Chronic Relapse
Returning to Rehab Isn’t a Failure
When someone is eager to have a new life free from chemical dependency, recognizing the need to go back into drug and alcohol rehab is often clouded with negative emotions such as shame, guilt, and blame.
Addiction scientists report that on average, 40–60 percent of individuals in recovery eventually relapse. Why is this?
- Since addiction is a brain disease, it sometimes takes more time for a person’s chemically-altered neurological responses to follow a more natural pattern of behavior. People who experience chronic relapses might still have complications with this process or need more comprehensive therapeutic applications to strengthen neural connections.
- The most challenging time of recovery is within the first three months, while someone is adjusting behaviors and learning to manage triggers. But a person with chronic relapses might have more challenging issues, such as unresolved trauma, mental health and other co-occurring conditions, oppressive work stress, or a violent environment that make maintaining sobriety twice as difficult, even after repeated treatment.
- If these first two components aren’t thoroughly addressed, and an individual isn’t working with a treatment professional to adjust their post-treatment continuum of care plan, repeated relapses represent a need for more stringent attention to quality care.
Addiction doesn’t have a cure, but it can be effectively managed with proper treatment. As with any other chronic disease, it’s often necessary to partner with a team of specialists to uncover more specific causes for substance use disorder and develop a better plan for recovery.
Creating Progressive Solutions for Chronic Relapses
As one of the premier rehab centers near Houston, our staff of board-certified clinicians at Great Oaks Recovery Center uses a multi-disciplinary approach to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, featuring hands-on experience from highly-trained professionals who specialize in alcoholism, drug addiction, and dual diagnosis.
We don’t believe relapse is a part of recovery—we think it’s frequently the result of what wasn’t previously acknowledged, creating a life obstacle that prohibits someone from moving forward with their essential recovery.
Our chronic relapse program is for individuals who suffer relapse or multiple relapses after maintaining some period of recovery from chemical dependence. It’s a specialized process guided by licensed counselors to allow discovery of what contributed to a return to substance abuse. This partnership enables a person to safely identify and examine particular underlying issues that exacerbate addiction triggers.
Additionally, the program helps individuals clarify specific warning signs and learn vital skills that prevent additional relapses. Another important variable of further treatment is recognizing and understanding substitute behavioral addictions that contribute to post-treatment relapses. Also known as process addictions, they might include an obsessive compulsion involving food, sex, gambling, shopping, online or video gaming, and work habits.
Prior to discharge, a customized drug relapse prevention plan is designed with each patient to further strengthen the opportunity for recovery.
Hope for Lasting Recovery
Admitting you need to go back to substance abuse treatment is never easy, but there’s no reason to be downhearted. You were successful in overcoming addiction before—and that clarity of purpose is part your authentic self. You deserve to release pain and remove all obstacles to reach your goal of whole-person wellness. At Great Oaks, we’ll support your recovery any way we can.
Reach out to a member of our admissions team 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, to learn how we can help you move into the next phase of your life.