What Causes High Incidence Of Drug Or Alcohol Relapse

Consider your house flooding as an analogy. You forget to close up the upstairs bathtub when you leave for the weekend. The hallway is inundated by water from overflow. As the water falls down the stairs, it splashes onto the living room. When you return home, water has saturated your walls, mold formed, warping is evident on your wooden floors, and they are beginning to peel.

The initial mistake of forgetting the water off has resulted in the need to rip the floors. Furthermore, you need to deal with the walls that are falling apart. Even though it may be tempting to turn off your tap (detox), the flood damage (alcohol or drug) that has been done to your entire property (whole brain) cannot be reversed.

The first year of your recovery after undergoing rehab can be overwhelming. However, relapses happen more frequently this year. The Ripple Ranch Recovery Center shows that more than 75 percent of people suffering from substance use disorders (who get care) relapse within a calendar year.

1. Sighting Or Smelling Substances Or Alcoholism Disorders

Recalls of your past can lead to relapse. Some of the things that can trigger a relapse in early sobriety include seeing someone having a drink at a pub or restaurant, seeing two lovers sharing a cuddle, and a whiff of cigarette smoke.

The temptation to relapse back into substance use is common. It is an old habit. Recovering minds are susceptible to relapse.

Both physical and psychological triggers can lead to setbacks. Mental triggers could include a re-exposure or aggravatement of the stressor, such as bad relationships, demanding jobs, and financial problems within the family. Triggers can also be caused by traumas past, such as sexual abuse or assault.

Physical triggers may include revisiting areas where you once used alcohol or drugs, continuing your association with the friends who used drugs, objects, movies, or songs, as well as revisiting those places.

2. Seizures Can Be Painful

Relapses are common among people who suffer from a substance abuse disorder. They often experience painful withdrawal within one week of quitting. If they do not stop for more than a few days, the post-acute withdrawal symptoms may become severe. These symptoms can sometimes last up to six to 18 years.

The severity will vary depending on the substance (or activity) used and whether the condition is chronic. Some withdrawal symptoms include:

• Cold and warm sweats
• Insomnia (and confusion) and headaches
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Muscle pain
• Anxiety

Furthermore, withdrawal from benzodiazepines as well as alcohol can cause respiratory depression and coma. Seizures and even death can also occur.

3. Stress

People who are suffering from substance misuse disorders tend to use their choice of activity or substance of preference as a maladaptive coping mechanism. When confronted with stressful circumstances, many people crave addictive activities, drugs, or alcohol. It is more common in people who use the substance or activity as a maladaptive means of coping.

The idea behind this is that most people use substances, harmful behaviors, or alcohol to relieve their pain. It's considered a form of medicine. You can become addicted to drugs or alcohol by stress. But it can also drive you back to using substances when you don't want or need them.

Using alcohol or substances to manage stress can make your brain crave drugs in stressful situations. The urge to seek out drugs comes from deep in your mind, far below your conscious awareness. They can be difficult for you to control. It is easy to fall into a relapse when such cravings for drugs are present in recovery.