Relapse is sometimes a part of the recovery process from drug and alcohol addiction. However, the goal of any treatment center is to prevent that from occurring. One way to do that is to create a comprehensive and customized relapse prevention plan for each person in treatment. The use of relapse prevention strategies like this makes sense. It creates an opportunity to know what to do if relapse is a risk and provides the best layers of protection to avoid that outcome. At The Willows at Red Oak, we incorporate this type of support into our treatment plans. To learn more about relapse prevention, please reach out to our team today at 855.773.0614.

What Is a Relapse Prevention Plan?

This term is a plan to avoid relapse. This tool can help you move through the most challenging times of recovery with confidence. This plan provides a strategy for acknowledging certain feelings and then avoiding adverse outcomes. It helps a person to recognize when their own behaviors may point to a relapse risk at some point in the near future.

What Goes into Substance Abuse Relapse Prevention?

This process is highly personal but one most people work through with their counselor and therapist. It’s a good idea to have a written plan on the steps to take should relapse become something you are thinking about or at risk.

Several things are included in such a plan:

• Assessment of the previous history with drugs and alcohol: In this step, the goal is to understand when you were most likely to use drugs and who you were with during that time. It may also look at patterns that make you more likely to use.
• Acknowledge signs that may point to relapse: Your therapist can help you to understand the signs of relapse, including the way you may think, feel, or behave should this risk grow.
• Create an action plan: This is a more specific component of your relapse prevention plan. It specifically outlines what you will do if you are at risk of using, such as getting into a support meeting or calling a specific person.
• A list of triggers is created: This list will point to anything that puts you at risk for use, such as things that remind you of previous use, people you were with, holidays, or anniversaries.
• Manage cravings through specific actions: This may include confronting such cravings and recognizing when they are happening, then getting help from them.

There are other components to a relapse prevention plan as well. For example, you and your counselor will create a list of things to do to help prevent relapse by keeping yourself healthy and active. You may also create a list of local support groups and meetings to attend to avoid relapse onset.

Call The Willows at Red Oak for Support and Guidance

Relapse prevention for women is a big part of the healing and recovery process. During your time in a treatment center, you’ll work on the physical and mental health aspects of recovery as well as creating a specific strategy for avoiding drug and alcohol use. It is through this type of plan that you’ll gain the confidence to move forward.

Some of the therapies we offer that may help include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Trauma therapy program
• Experiential therapy program
• Psychotherapy program
• Nutritional therapy program

Having a relapse prevention plan is a reliable way to ensure your addiction recovery goes as well as possible. Our team at The Willows at Red Oak offers tools and strategies to help you plan to be drug-free for the rest of your life. To learn more, call 855.773.0614 or connect with us online today for more insight.