Recovery Basics

Any therapy should be supported with a few best practices for relapse prevention in order for treatment to be effective:

• Avoid triggering situations: There are certain environments where drug and alcohol use is part of the culture. Think bars, clubs, parties, homes of friends who drink/use, etc. It might even be your own home. You want your environment to be as safe as possible, so do what you need to in order to make sure your drug of choice is not immediately available. While it may be tempting to go to certain places to "prove" that you can stay sober - don't do it. If you are serious about maintaining your sobriety, avoid locations where it may be tempting to use again. This is especially important in early recovery when temptations are frequently very strong.

• Get rid of toxic friends: Once you've made the decision to stop drinking or doing drugs, you need to change your routine and life. Getting rid of the toxic people in your life is one of the first steps in the process. This can be difficult when there are friendships involved, but think hard about how important those friendships are to you. The person who sells you drugs or buys you alcohol is not really your best friend. If you are serious about not exposing yourself to drugs or alcohol, spending time with people who use is not an option.

• Be completely honest: Addiction requires lying. Addicts must lie about getting their drug, hiding the drug, denying the consequences, and planning their next relapse. Addicts lie not only to others but also to themselves. Clinical experience shows that when clients feel they cannot be completely honest, it is a sign of emotional relapse and will eventually lead to actual relapse. It is often said that we in recovery are only as sick as our secrets. One of the goals of therapy is to help clients practice telling the truth and practice admitting when they have misspoken. Honesty should be practiced within one's "recovery circle," which includes family, doctors, counselors, support groups, and sponsors. But some people should be left out - your employer for instance - so that your work is not jeopardized. However, as you feel more comfortable, you may choose to expand the size of the circle.

• Develop a positive support network: You can't navigate sobriety alone, and no one expects you to. It's important to have healthy people around to help during your low points and to remind you why you made the decision to get sober. Surround yourself with positive people who don't engage in substance use and who are supportive of your substance-free lifestyle. This could be family, friends, and people you meet in support groups.

• Stay in therapy: Now that you're sober, you have a world of emotional issues to confront that you used to cope with drugs and alcohol. You may find that your relationships are struggling or you're stressed all the time. It's important that you learn how to deal with these situations in a healthy way. Continue weekly appointments with a therapist for at least a year or two after getting sober, and consider attending support groups. They will help provide you with the coping skills needed to maintain sobriety.

• Take medications as needed: Roughly 50% of addicts have a dual diagnosis. That means that there is some other mental health condition along with the substance use disorder. Anxiety, depression, and other conditions all contribute to the use of drugs and alcohol. If you are one of these, it is essential that you take your medications on a regular basis. In most cases, the symptoms of these conditions are alleviated with medicine. Work with a psychiatrist, not your primary care doctor, to figure out what medications work best for you. Every body is different, so if you don't respond well to your medication, don't give up but keep trying to find that which keeps you stable and clear-headed. Not only is it important to your mental health, but it's also critical to avoiding a relapse. And remember that even if your symptoms go away it doesn't mean you are cured, so continue to seek therapy as needed throughout recovery.

Bumps in the road: The road to recovery is not always smooth. It is not unusual for clients to slip back into old behaviors while in treatment or after treatment. Your counselor should be understanding and non-judgmental when these bumps occur in order to effectively help you address the issues that led to relapse. Hopefully friends and family will continue to be supportive without falling into behaviors that enable your addiction to continue.

What to do if you relapse: Does that mean you're a failure? No, not at all. Every day of your new life is a step in the right direction. If you were able to get clean and sober once, you can do it again. Reach out to your support system and get the help you need. Begin working your recovery program again. And start processing the emotions that led you to relapse so that you can prevent it from happening again. Learn from your mistakes, and move forward as best as you can.