Best Ways to Avoid Relapses During Alcohol Recovery

Alcoholism is a major problem that affects people from all walks of life. For many, it’s a fun way of spending free time with friends. For others, it’s a regrettable journey that should never have stated. Nevertheless, dealing with alcoholism is a complex process that involves various strategies. In some cases, addicts relapse and have to start the recovery process all over again. There are ways to avoid relapses, though! These are;

1. Identify the risks

Recovering from alcohol addiction involves your determination to stay away from alcohol. Doing routine activities and keeping the same company of friends can derail your efforts. 

Identify behaviors that can lower your risk of success in your recovery journey. Also, come up with a plan on how to avoid them. Keeping alcohol at home, and sticking around other alcoholics in clubs are risks you need to avoid. The idea here is to identify the triggers and keep off them.

2. Come up with a sobriety plan

This is also known as a relapse prevention plan. First of all, identify all the triggers and anything that can make you go back to drinking. Use the list to determine alternative behaviors to help you stay sober. List down the places to visit and the ones to avoid, some areas to keep off include clubs, bars, and wine parties.

3. Join support groups

There are various relapse support groups that you can join. Many are anonymous, and you won’t have to reveal your identity. In such settings, you can share your recovery journey with other addicts and learn new ideas.  What’s more? Such groupings involve various activities to help you stay focused on recovery and avoid relapses.

Examples of relapse prevention group activities are;

• Functional analysis exercise:This involves the identification of feelings, thoughts and behaviors regarding your addiction.
• Warning sign management exercise:The activity helps you come up with an action plan. It involves the actions you’ll take once you notice signs of imminent relapse.
• The centering exercise:The centering activity calms your mind and relaxes your body. 
• Life and addiction history exercise:In this pursuit, you’ll give a short talk to the group. It should be about your addiction journey and criminal behavior that led to your alcohol addiction.
• Sentence completion exercise:This activity helps you in identifying mistaken thoughts and beliefs about yourself. It enables you to correct such thoughts and is vital in relapse prevention.

4. Put it in writing!

There’s a lot of power in writing. Whatever you write, you fix it in your mind, making it easier to keep meditating. Note down all your plans to stop drinking and how to avoid relapses. Go over this each day, and keep adding more ideas as you progress with your recovery journey. Moreover, keep adding the triggers and ways of dealing with them.

Conclusion

Relapses are common but preventable. The list of relapse-prevention activities is endless, and all work excellently. Join a relapse support group, and participate in the different activities that can help you avoid relapses. Moreover, have the resolve to succeed and never quit.