How to Study Relapse Prevention

Every year, scores of Americans become addicted to drugs and alcohol. Receiving treatment for the addiction is only the first step to a full recovery. After breaking addiction, patients must ensure that they guard against a relapse, which can be triggered by a host of internal and external factors. You can learn more about relapse prevention strategies in several ways, including enrolling in a relapse prevention course, watching online videos, reading more about relapse warning signs online or in books that you can purchase or check from your local library.

Instructions

• 1

  Enroll in a relapse prevention course. Alcohol and drug treatment centers across the country offer courses to explain to people who have been addicted, along with their friends and family, the strategies to avoid relapse. You can also take a relapse course over the Internet. It may be more effective to take the class in person, however, as you are accountable to someone in person. You can expect to learn commonly used drug and alcoholic use terms, what abstinence is and is not, the recovery process, and what relapse is and is not. You can expect to have a case study, where you apply lessons learned to a simulated relapse case. The simulated relapse case is helpful in understanding relapse signals, how to talk to someone exhibiting relapse signals, and how to get someone exhibiting these signals outside help. Finally, you can expect to learn about local resources that will help the person exhibiting relapse symptoms.

• 2

  Learn the relapse warning signs. People relapse for a variety of reasons. If you notice that someone abruptly stops taking his medication, returns to places where drug and alcohol use was prevalent, or abruptly quits therapy, the person may have relapsed. Other warning signs include isolating himself from other people, experiencing acute withdrawal, denying an addiction to drugs or alcohol, or acting overly defense about the situation. Additionally, the person may have relapsed if ordinary problems become crises, if he starts to feel that has nowhere to turn, or if he becomes depressed. Finally, relapse victims may behave compulsively. For example, they may start to compulsively eat, gamble or work in an out-of-control fashion. They may also react to events without considering the consequences of their behavior to themselves and others. Once you observe these warning signs, you can take further action, including confronting the person who had been addicted.

• 3

  Watch video testimonials and relapse explanations over the Internet. The world wide web offers a convenient and easy way for you to learn more about relapse prevention from the comfort of your home. Many websites exist which explore the topic in detail. For example, you can watch videos on the Recovery Broadcast Network, MyAddiction.com and AddictionInfo.org. These videos explain addiction, recovery processes, relapse symptoms, sobriety, and offer resources to help someone you know who is addicted or shows signs of relapse.

• 4

  Visit your local drug and alcohol treatment center. While visiting these facilities, you can talk to treatment professionals and hear from people who have been addicted to drugs or alcohol. Since relapse is common, those receiving treatment are equipped to convey real world experiences to you. These conversations can help you understand the various pressures to abuse drugs or alcohol again. Before you leave, be sure to take home informational pamphlets and fliers.