What is relapse?

What is relapse? 

• To engage in a behaviour again after having gone some time without engaging in that behaviour.
• This might mean going back to old substance use habits/patterns of use after a period of abstinence or reducing your use.

Relapses happen for a variety of reasons including:

• You experience positive or negative feelings that you cannot deal with.
• You find yourself in a situation that was. previously associated with drug use.
• You are experiencing stress for various reasons.

Is stress bad? 

• Stress can increase the risk of relapse but is not always bad.  
• It is a sign that we are facing a challenge.   
• Short-term stress, which occurs as a natural reaction to a stressful situation, can even be beneficial.

How does stress influence relapse? 

• Substance use is a way of dealing with stress, but it is not an effective or long-term solution. 
• Using substances might help you forget about stress and ease your negative feelings. But, this relief is not long-lasting. 
• When you feel stressed, the urge to use substances to relieve your stress might be very strong and harder to avoid. This leads to relapse.

What are warning signs of relapse?

• Changes in thinking, behaviour and feelings (e.g. inner restlessness, irritability, dissatisfaction, listlessness, difficulty concentrating, social withdrawal, consumption of alcohol or drugs).
• Physical changes (e.g. palpitations, sleep disorders/fatigue, headache, backache).

What can I do when I feel early warning signs? 

1. Tell a trusted friend or family member about how you are feeling. 
   • When you share how you are feeling, your cravings might lessen and feel more manageable.  
2. Strengthen your self-esteem.
   • Try activities in the self-esteem section, such as using a joy diary or writing down compliments. This might seem small, but improving how you feel about yourself can help you cope with strong cravings. 
3. Learn more about how to manage your risk.
   • Go to the risk management module to learn more about what can lead to a relapse and what to do to reduce this risk.
4. Take care of yourself. 
   • Daily physical exercise, going to sleep and eating regularly ensures your body can fight strong cravings. 
5. Avoid conflict with others.
   • Avoiding conflicts with others can reduce your stress. If you find yourself in a conflict with someone, try to express your emotions and see the situation in their shoes. If the conflict is too much for you to handle, let them know how you are feeling and try to leave the conversation to calm down. 
6. Distract yourself

These activities can help you focus on something else when you have a strong urge to use. They can be done almost any time: 

1. 1. Take an ice-cold shower to distract yourself from bodily sensations 
   2. Flick a rubber band on your hand and focus on that spot on your hand 
   3. Put a marble or another small object in your show and try to walk around 
   4. Take a walk somewhere that makes you feel calm 
   5. Run up and down a staircase 
   6. Practice a mindfulness exercise, like those in the [Worrying and strategies section of this module].