher for those people who never received professional addiction treatments. It's estimated that the relapse rate for recovering alcoholics or methamphetamine addicts could be as high as 90% if the person has attempted to detox at home without receiving additional professional rehab treatments.
Does Relapse Mean Treatment Has Failed?
When a person with asthma, type 1 diabetes, or hypertension experiences a relapse in symptoms, it doesn't mean treatment has failed. Instead, people with these health conditions are taught to seek advice from a medical professional about adjusting their current maintenance strategies that may better suit their individual needs.
The same principle is true for addiction. When symptoms recur and the person relapses, it's common for people to assume that rehab treatments didn't work. In reality, it's a sign that the strategies being used need to be adjusted so the person can get back on track.
Warning Signs and Symptoms of Relapse
Programs for relapse prevention teach recovering people to recognize warning signs and symptoms of a potential relapse. The objective is to ensure the person is able to identify high risk situations, emotions and circumstances that could be setting them up to return to a cycle of self-destructive behavior if they don't take positive action to avoid it. Some common warning signs and symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Defensiveness
- Isolation
- Uncontrolled stress levels
- Not asking for help
- Not attending meetings
- Behavioral and attitude changes
- Lack of self-care
- Poor eating habits
- Poor sleeping habits
- Major emotional events (e.g. divorce, death of a loved one)
- Associating with past using friends
- Glamorizing past substance use
- Fantasizing about using again
- Believing the addiction is under control now and using ‘just once' won't hurt
- Planning a relapse around other people's schedules to avoid getting caught
What Relapse Prevention Techniques Do Recovering Addicts Learn?
During programs for relapse prevention in San Angelo, recovering addicts are taught a range of skills and tactics designed to reduce the risk of them returning to dysfunctional patterns of behavior associated with addiction.
Relapse prevention for addiction takes into account that the person may have spent a large amount of time focused solely on finding, obtaining, using or recovering from taking drugs or alcohol. In order to reduce the risk of relapsing, the person needs to learn new ways of living a productive, healthy life without the need for substance abuse.
Aside from learning to identify their own individual triggers, the person also learns a range of positive actions to take that can help stop the progression through stages of relapse.
Programs for relapse prevention like addiction aftercare in San Angelo are an integral part of any drug or alcohol rehab treatment. Outside of regular group support meetings and counseling sessions, it's important the recovering person learns positive ways to keep the mind healthy and not focusing on using drugs.
While the person was in drug rehab, it's likely they participated in a range of alternative or holistic therapies. These are designed to provide healthy ways to cope with stress and improve concentration and may include exercise programs, yoga, meditation, or art therapies. Continuing to practice these therapies after leaving rehab can make it easier to manage symptoms.
Common tactics might also include job skills training or returning to studies to complete education, both of which improve employment prospects. Spending time studying or working helps develop new social networks outside of people associated with past using habits. Likewise, learning new job skills or completing studies improves chances of finding employment, which boosts self-esteem and self-pride, as well as improving the person's financial situation.
The key to maintaining a clean and sober lifestyle over the long term is learning strong new tactics for relapse prevention in San Angelo. By the time a person leaves rehab they should be equipped with a range of recovery tools and resources intended to improve the chances of staying sober. Call now at (877) 804-1531.