Tracey Helton Mitchell, author of The Big Fix: Hope After Heroin, explains why relapse shouldn’t be treated as a dead end.
When I started my process of addiction recovery, my life was focused around the absence of pain. If only I could stop feeling this way… but how? I knew I wanted to stop using drugs and alcohol, but I had no idea how to make this happen. I tried ten other times until on time number eleven, things started to fall into place. That was nearly twenty years ago. There were many relapses that I turned into learning experiences. That accumulated knowledge of what worked and what did not work for me was eventually translated into a program of long lasting recovery. Recovery is a marathon not a sprint. While not welcomed, relapses shouldn’t be treated as a dead end. They are an opportunity for self examination and course correction.
“I tried ten other times until on time number eleven, things started to fall into place. ”
Statistically, we are at highest risk for overdose death when we have had periods of abstinence.
This includes periods of incarceration, trips to rehab, after an extended hospital stay, or voluntary attempts to curb use. When we have had a period where we have been “clean” or “sober,” the expectations around us reach new levels. Our loved ones embrace us tightly. The pressure slowly mounts to regain responsibilities. Suddenly, our fragile grasp seems to slip — we are ashamed to admit to cravings. It doesn’t matter if it is a good bad or a bad day. Our relationship to drugs has become so complicated, a simple memory can set our mental wheels turning. We are told we should be feeling “grateful” when, in fact, we may be feeling isolated. It is easy to fall back into that groove of self medication. Relapse can be a sole event or an extended incident. No matter what the circumstances of a relapse, the most important thing we can do is protect our health and safety by practicing harm reduction.
“We are told we should be feeling ‘grateful’ when, in fact, we may be feeling isolated.”
Leaving a relationship with drugs and alcohol is like leaving any abusive relationship.
It may take multiple tries until we finally leave. It is okay to admit that for awhile, these substances feel good. Until they don’t. When we finally decide to get into the process known as recovery, one of the most challenging hurdles may be rebounding after a relapse. If we have spent months, years, or even decades using drugs and alcohol to solve our problems, it is entirely rational that in times of emotional upheaval, we would return to our old solutions. We used when we were sad, happy, angry, lonely, and every place in between. Healthy behavior changes are hard. Like the diabetic who may have issues resisting sweets or the asthmatic who craves a cigarette, a person with addiction issues deals with significant temptation on a daily basis.
“If we have spent months, years, or even decades using drugs and alcohol to solve our problems, it is entirely rational that in times of emotional upheaval, we would return to our old solutions.”
Your first thought after a relapse might be to think “I’ve thrown it all away!”
Don’t get stuck in this trap. You still have retained all the accumulated knowledge, you just need to create a new situation in which to apply it. Don’t let yourself get pulled into the cycle of guilt and shame. First of all, guilt and shame are useless emotions in this situation. Shame is fuel for the process of cutting off your support system. Guilt breeds the desire to keep drinking or using drugs. You had 98 days sober and relapsed? That means in 99 days, you used one day? You have 98 days worth of experience to draw on. You can start from today. Ask yourself — What can you do differently? What worked for you? What are my goals? What are the things that really make you want to change? Make a list. This is a time for action. Whatever your program of recovery, the tools are inside you. Tap into those.
“Shame is fuel for the process of cutting off your support system. Guilt breeds the desire to keep drinking or using drugs.”
A relapse does not have have to end the journey. This can be a new beginning. Learn from this experience and move forward.
