A Guide to Alcohol Relapse Prevention

After a person has worked on their goals to remove something from their life that is hurting them, it can be profoundly distressing if they return to it. For someone caught in the vicious grip of alcohol addiction, escaping alcohol permanently might, at times, feel almost impossible.

Yet, we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today’s blog aims to illustrate the nature of alcohol relapse and provide guidance on how to prevent relapse during alcohol recovery.

What is relapse, and how is it defined?

In medical terms, a relapse is defined as the worsening of a dangerous health condition which had previously shown signs of improvement. An example could be a person going through cancer recovery who shows signs that they are improving for a while, only to return to a worsened state.

In terms of addiction to alcohol or other substances, a relapse is defined as returning to drinking or using a substance after a period of abstinence and improvement. It has sometimes been expressed as “backsliding” or “falling off the wagon” in slightly old-fashioned and colloquial terms.

When a person relapses, they can often feel a frustration that cuts through to their soul. The time they spent abstaining from the substance can feel like it was wasted, as though it all counted for nothing.

Here it’s important to see that a relapse is not an outright failure in recovery. A relapse is one part, or one function, in the recovery process itself.

How often do relapses happen after rehab treatment?

Relapse and returning to substance use after a period of recovery is quite common. Studies have shown relapse rates for varying substances to be as high as 70% in the 90-day period following treatment.

For alcohol specifically, long-term research on staying sober is limited and variable. However, some research suggests that up to two-thirds of people treated for alcohol use disorder (AUD) relapse within six months.

Understanding what causes a person to relapse and return to drinking alcohol can be highly personal, though some underlying causes can be addressed.

What often causes a person’s alcohol relapse?

When a person has an addiction to alcohol, the process of recovery can take a lot of time, patience and dedication. Working your way out of alcohol addiction requires setting and maintaining personal goals, which can become difficult to uphold over time.

It’s important to know that relapse is not a single occurrence. Instead, relapses often build and develop over time. It usually does not start the moment someone has their first drink after a period of abstinence. A relapse can slowly form from different factors that contribute to a return to drinking.

Some of the most common contributors to alcohol relapses include:

Internal factors

• Low self-efficacy (a lack of confidence in the ability to overcome the challenge)
• Mood swings and psychological changes throughout the withdrawal period
• Persisting positive thoughts and feelings about drinking
• Unhealthy coping mechanisms

External factors

• Ease of access to alcohol
• A person’s social influences (friends, places and events)
• Recurring exposure to triggers for substance use in the past

The 3 “stages” of relapse

Research suggests that relapses can develop in different stages or steps in the recovery process. It can help to understand how a relapse might develop over 3 separate phases or periods: emotional, mental and physical.

Emotional relapse

During the first phase, a recovering person generally does not intend to return to using the drug. This first phase is often fraught with wild emotions and fear, which can lead to behaviours that make relapse more likely. There could be some signs to watch out for, such as:

• Denying there is a problem
• Isolating from people
• Poor sleep schedule
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Mood swings and irritability
• Worsening self-care

Mental relapse

The second phase involves increased stress and mental struggles. This person might start to feel frustrated, discouraged and increasingly angry with themselves. They could create a conflict with themselves on whether or not to drink again. Some other signs of mental relapse can include:

• Deepening social isolation and non-attendance of health meetings
• Minimising and rationalising the consequences of using
• Planning a physical relapse or return to drinking
• Creating unrealistic or false, positive beliefs about alcohol

Physical relapse

The third and final stage is when the person recovering starts drinking alcohol at previous levels again. It’s important to remember that they may drink a small amount of alcohol and then successfully stop again. This is called a “lapse,” which is a single or minor instance of returning to drinking before going back to the original goal of cessation.

How can I prevent alcohol relapse?

Alcohol relapse prevention can be extremely difficult for people suffering from alcohol addiction. There are some proactive steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a relapse. These include:

Avoiding triggers

As for many mental health conditions, learning to avoid things that trigger distress is extremely beneficial. Psychologists have given these triggers a term called “People, places and things.” This phrase might at first seem too simple to encapsulate all of your deep, psychological triggers.

Just work slowly on first identifying these triggers. Are there any people who seem to only meet with you when alcohol is involved? Are there certain buildings that give you more of the urge to drink? Identifying these triggers and then making the choice to avoid them can be liberating in the recovery process.

Developing meaningful activities

Alcohol addictions can be massively time-consuming. As you work on building a life that doesn’t involve alcohol, you might find yourself with more free time. This is the time you used to spend drinking, which might have felt important to you before you chose to remove it.

It is critical to fill the time you used to spend drinking with other activities that mean something to you. There are so many activities and hobbies to work on that will give you a new sense of positivity, confidence and self-worth. Joining a fitness or Martial Arts class can help you get physically and mentally fitter while providing a sense of community. A feeling of community or social group can help with feelings of loneliness and detachment. Special interest groups for activities like chess, photography, or painting could become therapeutic and deeply meaningful to you, given enough time.

Developing your support network

We mentioned the feeling of loneliness that can be prevalent as you seek new, meaningful activities. This loneliness should not be overlooked as it can make the challenge to full recovery feel insurmountable. This is the time to reach out to people around you who understand the challenge you’re facing.

Your family and close friends might provide support in maintaining your sobriety. Vocalise the fact that the purpose of getting together isn’t for alcohol. If you have tried clarifying this to your family and friends but still can’t find anyone to support you, there may be internet support groups and forums with members who have been in your shoes.

Prioritising self-care and managing shifting perspectives

Our last recommendation is more holistic and personal. A profound sense of self-worth may be found by saying “no” to alcohol, along with other activities you associate with drinking, like sitting in a pub. Respect your own refusal and recognise it as a form of self-care.

Alcohol, over the long term, alters your brain’s “reward system,” so it’s likely that being sober more often will bring new sensations in the way you feel rewards. These sensations can be bewildering throughout the cessation period.

If you find your perspectives shifting as you are sober more often, we encourage you to write, journal and record the new feelings you have. It might have been years since you learned to appreciate and be thankful for mental clarity, so don’t be afraid to explore it.

I need help to remove alcohol from my life

Loneliness and a lack of support can be the hardest challenges to overcome on the path to recovery. This is where we’d like to offer our support.

Here at Primrose Lodge, we specialise in addiction recovery and alcohol relapse prevention. Our modern facilities feel homely, and our staff provides personalised care for you at every step of your recovery. We want to work with you to set up meaningful, healthy goals for the rest of your life.

Please contact us so we can help you set up a healthier, alcohol-free life today.