Relapse Prevention

Published by John Gillen | Last updated: 31st March 2023

Although attending a drug and alcohol rehab such as our own for addiction rehabilitation will mitigate the overall risk of relapsing, a small percentage of clients leaving residential rehabilitation will relapse back into their old destructive ways within the first few years, months or even days of their recovery.

For this reason, at Cassiobury Court, we ensure that a proven programme of aftercare and relapse prevention support is implemented as each of our clients prepare to leave our rehabilitation centre upon completing their treatment.

If you are considering attending a drug and alcohol rehab and would like to find out more about how we support clients upon completing their treatment programme, we have provided a wealth of information below.

Likewise, if you would like to find out more about our relapse prevention treatment to support a loved one that has recently attended rehab, the information shared below will assist you.

If you have attended rehab and are worried that you are at risk of relapsing, please call us directly. Our admissions team can provide you with immediate support and guidance.

If we believe it is necessary, we will also offer you a place at our rehab for relapse prevention treatment.

 

The Stages Of Relapse

Relapse is an umbrella term for a series of interrelated events that lead to an individual’s continuation of addiction. Although many believe that a relapse can happen for no reason, psychological or emotional relapses must occur before a physical relapse can emerge. This means that relapses only usually take place when an individual in recovery is psychologically or emotionally triggered.

Relapse has its origin in a somewhat unconscious process where an individual’s emotions steer their behaviour towards people and places where a relapse is most likely to occur. Eating and sleeping habits are also often disrupted.

As an addiction arises, many individuals find it difficult to understand why their body is going through this trauma.  With this in mind, it is essential for the individual suffering to recognise the early signs of emotional relapse in order to seek professional help as soon as possible.

If the individual in recovery is not familiar with the early stages of relapse, it is likely that they will feel physically and emotionally exhausted to the point where a conscious wish to relapse is allowed to manifest.

It is also common for those who suffer from emotional relapse to feel a sense of isolation. This feeling of isolation is one of the main reasons that many people relapse. Considering this, ensuring that an individual has a professional support network is essential for those in recovery.

Sadly, when an emotional relapse is left to dwindle, it will develop into a psychological relapse.  When a psychological relapse is present, the individual in recovery will have an unconscious desire to relapse, which will gradually develop into a conscious wish to return to old addictive and destructive habits such as consuming substances or gambling.

 

Why Is Relapse Prevention Important?

As touched on above, when a relapse is imminent, seeking early assistance is imperative.  Not only can this assistance ensure that the individual struggling is able to look after their physical health, such as their nutritional intake and sleep requirements, but it also ensures that the individual at risk of relapsing has an outlet to discuss their worries and confide in a professional who can assist them in overcoming the psychological, emotional and physical risk of relapse.

If support is not sought when a relapse arises, the individual struggling will relapse and regrettably find themselves addicted to a substance or behaviour once again.   As a result, they will need to undergo professional rehabilitation treatment to overcome an addiction.

 

Our Relapse Prevention Aftercare Support

At Cassiobury Court, we understand that even though our rehabilitation programmes are highly successful, our clients are still at risk of relapsing as and when they return home.  This is because they will once again be surrounded by the factors and triggers that could cause them to relapse in the near or far future.

As a result, from the moment an individual enters our centre, we ensure that they are assigned an appropriate aftercare and relapse prevention support team.  Our relapse prevention and aftercare support teamwork collaboratively with those progressing through rehabilitation treatment to ensure that they recognise the triggers that could cause them to relapse.

As an individual comes to terms with the triggers that could cause them to relapse, our team ensures that various coping strategies are designed.  These coping strategies will mitigate the risk of relapse and ensure that an individual is able to cope should they come face-to-face with the identified triggers.

The relapse prevention plan you are provided with will be entirely bespoke to your personal addiction and recovery needs.  Your plan will typically outline the factors and triggers that have caused your addiction to arise and will also delve into the coping strategies that you have devised upon working with our relapse prevention support team.

In addition to the above, your relapse prevention support and aftercare support will see you regularly invited to our centre to attend group catch-up sessions.  These group catch-up sessions will provide you with the opportunity to listen to other individual’s recovery stories, share your thoughts and feelings and discuss any hurdles that you have had to overcome.

If you believe that you require additional help and support upon leaving our rehab centre and returning home, we can provide you with one-to-one therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

 

Contact Us Today To Discuss Our Relapse Prevention Support

If you are concerned that you are at risk of relapsing, please call us today to seek our support.  If we believe that it is necessary, we will stage an early intervention to ensure that your risk of relapse is minimised.

Likewise, if you are concerned that a loved one is at risk of relapsing, please call us today.  We can provide you with support and guidance and ensure that your loved one receives appropriate relapse prevention treatment.

To contact us, please call 01923 369 161.  Alternatively, email info@cassioburycourt.com.

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John Gillen

John Gillen - Author Last updated: 31st March 2023

John Gillen is a leading addiction treatment expert with over 15 years of experience providing evidence-based treatment methods for individuals throughout the UK. John also co-authors the book, The Secret Disease of Addiction, which delves into how the addictive mind works and what treatment techniques work best.