The most difficult part of your addiction is behind you and now is up to you to maintain your daily reprieve and avoid relapsing. In order to do so, recovering addicts need to be equipped with the right tools to succeed during their life-long exercise of sobriety.
Fortunately, there are many long-term support tools that can help an addict avoid relapses, including relapse prevention programs.
What Are Relapse Prevention Programs
Relapse prevention programs, also known as aftercare plans, are designed to help recovering addicts reduce their risk of relapsing.
The goal is to help people develop skills that will help them avoid situations and triggers that may cause them to relapse.
The relapse prevention process usually involves identifying high-risk situations and creating a plan for how to avoid or handle those situations in a productive and positive way.
How Can Relapse Prevention Programs Help People in Recovery?
Using proven strategies, relapse prevention programs enable recovering addicts to stay sober and avoid relapsing.
Relapse prevention programs help addicts by:
- Using treatment to help individuals recognize the early stages of relapse and treat it before it occurs
- Understanding that each stage of recovery has its own risk of relapse and treating each stage differently
- Using the main tools of relapse prevention which are cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation
- Teaching them how to be honest and asking for help when needed
How to Find Relapse Prevention Programs
Signing up for a relapse prevention program might be the best approach in helping addicts maintain a sound recovery.
Some of the most common forms in which relapse prevention services are offered include:
Support Groups
Support groups are one of the most recognized and effective ways for addicts to stay sober. It’s for this reason that 12-step programs are so popular among addicts in recovery.
Addicts in recovery benefit from mutual aid and accountability in support groups. Support groups assist to help addicts remember what it was like when they were using drugs, and what a sober life is like now, which helps them stay sober.
Therapy or Group Therapy
Maintenance of an addict’s recovery can also be achieved through therapy or group therapy. The latter is similar to support groups in many ways, except it’s led by a counselor or therapist.
The process of working through cognitive and behavioral issues could take many years. It is helpful for addicts to speak to a professional, who is able to identify patterns and behaviors that would otherwise lead them to relapse.
The first stage of relapse occurs when an addict in recovery fantasizes about drug use, stops going to recovery meetings, and begins to mentally sabotage their recovery.
Professional therapists can help the addict by detecting these signs early on and treating them before the patient reverts to substance abuse.
Sober Housing
Sober housing is also a way in which addicts can avoid relapse, by being surrounded by like-minded individuals and sheltering themselves in a safe environment.
A sober home substance-free environment is considered to be the best for an addict during early recovery. Aside from providing a safe environment, they also offer numerous in-house services, including drug testing, support groups, therapy, and more. Relapse prevention services are always offered at sober housing facilities.
A study showed that residents of sober living homes significantly improved when it came to their alcohol and drug consumption, arrests, psychiatric symptoms, and employment. Corroborating the efficacy of enrolling in a sober community home.
Types of sober housing include:
- Halfway homes
- Sober living houses
- Inpatient facilities
90210 Recovery
At 90210 Recovery, we offer relapse prevention services along with top-notch addiction treatment in Los Angeles that ensures you or your loved ones get the care needed to stay sober. Contact 90210 Recovery to learn more about what you can do to help your loved one stay sober.
