Learning to recognize relapse triggers and relapse warning signs in addiction recovery is critical. Triggers are sights, sounds, people, smells, places and things in general that remind the person in recovery of their drug of choice. Some cocaine addicts in recovery can see powder…
In addiction treatment and recovery, we talk about lapse and relapse. Lapse is when someone is just beginning addiction treatment and starts using again shortly after. Lapsing is common. Think about dieting and how easy it is in the beginning to eat a candy…
I could have titled this recovery and holidays rather that alcoholism and holidays, but I believe we all need to come to terms with the word “alcoholism”and “alcoholic”. Alcoholism is perceived as a harsh word that some prefer to soften with terms like Alcohol…
There are basically three types of motivation in addiction treatment. One is to avoid unpleasant consequences through compliance. These clients are usually pushed hard to get into treatment, and they’re the most likely to return to their drug of choice. Another form of motivation is calculation —…
In his book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge wrote about a virtuous cycle. Senge was writing about learning organizations, but the same principles apply to individuals and a virtuous cycle in addiction recovery. We’ve all heard about the vicious cycle — addiction is a prime example of a vicious…
Why do so many who receive treatment for an addiction problem relapse? That’s a question I often hear. First, let’s distinguish between relapse and a continuation of the addiction after a short break. Most people who start drinking or using drugs shortly after treatment call…
Addiction has been called a disease of relapse, mainly because relapse is common. First, though, we need to distinguish between the up and down process of addiction, in which a person might struggle for awhile after deciding to stop drinking or using drugs. Someone addicted to alcohol, opiates…
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