The science behind a relapse
What is a relapse?
By definition, a relapse after battling addiction is when the recovering addict has a moment where they backslide and start using again, causing a deterioration of their health and sobriety after temporary improvement.
re·lapse
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/rəˈlaps/
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(of someone suffering from a disease) suffer deterioration after a period of improvement.
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Addiction is a common battle, reaching people through drugs, alcohol and specific behaviours. The science behind a relapse is more complex than just a drug user slipping up once though. According to Dr. Steven Melemis, the journey of recovery is an ongoing battle with many stages, and each different addict has their own personal recovery roadmap with individual and unique developmental milestones to get through. Each stage of recovery has its own risk of relapse, and everyone’s journey is different. Melemis says that using the main tools of relapse prevention, which are cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation, are how healthy coping skills are created. There are different stages of a relapse, with a greater chance of successful recovery happening the earlier you catch a relapse.
Cognitive Therapy
This is described by Melemis as the main tool for changing the negative thought process and developing healthy coping skills. There are a large number of reasons that can hold back the user from successfully moving forward with a healthier mindset, but staying positive about the outcome and the process is what will lead to success. According to Melemis, the major determinants to the process are fear, redefining fun, learning from setbacks, and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. Just as they sound, individuals and addicts are scared to be in recovery because it is very human to be nervous of failure. The entire process is a lot of hard work and involves giving up something that previously has given some sort of satisfaction. If any of these things are hindered, it can be a major risk factor for relapse to happen. Cognitive therapy is a vital resource to talk through the emotions and feelings surrounding the recovery.
"Someone who's using is going to be really unable to deal with their ongoing emotional affective state, so whether they're highly stressed, or whether they're in a job that they hate and they're not sleeping — it just never stops.”
- Dorit Osher, psychotherapist