Alcohol Relapse: What You Need to Know About Recovery

Nearly 30 million people in the United States struggle with alcohol addiction. Luckily, there are numerous treatment options available for alcoholism, and many people can find programs that can help them stop drinking. The trouble is that many of these people may not be able to maintain their sobriety. Many people relapse and start drinking again. When alcoholics relapse, it can be frustrating.

At Twilight Recovery, we help people in their recovery from alcohol or drug use. We also help people maintain their sobriety so they don’t relapse, but we can also help them if they do.

What is an Alcohol Relapse?

An alcohol relapse is when a person recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD), also known as alcoholism, drinks again. Recovering from alcohol abuse requires that a person be completely sober.

Recovering alcohol addicts can’t have a drink again for the rest of their lives because one drink can trigger their substance abuse and set back whatever progress they made in treatment. Relapse is common and isn’t a sign of mental weakness or a lack of willpower.

What Can Trigger a Relapse?

Numerous things can trigger an alcohol relapse in people with alcohol use disorder. Some of the things that can trigger a relapse include:

Stress

High levels of stress can wear down a person’s resilience and leave them mentally and emotionally vulnerable. This stress can be due to work, relationships, or other issues. Regardless of the source, stress can cause someone to relapse.

Environment

A person’s environment itself can trigger them to relapse. For recovering alcoholics, this can be particularly dangerous as alcohol is freely available and its consumption is normalized in society. Being around people who drink alcohol can cause a recovering alcoholic to have a drink themselves, especially if they’re unaware that a person is in recovery.

Strong Emotions

Strong emotions, whether positive or negative, can cause a person to drink again. People can get swept up in positive emotions, especially in a celebratory atmosphere, and drink again.

Negative emotions such as sadness, loneliness, or anxiety can weigh on a person, and they may turn to drinking to find relief.

What are the Warning Signs of a Relapse?

Several things can be seen as warning signs that a person may relapse. Some of the warning signs to look out for include:

Emotional Instability

Increased irritability, anxiety, or depression can indicate emotional distress, which can lead to relapse.

Romanticizing Past Use

If you find yourself remembering your past substance use fondly or fantasizing about it, it may indicate a shift in your mindset toward your past addiction, and you may be in danger of relapsing.

Denial

Building on the above, if you start downplaying the consequences of past substance use or denying the importance of continued recovery efforts.

How Can an Alcoholic Prevent Relapse?

Many recovering alcoholics and their treatment providers are all too aware of relapse and prioritize prevention. Many treatment centers offer aftercare programs to help patients maintain their sobriety after residential treatment.

Many people also engage in outpatient treatments, such as going to individual therapy sessions and going to support groups to maintain their sobriety outside of the controlled environment found in a treatment facility.

Building a strong support system can also help a person stay sober. This support system can be friends and family members, but it can also include people from support groups.

Support groups can be perfect places to build support systems as the people within a group understand alcohol addiction and recovery.

Individual therapy can also help reinforce the coping skills that recovering addicts learn in treatment, which can be crucial for preventing a relapse.

Does Relapse Mean Treatment Failed?

With substance use disorder, relapse is to be expected. The fact of the matter is that many people can stumble in their recovery and use their substance of choice again. Sometimes, a person may find themselves in a position where they can’t resist their cravings any longer, even if they have resources and support to help with relapse prevention.

Relapse is normal, and it doesn’t mean that all the time and effort a person put into treatment failed. It simply means that a person has stumbled.

The road to recovery is long and can have detours. The important thing when a person relapses is that they refocus on their recovery afterwards. 

What Should I Do if I Relapse?

If you’re a person recovering from alcohol or drug abuse and you relapse, the most important thing you need to do is to stop using it immediately. If you’re in treatment for alcohol addiction and you drink alcohol again, then you need to put whatever drink you’ve got down. 

Once you do that, you need to call your sponsor, your therapist, or someone who understands alcohol addiction and what you’re going through. The most important thing you can do is get help from someone who can support you but also hold you accountable.

Something else you need to do when you relapse is to be kind to yourself. You may feel as if you’ve failed, and you loathe yourself. You may feel as if you’re mentally weak and can’t handle sobriety. Remember that recovering from alcohol addiction is a long process, and it’s not always going to go smoothly.

Feelings of self-loathing can be harmful to your recovery. As previously mentioned, negative emotions can trigger a relapse.

We Can Help Stay Sober and Get Back On the Right Path When You Lapse 

Recovering from drug or alcohol use isn’t something that has a set endpoint. There is a goal, and that’s to stay sober. The problem is that many people struggle to pursue that goal. It’s not ideal, but relapse happens. 

Relapse isn’t a sign of weakness. It can be taken as an opportunity to learn about the nature of addiction recovery, how hard it can be, and how a person’s recovery plan can be adjusted.

At Twilight Recovery, our treatment programs are designed to help you get sober and stay that way, but we’ll also provide support if you relapse. Contact us now, and we can get started helping you achieve and maintain sobriety.