A Guide to Coping Strategies for the Prevention of Relapse

Learning to avoid relapse is crucial if you want to succeed in your recovery and lead a happy life. One can learn to use these coping mechanisms to avoid relapse and achieve life goals you never thought possible, especially if you take it one day at a time.
A person’s progress and development can be charted against specific milestones during their journey to sobriety. There is always a chance of relapsing during recovery, so it’s crucial to have tools for avoiding these setbacks.
In order to maintain recovery and accomplish both short- and long-term objectives, most alcohol and drug treatment centres teach and assist clients in learning relapse prevention techniques. One might include any number of relapse prevention strategies into their daily lives to lessen the likelihood of relapse.
People often think that they can only benefit from learning relapse prevention techniques when they are experiencing cravings. Each individual in recovery, however, should include relapse prevention coping strategies into their everyday lives to minimise the chances of giving in to cravings. South Africa is home to a burgeoning population of recovering addicts, counsellors, and specialists, making it an excellent setting for alcohol rehabilitation centres. Get in touch with us for more information on our long term rehab centre.

Practise self-care

Insomnia and exhaustion are common after-withdrawal symptoms for those recovering from addiction. These are typical risk factors for relapse. One’s quality of sleep can be enhanced by engaging in regular physical activity and eating a healthy, well-rounded diet.
This can be accomplished by the establishment and maintenance of regular patterns of rest, physical activity, and nutrition. This not only helps lessen the likelihood of relapse but also retrains the body to sleep better.

Coping Strategies for Relapse Prevention

Use the HALT acronym

Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired make up the HALT acronym. If you are experiencing any of these signs whenever you have a desire to use or are just feeling worried or “off,” it may be time to seek professional help. Hunger, anger, loneliness, and exhaustion are the most typical triggers for many people in recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Relapse can be avoided by keeping a HALT inventory on a regular basis.

Practice mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation is a practise that encourages introspection and insight. We are better able to manage potential relapse triggers as our level of self-awareness increases. The results of research indicate that people in recovery who participate in a mindfulness meditation relapse prevention programme do better than those who do not.
Those who practised mindfulness meditation reported fewer cravings, greater self-awareness, and reduced emotional reactivity, all of which contributed to their sustained abstinence.
Participants in Mindfulness meditation are urged to accept their appetites as neutral experiences and “roll with” them rather than try to suppress them. This method teaches people how to deal with cravings by accepting that they are inevitable and using strategies to avoid relapse.
Mindfulness meditation is characterised by ideas like acceptance, letting go of personal control, and the utilisation of prayer and meditation.
Fundamental to the practise of mindfulness is an intentional focus on the present moment, including one’s actions, surroundings, and relationships. Simply becoming aware of your actions without judgement is the first step towards increasing your level of mindfulness.
Keeping a journal or using a smartphone app to record your activities during the day can help you become more self-aware of your actions, thoughts, and emotions. This has the potential to provide profound understanding and agency in the face of our cravings.

Recognise your triggers

Anxiety, impatience, tension, anger, and low self-esteem are all examples of internal triggers, whereas people, places, and things can serve as exterior triggers. One effective strategy for reducing the likelihood of relapse is to keep a list of one’s internal and external triggers.

Sign up to a support group

Regular attendance at a support group, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), can provide emotional and social support, accountability, information, and the chance to connect with people who share similar experiences. Support from a sponsor and other peers is often crucial during the recovery process. It helps prevent relapse by reducing the likelihood of isolation and the emotions of loneliness that often precede it.

Use grounding techniques

Anxiety and stress are major impediments to recovery. One effective method of preventing relapse is the 5-4-3-2-1 coping strategy. It guides you through your five senses to help you live in the present and avoid ruminating about alcohol, drugs, worry, negative self-talk, and anything else that could trigger a desire to self-medicate.
Take a few deep breaths, and then:
5: Recognise five things you see around you.
4: Recognise four things you can touch around you.
3: Recognise three things you can hear around you.
2: Recognise two things you can smell around you.
1: Recognise one thing you can taste around you.
Take a deep breath and stop here. In addition to lowering the likelihood of relapse, increasing self-awareness and mindfulness through a focus on the senses will aid in completing everyday tasks, overcoming negative thoughts or sensations, increasing feelings of mastery and decreasing feelings of helplessness.