‘Did You Know’ that people relapse from their sobriety of alcohol and/or drugs because of denial or ignoring relapse warning signs?
Relapse from sobriety happens as a result of a process; it is not just an event. Some of the relapse signs might have to do with people, places, attitudes, feelings, thinking, behaviors, and the lack of coping mechanisms, such as the following:
- Placing yourself in high risk situations and places; hanging around former using friends in familiar using places
- Maintaining and excusing high risk attitudes and thinking
- Not coping effectively with unmanageable thoughts and feelings
- Not understanding and coping with cravings and urges
- Allowing you to follow through with alcohol and drug seeking behavior
- Isolating… not rebuilding your ‘life of sobriety’; not seeing support from others
- Fantasizing, glamorizing, and nurturing thoughts about drugs and/or alcohol
- Failure to follow your treatment plan, attend therapy and group, take medications, or quitting or missing doctor’s appointments
- Unsuccessful coping with personal issues, life stress, anxiety, depression, and other overwhelming circumstances
- Major life changes such as loss, grief, and/or trauma
- Experiencing boredom and lack of routine and structure in life
- Avoiding or dwelling on past anger, hurt, resentments, and unresolved conflicts
- Ignoring triggers and relapse warning signs
- Not desensitizing you to triggers
- Lacking the confidence that you can recover and maintain sobriety.
- Feeling overconfident about maintaining sobriety
- Irregular eating, sleeping, and other life habits
- Lack of motivation and desire to change and take effective action
- Feeling powerless, helpless, hiding and refusing help
If you or a family member wants an evaluation to determine the dependence on a substance and desire recovery from that substance abuse, please call me, Carol Ann Worthing, PhD, at 303-663-5846 or visit my Contact page. I have over 20 years of professional experience with successful outcomes.
Carol Ann Worthing, PhD of Individual & Family Wholeness is a psychotherapist in private practice since 1992. She has her PhD in Psychology from Northcentral University in Arizona. She provides a safe and caring approach to your counseling and psychotherapy and evaluations for individuals, couples, families, and children. Her practice represents integrity, competency, and confidentiality, a safe and caring place for psychotherapy. It is her mission to guide you and your family to become emotionally and physically whole and to help you deliberately build your lives and families on that wholeness.