Helping a Loved One Who Relapsed
Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction never truly ends, as the people who overcome the dependence must fight every day to maintain their sobriety. While addiction is a treatable disorder, the percentage of patients who relapse after treatment is between 40 and 60%, according to the National Insitute on Drug Abuse. Experiencing a relapse does not mean the treatment didn’t work or the person in recovery is a failure. It’s simply part of the process of overcoming addiction. With relapse a common occurrence, it’s important to know the early warning signs of a relapse and how to help someone who relapsed.
There can be many causes of addiction relapse, including biological factors, according to the National Library of Medicine. Just like how each patient will respond differently to treatment, not everyone who experiences a relapse will have the same reason for doing so. It’s important to accept that it is common for it to happen and what steps can be taken to prevent it and overcome it if relapse occurs.
How Do You Comfort Someone Who Is Having a Relapse?
Someone who is having a relapse is not a failure or deserves to be criticized due to their mistake. Comforting someone experiencing a relapse from addiction requires compassion, patience, and understanding. Here are some helpful tips on how to handle a relapse and provide comfort:
- Let them know that a relapse does not define their worth or erase their previous progress. Remind them that recovery is a journey with potential setbacks and that you still believe in their ability to heal.
- Avoid judgment or criticism. Instead, express that you care about them and want to help them get back on track.
- Create a safe space for them to share their feelings without fear of shame or punishment.
- Validate their emotions, acknowledging that relapse can bring feelings of guilt, frustration, and disappointment.
- Suggest reconnecting with their therapist, counselor, or support group.
- Remind them that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
- Discuss what might have led to the relapse without being judgemental.
- Work together to recognize potential triggers and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
- Help them remember their motivations for getting healthy.
- Reinforce that one setback does not erase their progress or potential.
- Emphasize that recovery is a process and setbacks are a normal part of healing.
- Help them focus on moving forward rather than dwelling on the relapse.
Most importantly, communicate that your support is constant and unconditional. Let them know that you believe in their ability to recover and that they are not alone in this journey. If the situation feels beyond your ability to help, or if you’re concerned about their immediate safety, don’t hesitate to reach out to professional addiction support services or emergency medical help.
How Do People Act When They Relapse?
When people relapse from addiction, they often experience deep emotional issues that can feel overwhelming and isolating. The moment of relapse typically produces intense feelings of shame, guilt, and self-loathing, where they perceive themselves as failures who have undone all their previous progress in recovery. Many struggle with self-criticism, thinking they are incapable of overcoming their addiction. This internal struggle can push them deeper into the very behavior they were trying to overcome, creating a dangerous cycle of self-destructive thoughts and actions.
However, the reality of relapse is that it is part of the recovery journey rather than its endpoint. Relapse does not mean a complete failure but rather an opportunity for learning and readjusting the recovery strategy. Each relapse prevents an opportunity to learn by discovering critical insights into personal triggers, emotional vulnerabilities, and areas that require additional support. By approaching relapse with compassion and commitment to understanding the underlying factors that contributed to the setback, patients can move forward toward a more sustainable and resilient recovery.
What Is a Trigger in a Relapse?
One of the best tips for preventing a relapse is to understand the triggers that can cause drug or alcohol use to return. A trigger in addiction is what causes an intense urge to start using the substance again. Triggers can be internal or external and typically activate powerful psychological responses that create a strong impulse to use substances or engage in addictive behaviors. Triggers can be caused by many factors, including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Feelings of anger or sadness
- Low self-esteem
- Unresolved trauma
- Places associated with past substance use
- Social gatherings where substances are present
- Specific neighborhoods or locations linked to addiction history
- Seeing drug paraphernalia
- Encountering people connected to previous addiction lifestyle
- Negative thought patterns
- Memories of past substance use
- Boredom
- Unmanaged mental health conditions
- Physical pain
- Lack of sleep
- Hunger
- Exhaustion
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Peer pressure
- Relationship conflicts
- Social isolation
- Reconnecting with people from past addiction periods
Recognizing and understanding personal triggers is crucial in addiction recovery. By identifying and understanding these triggers, patients can develop effective coping strategies, create safety plans, and work with support groups to build resilience against potential relapse.
What Is the Root Cause of a Relapse?
The root cause of a relapse from drug or alcohol addiction typically extends beyond one simple issue or cause. It often involves a series of psychological, emotional, and environmental factors that gradually erode a patient’s recovery from addiction. A relapse often stems from unresolved underlying trauma, unmanaged mental health conditions, or deep-seated emotional pain, which substance use covered. Chronic stressors such as unresolved relationship conflicts, financial pressures, work-related anxiety, or persistent feelings of inadequacy can create tension that weakens a patient’s coping mechanisms to handle these issues without substance use.
Along with these causes, people in recovery must also deal with how their body urges them to use drugs or alcohol. During addiction, the brain becomes conditioned to seek out the temporary pleasure or numbing effect provided by drugs, creating powerful triggers that can override rational decision-making. A lack of aftercare support systems and inadequate coping skills, in addition to these challenges, can make recovery a difficult journey. Overcoming the root causes of addiction requires comprehensive, compassionate treatment tailored to each patient’s unique needs.
Resurgence Behavioral Health Provides Support on How to Help Someone Who Relapsed
Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is a long-term process that will have lots of ups and downs along the way. If relapse does occur, it does not constitute a failure but an opportunity to pick up the pieces and move forward with a better strategy to prevent it from happening again. Knowing how to help someone who relapsed is extremely vital, as aftercare support systems are critical for everyone who leaves an addiction treatment center.
If relapse does occur, Resurgence Behavioral Health in California offers medical detox, inpatient, outpatient, and aftercare services to ensure patients can access support every step of the way. Our professional treatment programs are customized to each patient’s recovery needs so they can maximize their chances of long-term sobriety. Please call us at 855-458-0050 to access our professional guidance and compassionate support today.
External Sources
- WebMD: Addiction: What to Know About Relapse
- National Insitute on Drug Abuse: Can addiction be treated successfully?
- National Library of Medicine: New Findings on Biological Factors Predicting Addiction Relapse Vulnerability
