Cessation of substance abuse is a difficult task, but staying sober for a lifetime is the greater challenge.

Rehab is a period of self-reflection. The real harshness of denial as a defense mechanism is brought to the surface and replaced with healthy coping mechanisms.

Relapse doesn’t start with the consumption of a substance, but with a gradual build-up of emotions and issues that led to the addiction in the first place.

Luckily, there is a real saving grace. Relapse prevention is possible, and with proper support, it becomes more realistic.

The intentional strategies and lifestyle modifications described in the rest of this article aim to enhance the chances of sustaining sobriety throughout one’s life.

Understanding Relapse: It Happens in Stages

Relapse is a gradual process that begins in the mind long before any actual use occurs.

The stages of relapse are emotional, mental, and physical.

Emotional Relapse

You notice feeling worried, restless, or overwhelmed. Sleep and good nutrition become irregular. You skip self-care, isolate, repress feelings, and avoid support meetings, which is enough to garner a relapse.

Mental Relapse

Your internal war now commences. You want to remain sober and are prepared to do so. However, the other side starts to negotiate.

You start to think of people you used to do drugs with, the places you used to visit to do drugs, or the times that using drugs was enjoyable. You say things like, “It’s just for one time, it wouldn’t make much of a difference, right?” or “This time it just doesn’t make much sense that I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

At this point, your cravings have reached their peak, and you begin to imagine scenarios where you can use the substance without anybody finding out.

Physical Relapse

This is the point where you start using drugs or alcohol again. By this stage, you have already overemotionalized and overthought everything.

The Significance of This

It’s important to know that when you notice the emotional or overthinking stage, it’s a sign to seek professional support, change your rituals, and, most importantly, save yourself. Unfortunately, most people lack the foresight to recognize the signs until it’s too late.

RF: A Relapse Prevention Plan

A relapse prevention plan is a strategy designed to give you a head start on any potential issues or temptations you anticipate down the road.

It is both personal and practical, created in a focused state of mind, so you know what to do in a moment of difficulty.

Key Components of a Relapse Prevention Plan

Recognizing Your Triggers

What are the specific emotions, situations, people, and places that make you want to use substances to cope? Stress, financial issues, social loneliness, boredom, and certain social situations can all be triggers. It is crucial to identify your triggers and work on them.

Coping Skills Plan

These include the tools mastered in treatment, such as taking a short walk, breathing, practicing grounding tools, journaling, making a phone call to your sponsor, or even actively attending meetings.

Emergency Contact Plan

Have a list of your sober friends, supportive family, your therapist, and your sponsor that you can call instantly when you feel triggered.

Having a Plan B

What do you do when there are no available options? Is there a crisis center that you can check into? A meeting that you can attend? You can also count on the support of your treatment program alumni.

Creating A Written Strategy

Drafting a relapse prevention plan is proof of commitment and leads to long-term sobriety. Having this information on your phone or your wallet, where you can pull it out instantly when needed, can save your life.

According to research, individuals who write down and rehearse a planned set of replacement behaviors have better outcomes than individuals who solely rely on a verbal agreement when it comes to relapse prevention.

The Significance of an Aftercare Plan

Recovery does not stop when you leave treatment. Ongoing recovery support is most needed in the years following rehab, as the risk of relapse is extremely high without the support of treatment specialists and the safe environment of a rehab.

An addiction aftercare plan works to keep motivation and support high to eliminate these gaps of vulnerability.

Components of Aftercare Plans

Outpatient Counseling

Meet with a therapist weekly or biweekly to process feelings, work through challenges, and maintain accountability for progress.

Support Groups

Consistent attendance at AA, NA, SMART Recovery, or similar peer support groups provides both accountability and a sense of community.

Psychiatric or MAT Check-Ups

For patients on mental health medications or MAT for cravings, it is crucial to have consistent follow-up appointments with a psychiatrist or prescriber.

Sober Living (If Necessary)

For some individuals, the risk of relapse is too high, which makes the sober transition directly home after treatment challenging. Sober living provides a safe, substance-free environment.

According to SAMHSA, aftercare alumni programs double the chances of maintaining abstinence over a year.

The Relapse Prevention Plan: Sustaining Contact and Support

The primary trigger for relapse is isolation.

Negative thoughts can worsen when we are by ourselves, and feelings of shame are intensified, making it easier to reason that “just this once” will not hurt anything.

Connection is the solution.

Why Support Matters

Within a recovery community, isolation is replaced by accountability, shame by compassion, and secrecy by honesty. You are among people who know precisely how you’re feeling because they have been there and have experienced the same negative consequences.

There are various support options available, including:

• 12-step programs (AA, NA)
• SMART Recovery
• Celebrate Recovery
• Online peer networks and apps
• Sponsors and sober peers

How Sober Living Helps Protect Sobriety

Sober living homes offer a transition between the rigid structure of rehab and the freedom of self-sustained living.

Sober living offers:

• Housing with guaranteed removal of drugs or alcohol
• Supervision and responsibility
• Programmatic peer culture
• Skill development (budgeting, employment, relationships)

According to a Journal of Psychoactive Drugs study, residents in sober living homes have reported the highest levels of abstinence and successful employment outcomes six months post-rehab.

Therapies That Support Recovery After Rehab

Recovery is more than just abstinence from using the substances. It involves resolving the mental and emotional damage and the fundamental issues of trauma that led to the development of the addiction.

Some of the available therapies include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Trauma therapy (EMDR, Somatic Therapy)
• Family therapy

Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows therapy increases resilience to triggers and reduces depressive relapses.

Managing Triggers and High-Risk Situations

Triggers are scenarios, feelings, or contexts that enhance cravings or a desire to use. Understanding how to identify and cope with triggers is an essential relapse prevention technique.

Common triggers include:

• Stress, anxiety, or emotional overload
• Friends or places linked to drug and alcohol use
• Financial stress or isolation
• Holidays and social events
• Relationship conflicts

Here’s what you can do to manage triggers:

• Cut off high-risk people and places
• Know how to exit
• Practice saying “No.”
• Bring supportive people
• Use mindfulness and grounding activities

Lifestyle Habits That Help Maintain Recovery

Your physical condition highly impacts your mental and emotional state. To stay sober, you can focus on building helpful habits, like:

• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Hydration
• Movement
• Self-reflection and journaling
• New activities and routines

Relapse Prevention with Medication-Assisted Treatment

For patients recovering from alcohol or drug addiction, medication can be vital in alleviating these issues.

How MAT Works

MAT or Medically Assisted Treatment uses FDA-authorized medicines to alleviate painful withdrawal and reduce cravings.

Common MAT medications are:

• Naltrexone (Vivitrol)
• Buprenorphine (Suboxone or Subutex)
• Acamprosate (Campral)

It’s important to note that MAT must be paired with therapy. Patients with MAT plus therapy relapse 50-60% less than those who finish detox only.

How to Respond to a Slip

A slip does not mean you have lost. It is a slip, not a death sentence.

What to do when you slip:

• Tell someone
• Re-engage with support
• Identify the cause
• Revise your relapse prevention strategy
• Remember: recovery never ends

Long-Term Recovery: What It Should Look Like

• Emotional stability
• Better relationships
• Improved mental and physical health
• Direction in life
• Milestones: 30 days, 90 days, one year, five years

Over time, recovery becomes part of you; not a fight, but a lifestyle.

Relapse Prevention Is a Lifelong Toolkit

Having a strong support system, a life plan, healthy habits, and a relapse prevention plan makes long-term recovery realistic.

Star City Recovery augments treatment with lifelong support, aftercare planning, therapy, alumni support, and ongoing options for rehabilitation in Los Angeles. With the appropriate toolkit and personnel, sobriety is always achievable.

Get in touch with our office to see how we can help you recover.