RSS FeedDrug addiction and alcoholism are chronic relapsing disorders. Relapse — the descent back into addiction after recovery — is perhaps the most demoralizing and frustrating aspect of drug and alcohol treatment. Relapse does not mean that treatment wasn’t successful or that the individual wasn’t trying or that full and complete lifelong treatment is unobtainable. Relapse points out the difficulties involved in treating drug and alcohol addiction.
The primary triggers of renewed drug or alcohol abuse are:
- Priming. The reason drug and alcohol treatments focus on total, lifelong abstinence is that just one exposure can trigger intense craving and send a recovering addict plummeting down the path of abuse again. Addicts are never completely and totally recovered; they will always be at risk for relapse.
- Environmental cues. People, places, activities or things associated with previous drug use can trigger relapse. When these externals can be permanently removed from the addict’s environment, his opportunity for successful recovery increases significantly. Conversely, returning a recovering addict to an environment in which these factors are still active, puts him at greater risk for relapse.
- Stress. Acute or chronic stress is the most common cause of relapse. High levels of stress are a common contributing factor in alcohol and drug abuse. Addicts often use drugs or alcohol to cope with or avoid stress. It is a behavior that once learned is extremely difficult to impossible to unlearn and is the most common cause of relapse.
Drug and alcohol treatment programs utilize cognitive behavior therapy to combat relapse. By helping patients to confront the consequences of drug or alcohol abuse and recognize the environmental cues and stressful situations that trigger their cravings, treatment programs seek to give recovering addicts the skills they need to recover successfully. Medical treatment may use certain drugs such as methadone, naltrexone and antabuse to block cravings and stabilize brain processes that are linked to cravings.
