Addiction Recovery: 6 Reasons Why Relapse Is Feared

This article is a collaborative post and includes affiliate links. Please see the disclosure page for more information. Disclaimer – always verify medical information with your doctor or dentist or a professional and follow all laws for your location. Also be sure to have a counselor and/or a mental health professional to help you during and after recovery.

Recovering from addiction can be a long and challenging journey. However, the possibility of relapse after staying clean is also a matter of concern. As addiction experts say, recovery is not an arrival. On the contrary, it is a resilience journey in the face of constant triggers until you can confidently wean yourself off those external influences. Considering the 40% – 60% relapse rate, there is every reason to avoid this setback in the sobriety journey.

Here are some reasons why relapse is feared in addiction recovery.

Loss of progress

Addiction recovery involves a lot of mental, physical, and emotional effort. Therefore, it is understandable why great fear surrounds the loss of progress made in the period. After several in-patient or out-patient rehab sessions, it hurts to have it all go down the drain when you face temptation. An even greater fear here is the feeling of hopelessness after realizing all your hard work has been tossed out the window. It can be extremely difficult to start all over again when this happens. For many people who relapse, starting from zero can be demotivating. However, you can eventually bounce back with little steps. Addiction specialists advise against returning to the same negative environments after recovery. For example, if your circle of friends lives the same life of abuse, the chance of relapse is extremely high, and the fear of repeat relapse may greatly increase. Therefore, avoid the things or people that may cause you to retrogress on your recovery journey.

Emotional turmoil

Your emotions play a significant role in addiction recovery and can be negatively impacted when you relapse. This stage characterizes feelings of failure, shame, guilt, and deep-seated emotions. The psychological trauma most people who relapse endure can trigger dangerous thoughts that hurt them and their loved ones. Addiction recovery specialists say past events and trauma can also trigger these emotions. For instance, someone who has relapsed often uses substance abuse to suppress these deep-seated emotions that are fighting to come to the fore.

Unfortunately, during the relapse, the brain may convince you to take higher doses of the illicit substance because your body requires more to achieve that euphoric state. Subsequently, when the euphoria reduces, those emotions pour out to the surface, contributing to the turmoil. When this happens, you will need a therapist experienced in addiction relapse to help you sort out these often debilitating emotions. Better yet, facilities like Real Deal Therapy & Wellness may be helpful.

Physical harm

Research reveals that self-harm is more likely among people with addiction relapse. It is a result of unmanaged emotional strain and psychological distress. One of the first things an addiction attacks is the mind and your sense of self-worth. Apart from the fact that substance abuse causes severe damage to the body, there is an even bigger fear of physical harm. A quick return to harmful behaviors always lurks in the background, making it essential to be on guard.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, relapsed people are three times more likely to engage in self-harm practices, explaining why some will burn, cut, or severely scratch body parts to feel the pain. Self-harm in itself is not a mental health disorder. On the contrary, it is a symptom of an underlying psychological issue. That is why addiction facilities that deal with relapse often look for signs of self-harm to offer wholesome services.

If you are feeling down or depressed for more days than not, please seek medical attention. If you are feeling like you cannot go on, please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or chat here>>> https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/ Or visit the suicide prevention lifeline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Image Credit

Financial burden

Financing substance abuse as well as addiction recovery can be expensive, regardless of whether it’s alcohol addiction, narcotics, or other elements. People often need to spend a lot to keep up with their addiction, burning a hole in their pockets over time. Individuals who have struggled with addiction for years find the need to increase the volume of substance consumption to replicate the first feeling of euphoria or getting ‘high.’ As time passes, the body demands more to maintain that mental state, automatically calling for more money. When you relapse, the risks of financial burden may be higher.

Perhaps, you lost your job through your addiction before going into recovery. A relapse becomes dangerous during reintegration into society because you probably have no money to support the burdensome lifestyle. You may lie to loved ones for financial support at this stage, only to use the funds to sustain your relapse. In the long run, your financial instability becomes a source of distress and pushes you further into addiction, which can hinder recovery. It would help to be more conscious of your finances or have accountability partners to help you manage your money and avoid spending it on your triggers.

Strained relationships

Many people say that recovering strained relationships is harder after a relapse. Sometimes, some loved ones pull away from people who relapse in their addiction recovery. However, this is unhealthy because friends and family make up a crucial part of your support system, and you need their help to get through those scary and dark addiction days. Sometimes, however, this support system gets disappointed and tired of having to go through the cycle of seeing a loved one relapse now and then. Naturally, they also want to protect themselves from emotional and mental strain. Unfortunately, it is challenging to regain trust after that.

On the other hand, guilty feelings may dominate your emotions and lead to depression and social withdrawal. Sadly, strained relationships do not help the relapse process. They act as triggers to sink even deeper into addiction and, without expert help, may lower your chance of full recovery.

Legal issues

There is no denying that an addiction relapse comes with many problems. Having addictions can increase your likelihood of getting in trouble with the law. For example, if you are caught with narcotics, you will be slapped with a criminal charge. Drunk driving or DUI also comes with stiffer punishment, such as hefty fines or potential jail time, even for first-time offenders. That is enough to tell you that the legal consequences of addiction are nothing to take lightly. However, the most important thing is to have the right support system and expert help to navigate the slippery terrain.