Monday, July 19, 2010

Relax--relapse is part of recovery

A lot of my clients are addicts with serious addictions. I've noticed that they all relapse at some point, some more than others. Even the clients who have been sober the entire time I've worked with them and who I view as very stable, went through phases of relapse after relapse. This article confirmed what I have been telling my clients for a while. Don't get so down on yourself about a relapse; it is part of the recovery process.

What is most important is to learn from the relapse and to catch it as soon as you can. Because you relapsed the one time, doesn't make it okay to go on a bender! Ask yourself questions about it: what led to the relapse; did I try all of my coping skills first in order to avoid relapsing; what was I telling myself in the moment I decided to relapse. The answers to these questions will help the next time you are faced with a similar situation.

I am using the words addiction and relapse, and many of you may be feeling like this doesn't apply to you, however, we all struggle with things that we wish we could have more control over. This could be smoking, eating too many fatty foods, or avoiding exercising. It's up to you how you want to see these issues and if you are ready to make permanent changes.