Recovery from addiction is never easy, and it often requires a tremendous amount of effort, commitment, and time. While relapse is a common part of the recovery journey, it can also be extremely dangerous. In fact, relapsing during recovery increases your risk of overdose significantly.
This guide unpacks everything you need to know about relapsing in recovery, including the relapse warning signs to watch out for.
FAQs About Relapse
What Is Relapse?
Relapse is a return to using drugs or alcohol after a period of abstinence. The term is also common in mental health care, where it describes symptoms returning after a period of improvement.
Relapse happens to many people in recovery. In fact, it’s estimated that between 40-60% of people in recovery experience at least one relapse. It doesn’t mean that recovery has failed, but it can be physically dangerous and a discouraging step backward, which is why knowing how to avoid it is so important.
What Causes Someone to Relapse?
Relapse in recovery can occur for many reasons, such as:
- Seasonal changes and mental health: People who experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may feel especially vulnerable during the winter months, when less sunlight causes symptoms of depression. If these symptoms go unaddressed, some people turn back to their substance of choice as a form of self-medicating for a temporary sense of relief.
- Social events: For people who aren’t in recovery, free time and social activities are often defined by substance use. If your friends aren’t committed to planning sober activities, you may find yourself surrounded by alcohol or drugs whenever you spend time with your loved ones. Exposure to substance use can cause you to overestimate your ability to remain sober or even feel pressured into using again.
- Fear of missing out: Some people in recovery choose to distance themselves from the people and environments that tempt them to fall into old habits. Over time, you may start to feel like you’re missing out on the fun that others are having. You might feel isolated from your loved ones, convincing yourself that drinking or using drugs is worth it just to spend time with them.
It’s important to note that relapse triggers can be internal or external, and they can look different for everyone. There are a plethora of mental, emotional, and environmental factors that can tempt someone to use again, and these situations or feelings aren’t always avoidable. That’s why it’s important to recognize relapse warning signs early and have a plan in place to shut them down.
What Are The Risks of Relapsing?
Relapse can increase the risk of overdose due to changes that occur in the body during recovery.
When someone is in the early stages of recovery, their body has likely been subjected to years of substance abuse. Over time, this can cause significant changes within the body, including:
- An increased tolerance to the substance
- Changes to the brain and nervous system
- A weakened immune function
As someone enters recovery, they begin to reverse many of these changes. Their tolerance to the substance decreases, and their body begins to heal.
However, this also means that if they were to relapse, their body would no longer be adapted to the substance. The risk of overdose is higher, because using what was previously a “normal” amount of a given substance is significantly more than someone’s body can now handle. The person may also use a combination of substances (known as polysubstance or polydrug use) to amplify their effects.
What Are The Stages of Relapse?
Relapse usually starts well before the first drink or use. According to addiction physician Steven Melemis, there are three stages of relapse: emotional, mental, and physical.
Emotional
During emotional relapse, you aren’t actively thinking about using. Instead, you’ll notice a subtle decline in how you take care of yourself. Melemis identifies poor self-care as the common thread, which can include:
- Sleeping poorly
- Skipping meals
- Bottling up feelings
- Pulling away from people who support you
Mental
In mental relapse, part of you wants to use and part of you doesn’t. You might think about past use with nostalgia, tell yourself that once won’t hurt, or notice opportunities to use. Cravings come more often and are harder to set aside.
Physical
Physical relapse is the return to drinking or drug use itself. This is the stage where overdose risk becomes immediate, especially after weeks or months of sobriety.
7 Common Relapse Warning Signs
If you’re in recovery, it’s important to stay vigilant to protect yourself from relapse. If your loved one is in recovery, you should also be on the lookout for relapse warning signs that may signal they need more support.
Relapse warning signs can show up in your thoughts and habits, even if you don’t recognize them right away. Here are some common ones to look out for:
- Skipping therapy sessions, support meetings, or check-ins. Missing one appointment can make the next one easier to skip. Over time, you lose the structure and accountability that help you catch problems early.
- Pulling away from friends, family, or others in recovery. You may forget to answer text messages or feel inclined to cancel social plans. When you spend less time with people who support you, it gets harder for anyone to notice you’re struggling.
- Changes in sleep, appetite, or mood that last more than a few days. These shifts are often part of emotional relapse, when self-care slips before cravings appear. They can also point to a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety, that needs attention.
- Talking about past use fondly, or spending time with people and places connected to it. Remembering substance use as a “good” experience and glossing over the consequences is a common sign of mental relapse. Returning to old people and places can also expose you to substances when cravings hit.
- Keeping secrets or getting defensive when someone asks how you’re doing. Hiding how you feel or where you’ve been can mean part of you is already moving toward relapse. Defensiveness often comes up when a question touches something you aren’t ready to talk about.
- Believing you can now drink or use in a controlled way. After a stretch of sobriety, you may start to wonder whether things would be different this time. This thinking is risky because your tolerance has likely dropped, so an amount you once used could now lead to an overdose.
- Stopping a medication or part of your treatment plan without talking to your provider. Feeling better can make medication or therapy seem unnecessary. Stopping on your own can bring back symptoms or cravings, so talk with your provider first about any change.
One sign on its own doesn’t mean a relapse is coming. Several at once, especially early in recovery, are a reason to reach out to your therapist or treatment team.
How to Cope When You Recognize Relapse Warning Signs
Yoga and Dynamic Stretching
Find new hobbies and activities that can help you feel centered and quiet your mind. Incorporating yoga and dynamic stretching into your everyday routine is an excellent way to do just that.
Some of the many benefits of doing yoga to support the recovery process include:
- Reducing your stress levels
- Lessening feelings of anxiety
- Slowing your heart rate
- Regulates your breathing
- Fosters a sense of self-control
Spending Time Outdoors
Spending time in the great outdoors provides many emotional and psychological benefits that can support your recovery. For example, time in nature can help improve your concentration and regulate your mood.
Some outdoor activities that you might try could include:
- Hiking
- Camping
- Bird watching
- Stargazing
- Journaling or drawing in the park
- Outdoor yoga and meditation
- Swimming
- Gardening
Seeking Help From An Addiction Treatment Center
If you feel like you or a loved one may need additional support to continue sober living, consider reaching out to a treatment facility about joining an outpatient program. These programs provide dedicated support from professionals trained in treating addictions and will guide you through a comprehensive treatment plan designed to help you prevent relapsing.
At North Georgia Recovery Center, our program follows three phases:
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP): At the very start of our program, you’ll receive the most structured level of treatment. This involves a full day of treatment, five days per week, including individual, group, and family therapy sessions. During this time, you’ll build skills to manage triggers and cravings.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP): After you complete PHP, you’ll move into IOP, which involves fewer treatment hours each week. You’ll continue therapy as you return to more of your daily responsibilities and practice what you’ve learned in real situations.
- Alumni support: Having a strong sober support system can help when facing triggers or cravings. After you graduate from our program, we’ll keep in touch through occasional check-ins and alumni events. You’ll have a community of support to reach out to if you ever notice relapse warning signs and need help resisting the temptation to use again.
Call (770) 726-2985 today to talk to someone about how our program can help you or a loved one recognize and navigate relapse warning signs.
Alden Rodgers is a content writer specializing in addiction and mental health treatment topics. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia and has been writing for the healthcare industry for three years. Alden works closely with North Georgia Recovery Center’s clinical team to confirm each article’s accuracy before publication.
Tony Taylor, MA, LPC, is a Clinical Director with over 25 years of experience in behavioral health and substance use treatment. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health and a Master of Arts degree in Human Services with a concentration in Addictions and Recovery.
