Setbacks during recovery can bring up shame and confusion, but it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Relapse is common; it’s not the end of your healing story. With professional support, aftercare options can help you take those post-treatment next steps.
What Is a Relapse in Addiction and Mental Health?
Relapse means going back to old patterns after making progress.
| For Addiction: | For Mental Health: |
| Using drugs or alcohol again after sobriety | Depression returning after feeling better |
| Going back to gambling, shopping, or other addictive behaviors | Anxiety attacks coming back |
| Returning to old patterns with food, sex, or technology | Other symptoms flaring up again |
About 40–60% of people in addiction recovery relapse at some point. This shows that recovery takes time and practice, not shame or judgment.
What Substance Has the Highest Relapse Rate?
Alcohol and opioids have high relapse rates because:
- Your brain changes with long-term use
- Alcohol is prevalent in social settings
- Opioid withdrawal is tough physically
- Both are easy to find
What Is a True Relapse?
Many in recovery might fear a relapse or any “mistake” that can derail their sobriety. Understanding the difference between a true relapse and a “slip” goes a long way in better understanding long-term healing.
- Slip: One drink, one use, or a bad day
- Relapse: Going back to regular use or losing major progress
One mistake doesn’t erase your progress. Don’t let “all or nothing” thinking let you think that your sobriety isn’t achievable even after a relapse.
What Causes Relapse?
Triggers are unique to each person. However, some common triggers include:
- Bad coping skills for stress
- Trauma you haven’t dealt with
- Feeling alone or without structure
- Mental health issues like depression or anxiety
- Life stress, such as job loss, breakups, and major changes
How to Recognize the Warning Signs
While relapse is not uncommon, there are ways to increase the chances of prevention. Noticing the following signs early helps promote steady sobriety:
- Mood swings or feeling irritable
- Pulling away from friends and family
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Thinking about using substances more often
- Going to risky places on purpose
Your mind often relapses before your body does. This is your chance to get professional help before using.
Not Sure if it’s a Relapse? Get to Know the 3 Types
Because relapse is not just the physical act of using drugs again, it’s crucial to understand how different types may look:
Emotional Relapse
- Skipping meetings or therapy
- Keeping feelings inside
- Poor sleep and eating
- Not asking for help
Mental Relapse
- Lying to yourself
- Craving substances
- Planning how to use “just once”
- Thinking about friends you used with
Physical Relapse
- Actively using again
- Symptoms returning fully
- Going back to old behaviors
- Losing the progress you’ve made
Thankfully, you can stop physical relapse if you intervene at the mental or emotional stage.
How Many Stages of Relapse Are There?
Hand in hand with the different types of relapse, there are six stages of addiction, the final part being relapse itself.
- Not thinking about change yet
- Considering making changes
- Getting ready to act
- Taking action
- Keeping up progress
- Relapse (if it happens)
Many people go through these stages multiple times. Each time, you learn something new about how you’re coping and what your limits are.
5 Tools for Relapse Prevention
Working on your recovery has to be particular to your life and needs. To support your goals, you can build your relapse prevention strategies with these tools:
- Know what triggers you
- List risky situations, people, and emotions
- Include stress, loneliness, and trigger places
- Build your support team
- Go to meetings or find a recovery sponsor
- Stay close to people who understand your sober goals
- Learn healthy coping
- Exercise to handle stress
- Try meditation, deep breathing, or journaling
- Create a daily structure
- Routines keep you stable
- Plan time for meals, sleep, and recovery work
- Maintain professional help
- Ongoing aftercare support
- Regular therapy sessions and doctor check-ins
Turning Setbacks Into Progress
Try to change your perspective on relapse. It can be a learning experience rather than an unchangeable path back to substance misuse. When setbacks happen:
- Don’t let shame stop you from getting help
- Look at what led up to it without judging
- Use what you learn to make your plan stronger
- Remember, you can still have long-term recovery
Refresh Recovery Is Here When You’re Ready
Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. Our professional guidance, aftercare, relapse prevention planning, and alumni program support people at every recovery stage.
Whether you’re starting fresh or have been clean for years, we help you build what you need to succeed. Let us help you find your footing again.