Relapse Prevention in Rockville, MD

Medical experts consider drug addiction a chronic disease. This means that even if a person is sober, they are always at risk for relapsing and returning to drug and/or alcohol abuse. While ideally, every person who got sober would stay sober, medical experts and those who struggle with addiction know that unfortunately, one or more relapses are often a part of the struggle for sobriety. Programs for relapse prevention in Rockville are those that help a person continue to focus on their sobriety, engage with others who are doing the same and navigate the struggles and challenges that can arise as a person remains sober.

When a person completes a medical detox program and/or inpatient rehabilitation stay, they leave the program prepared for the challenges they may face that day and in the weeks ahead. However, there are always new situations a person may not have anticipated, even years after a person has stopped drinking or using drugs. Participation in programs for relapse prevention gives a person a "safety net" where they have an addiction professional or group of persons to go back to and find ways to navigate the situation without relapsing.

Relapse Statistics Among Addicts and Alcoholics

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the relapse rates for those who struggle with addiction are similar to those of other chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The NIDA states that an estimated 40 to 60 percent of people who suffer from drug addiction will relapse. This is similar to the statistics for high blood pressure and asthma, where an estimated 50 to 70 percent of people experience an episode of relapse.

While experts know that relapse can and does occur, addiction to drugs and/or alcohol doesn't mean a person will always struggle for a lifetime. Addiction treatment in Rockville teaches a person to recognize behaviors, signs, and symptoms that could indicate a person is heading for a relapse. If a person does use drugs and/or alcohol again, this can provide motivation for a person to get back into programs for relapse prevention in Rockville and correct these behaviors so they do not happen again.

According to a study published in the journal "Addiction," individuals who did not receive professional help for their addictions where less likely to be sober after three years and were, therefore, more likely to relapse.

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Relapse

Often, if a person does relapse after a period of sobriety, they can identify some thoughts and behaviors that led them to "backslide" into a period of relapse. Experts in programs for relapse prevention have identified three specific stages of relapse that most people follow when they return to drug and/or alcohol abuse after a period of sobriety. These three states of relapse are an emotional, mental, and physical relapse.

Emotional relapse is a state where a person is not specifically thinking about returning to drug or alcohol abuse. However, a person may start to neglect some self-care measures that may help them relieve stress. Some of the hallmark signs of the emotional relapse phase are:

Stopping going to recovery meetings.

Having poor eating and/or sleeping habits.

Stopping seeing friends and family and isolating one's self.

While a person in the emotional relapse phase isn't thinking about returning to drug abuse, they are making choices that can lead them to do so. Emotional relapse can lead to the next relapse phase, which is a mental relapse.

Mental relapse causes a person to start thinking about going back to drug and/or alcohol abuse. Examples of symptoms associated with this phase include:

Starting to daydream about returning to drug and alcohol abuse, as if it wasn't all that bad when a person was using.

Starting to hang out with people a person once used drugs with.

Starting to plan a relapse, such as thinking about where a person could get drugs and how they could be away from those encouraging them to stay sober.

When a person is in the mental relapse phase, it is more important than ever for them to seek relapse prevention in Rockville. If they do not, they are at especially high risk for relapsing.

The final relapse phase is a physical relapse. This is when a person acts on their urge to return to drug and/or alcohol abuse and they start using again. Relapse prevention treatment teaches a person that this does not make them a failure, but signals the need for them to reach out to professional programs for relapse prevention. Call Rockville Drug Rehab Centers now for help. (877) 804-1531.