What Do I Do If I’ve Relapsed?

an image of a person deciding what to do after relapse
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By: Renaissance Recovery

Clinically Reviewed by: Diana Vo, LMFT

Last Updated:

09/20/2021

Authored By: Joe Gilmore

Table of Contents

Despite your best efforts, you’ve relapsed. You’re embarrassed, shocked and disappointed and asking yourself ‘What Do I Do If I’ve Relapsed?’ It happens to many people.

After a relapse, many people experience feelings of shame or regret. Furthermore, you may feel like giving up the fight and giving into your addiction rather than continuing to work hard and overcome the fleeting desire to use. These are normal but can create challenges in creating a drug-free life.

Instead, use this relapse as a learning tool; clarify your relapse prevention plan and identify your triggers. By digging deeper into the root cause of the relapse, you will lay the foundation for a recovery that will ensure you bounce back stronger than ever.

First, don’t panic. If you have a sponsor, call him/her immediately. If the substances are still in your body, you might need to get back into Rehab.

The first step is to determine whether you need to go back to rehab. If it was an isolated incident and you’re committed to examining or adjusting your recovery care plan, you may not need to go back to an inpatient facility. This offers the patient hands-on treatment and ongoing supervision.

However, if you’ve fallen back into a continued pattern of substance abuse, you might need to get back into a strict treatment program. If you find yourself talking about using substances, hang out with people who encourage you to drink, or fall back into substance abuse to cope, this is a sign of a bigger problem needing immediate treatment.

Upon returning to treatment, this time should have a deeper emphasis on therapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has been successful in teaching recovering addicts new behavioral responses to distorted thinking.

Help is Available.

Despite your best efforts, you’ve relapsed. You’re embarrassed, shocked and disappointed and asking yourself ‘What Do I Do If I’ve Relapsed?’ It happens to many people.

After a relapse, many people experience feelings of shame or regret. Furthermore, you may feel like giving up the fight and giving into your addiction rather than continuing to work hard and overcome the fleeting desire to use. These are normal but can create challenges in creating a drug-free life.

Instead, use this relapse as a learning tool; clarify your relapse prevention plan and identify your triggers. By digging deeper into the root cause of the relapse, you will lay the foundation for a recovery that will ensure you bounce back stronger than ever.

First, don’t panic. If you have a sponsor, call him/her immediately. If the substances are still in your body, you might need to get back into Rehab.

The first step is to determine whether you need to go back to rehab. If it was an isolated incident and you’re committed to examining or adjusting your recovery care plan, you may not need to go back to an inpatient facility. This offers the patient hands-on treatment and ongoing supervision.

However, if you’ve fallen back into a continued pattern of substance abuse, you might need to get back into a strict treatment program. If you find yourself talking about using substances, hang out with people who encourage you to drink, or fall back into substance abuse to cope, this is a sign of a bigger problem needing immediate treatment.

Upon returning to treatment, this time should have a deeper emphasis on therapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has been successful in teaching recovering addicts new behavioral responses to distorted thinking.

You Didn’t Become An Addict Overnight

Most people have been using substances for a long time before they come to us. It’s absurd to think that changes to the brain after years (or decades) will be changed with a couple of months of treatment. That’s just not realistic.

Continuing therapy is clearly needed. Whatever you did before was not sufficient to keep you on the straight and narrow.

At Renaissance Recovery, we strongly encourage our patients to get into a sober living home. There, they will receive several forms of therapy and will have the support of co-residents who are going through the exact same thing.

Sober living homes are not vacation resorts. Many are dorm style for good reason – they want you to draw on the strength of co-residents while at the same time, lean on your strength to help move others through the treatment regimen.

Unfortunately, if you’ve relapsed more than once, chances are good that your insurance has run out. Sober living homes provide the most affordable solution to the continuation of addiction treatment. Their sole focus is getting you back on track to sobriety.

Get Help for Relapse at Renaissance Recovery

If you’ve already gone through treatment and are struggling with the potential or reality of relapse, there is help available. You should get you enrolled in a treatment program that better suits your needs and that can help you reach sustained sobriety. There re several options suited for your needs, and your budget. Don’t allow relapse to keep you silent or in a cycle of substance abuse.

Call us now to discuss your options. We can place you in addiction treatment within hours (in most cases).

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Pat C

“I owe my life and my happiness to these people. October 8th, 2019 marked two years of sobriety for me, and prior to finding Renaissance I hadn’t had 24 hours sober in nearly 20 years.”

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Paige R

“They truly cared for me and the other people that I served with! From this group, I have made 8 new brothers and friends for life! We have continued on, after the program, to take care of each other”

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Courtney S

“Great staff who took the time to get to know me. They have a lot of experience in this field and have first hand experience with what I was going through. IOP is outstanding and really built up a ton of great relationships and found this program to be a ‘breath of fresh air’.”

Joseph Gilmore has been in the addiction industry for three years with experience working for facilities all across the country. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.

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