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Alchohol Relapse Prevention Plan

An alcoholic is an alcoholic for life, and recovered alcoholics are susceptible to taking just one drink and relapsing back into their old ways. As a recovered alcoholic, you must be on guard for events that could make you resume drinking. Having a plan in place to avoid these circumstances can help you achieve success.

  1. The Places You Go

    • As a recovered alcoholic, don't go to bars. However, there are other places where it might be tempting for you to take a drink, such as parties, work functions, restaurants or even the beverage aisle in the grocery store. Before you head to a potentially tempting place, rate it on a temptation scale of one to 10. If the temptation to take a drink is greater than a five, then you should reconsider going, or going with someone who can keep an eye on you.

    The Company You Keep

    • Your old drinking buddies were probably your best friends before you recovered from alcoholism. But now that you're recovered, you might find that hanging out with some of them tempts you to drink, especially if that's what most of their social functions revolve around. If you still want to hang out with those people, choose neutral ground where drinks are not served, such as a family restaurant at lunch time. If your friends refuse to help you on your road to recovery, then they aren't your friends. You might even find that with some friends, you had nothing in common with them other than alcohol, in which case you're better off without them.

    Your Support Network

    • While you might be ashamed of your alcoholism, letting people know about it can be one of the biggest steps you take to stay away from relapsing. If you are in a situation where drinks are served, and you let the host know that you're an alcoholic, she'll probably be supportive and apologetic for allowing you to be tempted. See whether you can find a sponsor that you can call any time that you're thinking of relapsing. He can talk you through your urges to drink and direct you toward something more productive. If you have an alcoholics group, make sure you use them for support; many of them have been where you are, and will be happy to help you prevent relapse.

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