Addiction is a disease. Like many diseases, there is a chance that some people may relapse during addiction. This is something that should be considered an accepted part of recovery, including long-term sobriety.
While we by no means encourage relapses, those who relapse shouldn’t be ostracized.
Someone trying to stop using drugs or alcohol can make mistakes, feel bad, and start using it again. This return to drug use is called a relapse and it is something that is common among those who are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction.
Oftentimes people will have one or more relapses on their way to sobriety, as it can take practice to learn how to live your life without these substances. Quitting drugs is similar to other things such as dieting or losing weight. It can be hard to make changes to diet, eat less, or exercise more, and many people may slip up, but it is important to get back on track and try again.
Staying committed during tough times can be difficult and some times, patients will no longer remain sober following a relapse. With that said, there are things that patients and rehabilitation facilities can do to improve a patient’s chance of going back to sober life following a relapse.
For some, this means going back to a rehab facility. Rehab can be a difficult thing for some people to go through, but it is important to understand that this is potentially a life or death situation. If you're looking for inpatient rehab, Indiana and other states, as well as national locations, can offer you the help you may need.
While this is an option for some, for others it may be more beneficial to stay committed to an intensive outpatient program that they may have set up. In general, IOP and alumni programs can help patients who are dealing with issues related to substance abuse by connecting them with people who can guide them in the right direction or people who are dealing with similar issues that they can relate to.
Overall, there are many resources to help people who have dealt with a relapse get back one the right path. There just needs to be a commitment on the patient’s part. However, we need to understand that relapses are a normal part of substance abuse treatment and sobriety and that we shouldn’t give up on people who have relapsed.
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