Relapse Prevention
To create a viable relapse prevention plan, the individual must be committed to recovery and be willing to do what ever it takes to maintain that recovery. Everyday at Santé is devoted to learning about oneself, one’s addiction cycle and to the steps to take to avoid or escape emotional and environmental triggers. The more a recovering person knows about his or her addiction, the more the person can enhance their skill level and discover interventions that really work. A relapse prevention plan is about making sure the interventions are right for the individual. For an intervention to work, it must be specific to the individual, be available and must be something the individual will use.
Patients must identify high risk situations and create plans for handling those situations, then present the relapse prevention plan to group members for feedback. A relapse prevention plan includes many components. The therapists and seasoned group members are looking for a well thought out plan that includes awareness of the impact of the addiction on self and others, avoidance and escape strategies, steps for stopping intrusive addictive thoughts, and how the person will manage emotional distress. Relapse Prevention is an applied approach to living “in the solution”. The therapeutic community considers essential life principles that are fundamental to recovery: honesty, forgiveness, willingness, and responsibility. The community practices recovery with one another and with staff; any transgression is an opportunity for respectful disclosure, therapeutic dialogue, and learning. Patients who complete treatment successfully at Santé, leave with a behavioral contract outlining their commitment to the relapse prevention plan. The contract is signed and given to others who are important in the recovering person’s life. Although the recovering person takes responsibility for his/her own behaviors, external motivators such as a family member, business partner, or another recovering person help monitor progress and can help the person get back on track during tough times.
Even though it seems like a relapse happens with the resumption of drinking, taking a drug, or engaging in a compulsive behavior, relapse
actually begins long before in the more subtle language of attitudes and intentions. Learning from a slip or relapse is vital for any patient and a crucial element of the program at Santé. Just as a pathologist examines a body in an autopsy to see what led to the person’s death, it is important for anyone who has relapsed to look at what happened that led to the relapse or the “death” of his/her sobriety. [By taking a close look, to see what was happening, who was around or being talked to, what triggers came up and what excuses were being made to give oneself permission to act, important information can be obtained for a better intervention.]
Important information can be obtained for more effective intervention in the future by evaluating the circumstances leading up to the actual releapse- what was happening, who the patient was involved with, triggers, and, most important, what excuses were being made to give oneself permission to act out.
