Lasting recovery is a lifetime process. Even after receiving treatment, full sobriety is never guaranteed, as relapse triggers can arise when least expected. So, there are measures you can take to prevent these cravings from recurring. Prepare yourself with a full relapse prevention plan to avoid situations that can trigger your relapse.

A prevention plan is just as important as creating a treatment plan. Identifying the causes, strengthening yourself, and recognizing the early signs of relapse play a significant role in prevention. Contact the Willows at Red Oak at 855.773.0614 to learn more.

Care for Yourself

Self-care is, first and foremost, the practice you have to prioritize in creating a relapse prevention plan. Eating a healthy diet and working out gives you the strength to battle unprecedented situations through improved mental health. Recognizing the causes of why you use drugs and alcohol helps you avoid situations where relapse triggers can arise. These causes of mental disorders such as depression can mentally and physically drain you. So you have to prevent them from happening through self-care practices.

Communicate

Don’t keep your problems to yourself. One of the common causes of relapse is isolation and avoiding communication because of stigma or social factors. However, the right people will always understand and help you. Reach out for support from your health care providers, close friends, family, or someone who battled the same difficulties. Sharing your thoughts and emotions might help you get rid of the urges you once felt.

Plan Your Distraction

Devise a plan you can follow to distract yourself from using drugs or alcohol. Keep yourself busy to occupy the space where the urges can arise. Engage in outdoor activities. Workout to relax your mind. Call a friend to release your urges. These are all distractions you need to include in your plan to prevent addiction relapse when triggers arise.

Procrastinate

If you can procrastinate your work tasks, you can procrastinate your urges too. It’s like a task your body feels the need to do. You have to delay it the usual way you delay your other tasks. When you feel like you need to use drugs or alcohol, insert alternative ways of entertaining yourself like playing video games, gardening, cooking, or cleaning your house.

Take it Slowly

The process of recovery is gradual and tedious. You should take steps one at a time to prevent overwhelming yourself with sudden independence. When you’re feeling the urge to use drugs or alcohol, try to convince yourself to stop using the whole day, the next few hours, or the next 30 minutes. When you’re stable and relaxed, set a goal to stop using drugs or alcohol for a month. Make it a goal to take your relapse prevention plan slowly until you develop the skills to cope successfully.

Calm Yourself

Relaxation is a vital part of recovery. When you’re not relaxed, different sorts of negative feelings and emotions can occupy your mind and eventually lead to urges. When you’re relaxed, you can think clearly about what actions are right and wrong for your overall health. So consider adding recreational activities that help calm your mind for an effective prevention plan.

List the Consequences

Recognize the actions and situations that motivate addiction relapse. Develop self-awareness and make yourself known of the consequences your behaviors can bring. Determine the causes of why you use drugs and alcohol. List them for easy access. In addition, keep in mind that giving in to any urge brings you back to square one.

Support for Relapse Prevention

There are many preventive measures you have to take after receiving rehab. A health care provider can provide you with the right preventive steps through a series of self-improvement practices. We offer a variety of benefits through our services, including:

• Aftercare treatment program
• Relapse prevention services
• Coping skills education
• Experiential therapy for women
• Disordered eating support

Create Your Plan with The Willows at Red Oak

Women are brave and determined individuals. As a woman, you can overcome the challenge of addiction with the right plan and support. Help is just right at the corner if you need it. Contact The Willows at Red Oak at 855.773.0614 to begin your relapse prevention plan.