What Causes Relapse After Drug Treatment
Understanding Why Relapse Happens, to Help Reduce It
Dealing with relapse after completing drug treatment is a challenge both for the person in treatment and for their family. That said, rather than viewing relapse as a failure — though it’s certainly not something to celebrate — it isn’t the end of the road toward quitting drugs either. We should try to learn and understand why, and which factors or circumstances, contribute to someone returning to drug use, so we can reduce how often it happens and build encouragement for the person to return to treatment and achieve lasting recovery.
Warning Signs That Someone May Be Relapsing
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Withdrawing from family and friends
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Missing follow-up appointments with their therapist
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Isolating themselves, and neglecting daily routines, such as not bathing or not taking care of themselves
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Eating very little, and having trouble sleeping
What Triggers a Return to Drug Use?
Relapse begins with a thought that undermines the commitment to staying drug-free, and many factors can influence a return to use. The most common factors include:
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Curiosity, or wanting to try again
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Stress, or new problems in life
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Negative feelings and emotional states, such as loneliness, feeling abandoned, or feeling isolated
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Distorted beliefs, such as “using just a little won’t hurt,” “using helps me forget my troubles,” or “using makes things more fun and gives me more confidence to be myself”
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Being in the same environment where drug use previously happened, or in old places associated with using
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Parties, social gatherings, and festivals
How to Prevent Relapse
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Reframe distorted beliefs into accurate ones — for example, instead of “quitting is easy, it’s all in your head,” reframe it as “it is partly about your mindset, but your mind needs to be strong, and you need to commit to quitting seriously.”
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Reframe “I used it because I wanted to try it” into “I want to try it, but real danger will follow.” Avoid triggers such as dealers or places you used to use, and avoid people who use drugs — build a new circle of friends to reduce the chances of being pressured into using again.
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Manage your emotions — for example, if you’re feeling sad, talk to or confide in someone you trust; if you’re feeling stressed or irritated, find the root cause and address it directly.
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Build refusal skills — for example, walk away when you hear an invitation to use, suggest a different activity instead, or use your own feelings as a reason, such as, “I’d genuinely feel terrible if I worried my family.”
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Practice mindfulness and meditation, and remind yourself often that you are capable.
What Not to Do When Someone You Love Relapses
Relapse is behavior that deeply hurts family members, and can bring intense emotions and further problems. Even so, we shouldn’t let these things get in the way of supporting and encouraging the person we love to try quitting again.
What Not to Do If You Find That Someone You Love Has Relapsed
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Don’t lose hope. Relapse is part of the path to quitting drugs, and many people have gone on to succeed after it.
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Don’t criticize, scold, or bring up past events to blame them again, or make them feel guilty — that won’t help the person quit.
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Stay firm, and get them back into proper treatment quickly. Don’t wait until symptoms are severe before bringing them in, since treatment becomes more difficult at that point.
When we learn that someone we love or someone close to us has relapsed, feelings of concern and the urge to get them into treatment will naturally arise in every family. However, quitting drugs effectively requires genuine willingness from the person themselves. What family can do is listen and offer encouragement when the person is doing something good for themselves. We can support them in taking care of themselves — encouraging constructive, beneficial activities, exercise, getting out and experiencing new things, and building a lifestyle away from drugs. Another thing families can do, beyond what’s mentioned above, is to support the person in talking with a specialist or entering a treatment center that supports their effort to quit drugs.
Starting a New Life at Day One Rehabilitation Center
At Day One Rehabilitation Center, people in treatment receive excellent care from specialists and a team of experienced psychologists who have completed extensive specialized training, in a setting surrounded by water and nature, calm and relaxing, located in Nakhon Nayok province. Our treatment curriculum is designed to suit each person in treatment, helping restore their physical, mental, and social well-being, so people with addiction develop the skills to manage triggers and go on to live a happy life after quitting drugs.
For More Information, Contact Us At
99/1 Moo 6, Si Chula, Mueang Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Nayok 26000, Thailand
+66 64-645-5091
[email protected]
Mon – Sun: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (ICT)