Learning to help yourself

You have come a long way in recognizing that your use of drugs or alcohol has caused some major consequences in your life. You may not even be reading this right now if it wasn't for the fact that you did something that had a big impact on your own life or people you care about. You have probably hurt some pretty important people in your life; but most important, continued use will continue to hurt you!

Recovery does not just Happen
Congratulations on getting through the "dry" time if you are reading this in a clean and sober state. Just getting clean even for a short time, may have been hard for you. Now that you are clean and facing the consequences of your behaviour, it is easy to feel that you will never go back to your old "habits" and that you will be able to avoid further problems. You may think that you can get your girl (wife) or boyfriend (husband), or partner back, get a great-paying job and get on with your life. I wish with all my heart that things really will go well for you in the future. Unfortunately real progress and recovery often take hard work and that is where the information on the http://www.flipsiderecovery.com website can really help!

Wishing or Hard Work?
But wishing hasn't been proven to be overly effective. I've wished for the lottery for quite some time but still end up at work every day! How can you help yourself to avoid "relapse", that is a return to drugs and alcohol, even when you know that "$hit will happen" if you do so? I'm going to try to help you to understand the relapse process, because sometimes, just by knowing what to look out for can help you avoid the inevitable. You're going to need to do some work with me, but I know you are worth saving.

Relapse Prevention Planning
It doesn't matter how long you have been sober, you need to make relapse prevention planning a part of your recovery. You might still be in recovery, still thinking that you can just control your use, especially after you haven't been around the stuff for some time. It seems like it would be easy to say "No thanks, I'll pass". Well, you might find very soon that: You do not control the drug, the drug controls you.

Relapse is a Process
Relapse is a process of returning to the use of alcohol and other drugs after a period of abstinence. You are actually in a state of relapse before you even succumb to actually drinking, smoking, popping or shooting up your drug of choice. There are clues, or warning signs that relate to your behaviour, attitudes, feelings, thoughts or combination of these. You should be "on the alert" when changes occur with you to examine whether or not these are indications that you are headed for a relapse.

Clues that a Relapse is about to Happen

Let's take a look at these clues:

  1. Behaviour Changes: Increased episodes of arguing with others for no apparent reasons; decreasing or stopping support group meetings; socializing in places where drugs and alcohol are being used by others; increased stress symptoms such as smoking more cigarettes or eating more than usual.
  2. Attitude Changes: Not caring about being "sober", not caring about what's happening in your life, being very negative about life and how things are going. Being very critical of others who use drugs or alcohol.
  3. Changes in Feelings or Moods: Increased moodiness or depression; strong feelings of anger at oneself or another; increased feeling of boredom; or sudden feelings of euphoria (feeling "on top of the world").
  4. Changes in Thoughts: Thinking alcohol or drugs are "deserved" because you have given them up for so long; thinking it wouldn't be harmful to substitute one drug for another; thinking that your alcohol or drug problem has been "cured" and that you can "control" it now!

These are just a few examples, which may or may not relate to you. The important thing to be aware of the changes you notice in your behavior, feelings, attitudes thoughts. They could indicate that your relapse process is set in motion.

THANKS FOR CARING ABOUT YOURSELF!