One of the more disheartening feelings would be to be helpless in preventing a relapse of addiction after having successfully undergone therapy to overcome it. This is because although the habit is broken, the temptation and the craving to experience the feeling of being high might not have completely vanished. And it takes a moment of indiscretion, a bit of goading from fellow friends to ‘try it just once after so long’, for you to slip back into the addiction. The following are ways to ensure that you are able to counter a relapse:
- Having a Support Group
Fighting addiction is not an easy task, and it might be difficult for you to go about it alone. In such times, it is important to have a set of close people, such as family and friends, to help you through the process by supporting and encouraging you. Every time you experience the need to do the drug once more, open up about your cravings with your support group and let them handle you through the momentary phase where you are at risk of having a relapse episode.
- Staying Busy with Life
People who are into drug abuse may exhibit changes in their bodies such as losing or gain suddenly, extreme laziness or hyperactivity idle mind is the devil’s workshop’ goes the old proverb. If you are unable to keep yourself occupied enough, chances are you might ‘remember’ how a high used to feel and might crave to experience it again. The best way to go about it is to stay busy – working hard, taking up some skill development courses, picking up a hobby or two, ensuring that you have a lot of physical activity to indulge in such as playing sports, going for treks, and so on.
- Relax your mind actively
While it is important to stay busy, you also need to ensure that being involved in a lot of activities does not end up causing mental stress. Because oftentimes, it is the feeling of stressfulness that causes people to get addicted to drugs. You may look to ensure active relaxation of your mind by engaging in meditation, yoga, going on long walks in the vicinity of nature, having pets, and so on.
- Continuation of Therapy
While your official rehabilitation program might be over, you would still need the occasional therapy sessions to help you deal with it. Try to ensure that the rehabilitation center that you enroll with has offered aftercare sessions. A professional would be able to identify the exact cause which is threatening to trigger a relapse, and recommend an appropriate coping mechanism for you.
- Being kind to yourself
This is in the event of a relapse. Your self-control may let up occasionally, and hence you might find yourself helpless as you almost unconsciously reach out for that drug shot. And once the high subsides, you begin to experience a pang of guilt. It is at such times that you need to be forgiving enough to yourself, and stay convinced about the progress that you have made thus far.
Remember, relapses are a part of the de-addiction process. Do not get disheartened if you experience it, only know that you are on the right track to overcoming the addiction, and that relapses are the hurdles on the way.
