RECOVERY AND THE RELAPSE

These are the two major outcomes of the treatment process.

Not everyone who goes through treatment is in recovery. There are so many cases of people who have been introduced to treatment against their wish.

 

Recovery will never begin until two conditions are fulfilled.

1. Acceptance.
2. Willingness.

 

These two must work together for a successful recovery to be initiated. A lot about counseling in any addiction case should be geared towards cultivating and maintaining these two conditions.

 

Acceptance is when individuals finally call their condition by its true name. These individuals stop looking for better and acceptable ways of addressing their problem.

 

They stop branding their problem as issues of life and attaching blame on other people and situations.

 

It is the first step into recovery. 

 

This is followed by regarding treatment as the only way out.

 

This is when individuals start accepting that their case is one that requires assistance.

 

Denial is broken and individuals start embracing other alternatives, the same alternatives that they ignored and treated with a lot of hostility.

 

Willingness is getting ready for the transition. It comes by first understanding that recovery is a painful process yet there is readiness to go through the pain.

 

Willingness is when the old and toxic life is exposed.

 

Willingness is when we do not just plot in the mind, we go ahead and execute all the ideas.

 

Recovery needs to be appreciated for what it rescues people from. The evidence of the numerous cases that have turned into statistics speak of how valuable the whole recovery process is.

 

So much attention, energy and time have been invested in treatment of the active users and rarely has recovery been regarded as an extension of the treatment.

 

In many cases, individuals recovering from addiction find themselves stuck between continuing with the new and painful process, or slide back to the old and familiar.

 

Most relapse cases happen in the first year of recovery.

1. Most people have a lot of expectations from recovery and within no time they start feeling like recovery is not delivering as it had promised.

2. Most people walk back to the same environment that they used to be in while in addiction and the same toxic environment becomes the worst trigger.

3. Loneliness bites as the new recovery is required to sever old toxic ties. Apparently, when these individuals break these toxic ties, they left alone. Loneliness has a way it injects pain and boredom until again individuals start doubting the value of recovery.

4. Breaking from old and familiar trends is hard. The body and the brain although free from withdrawals, still craves the former life.

5. Some issues need more interventions and time for them to be fully resolved. This requires that individuals continue with therapy even after exiting treatment facilities. Some of these half-baked treatment leaves many gaps for relapse.

6. The desire to be understood and appreciated. This is one major factor that makes individuals lose taste in recovery. Only a person who is in recovery knows what it means to stay for a day without using. To the rest of the world, there is that feeling like it is not a big deal. There has been many situations where recovering addicts talk all the time about their journey and they start feeling like others are not interested. Surprisingly, the people who have been pushing these individuals to stop using, do not show that exaggerated emotion towards these recovering addicts. Many are left feeling like the world is too busy to celebrate them. That need to be appreciated is a critical emotional and psychological need.

7. Relapse is very elusive. Many people rarely discover that relapse is initiated way too long before people discover. By the time they discover, the stage will have been set and there will hardly be anything possible to salvage the recovery.

 

Relapse begins from the emotional stage, then to the mental stage and finally to the physical stage.

 

While at the emotional stage, a lot can be done to stop is from progressing to the other stages

 

Emotional relapse happens all the time. In a very mild way, a relapse is triggered every time there is a shift in our emotional states from good to bad. A thing will very easily upset us even when we are years and years in recovery. The mind has a way it was used to sorting itself out very easily. The mind will shamelessly whisper the use all the time as the easiest way to fix ourselves.

 

At the same time, following the principles we were taught requires so much from us and in most cases we might not be willing to invest our time and energy in the whole process of clearing the issue.

 

The worst is when we ignore those tiny triggers and assume that they will not amount to anything grave. After listening to many cases of relapse, there will be a lot about how a thing appeared so minor and harmless and someone just ignored it.

 

Tension starts building as the environment continues to create a ground for the issue to progress.

 

Eventually, the mind gets the feeling it likes, that feeling of wanting to use to fix the stressful situation.

 

Rarely do we get to the mental relapse level and manage to overcome the need to use.

 

By the time individuals walk to the joint and use the substance, the act will have been done countless times in the mind.

 

Every time relapse occurs, within no time we will have slid back to full blown use. Anger, frustration and guild work together to make the victim hate his elf, the people around him and every other thing in life.

 

Nobody after enjoy sometime in recovery will fully enjoy the use. Most times these users will do so in isolation and lost in thought as they do so.

 

Ezz Freedom and Hope Foundation has started up a support and mentorship program for all people in recovery from addiction.

 

If individuals can be accepted, appreciated and mentored, they can increase their recovery chances.

 

There is need for people to get a platform that brings people with similar issues together. When people can interact together at close range, there can be powerful impacts.

 

This channel is open for.

1. People in active use and addictive behaviors like gambling and internet addiction.

2. People in recovery all the way from day one of recovery. Any day in recovery is worth being appreciated. If you have been through treatment either in a treatment facility or outpatient program, you are eligible to join.

3. People living with users or fresh recoveries can also join.

 

To join this channel, you only need to click Here