A relapse is when someone who struggles with addiction stops maintaining their goal of sobriety or reduced usage and instead returns to previous habits.
This is a common part of the recovery process. In fact, research indicates that an average of 50 percent of people relapse within one year, and these rates vary depending on the substance, with up to 70 percent of people struggling with alcohol or cocaine addiction relapsing within one year and up to 90 percent of those struggling with Heroin addiction relapsing within the same time frame.
Those who undergo behavioral therapy like CBT, use medication or participate in an inpatient program or IOP are much less likely to struggle with relapse.
What Causes a Relapse?
There are many potential causes of relapse because there is a strong relationship between personal challenges and addiction. For some people, there might be an issue at work, social problems, rejection by their peers, or financial hardship.
How to Help Someone Who Relapsed
If you know someone who has relapsed, it is important that you reinforce the notion that a relapse does not indicate a failure nor a reflection of that person being weak.
There are different things that you should do right away versus in the short term.
Right Away
Right away, how to help someone who has relapsed might include getting them medical support, especially if they are at risk for an overdose. People who have gone a long time without using substances and use them for the first time in a while can experience unusual and very dangerous symptoms.
Always make sure that that person has support nearby and that they remain safe. You might need to call upon other members of their support group like their family, friends, or a doctor if you have that information.
Short Term
In the short-term, there are several things you can do to help remind someone that relapse is common, and it’s not a failure but rather an opportunity to learn more about themselves, what works for them in terms of coping mechanisms, and what doesn’t, and how they want to move forward.
‘Failure’
It is not uncommon for people who are currently struggling with a relapse to feel dejected. If you want to know how to help someone who has relapsed, it’s important that you remind them that a relapse is simply them falling into old coping patterns and that they now have new coping patterns they can use.
Behaviors
Help them recognize that these behaviors were modified in the past and can be modified again but that they don’t have to do it alone. The individual in your life who has relapsed might have a pre-existing mental health issue, and perhaps they stopped taking medication for that issue, leading to a return of symptoms and subsequent relapse. If so, you can help encourage them to talk to their doctor or a therapist.
Sometimes, people deal with physical health problems or circumstances like insecure housing and social pressure that have set them back on substance abuse as their coping strategy. Even here, you can remind them that these are temporary burdens that everyone has to deal with, and while old behavioral patterns might be easier, they have the tools to use new behavioral patterns.
Expectations
Help the person near you manage their expectations; be honest about the fact that it might take five or six attempts before someone can successfully maintain sobriety without any risk of relapse. So these moments are common and to be expected, but they don’t have to define that person.
Getting Help for Someone Who Relapsed with Ritual Recovery
At Ritual Recovery, we provide flexible outpatient rehab in Asheville. Our programs allow people to engage with a regular home and work life with an open schedule while still participating in the additional support they need to overcome a relapse.
If you know someone with mild substance abuse disorders who doesn’t need intensive care but needs a little extra support or continuing care because of a relapse, we can help them find the right path to recovery by offering up to 25 hours of group therapy sessions each week, an experienced team, flexible scheduling, and comprehensive support.
Reach out to us today for help with outpatient programs and support for those you love.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I force someone who relapsed to get help?
No, you can’t. But you can provide them with ongoing support, open communication, and resources for available programs or means of help. If, for example, you are trying to figure out how to help someone who relapsed, and you provide them with information about a treatment program, they may not respond positively right away, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop trying or stop helping them.
With time, they might decide they want more help or that information.Â
How do you comfort someone who had a relapse?
The best way to comfort someone who has gone through a relapse is to be supportive, provide reassurance that they are not alone. Remind them that this is simply one part of their journey, a setback that they can come back from.Â
Often, people who are in a relapse feel that they have failed in their recovery and are prone to giving up. Be there for them and offer support toward learning from this, getting the help they need, and moving forward.Â
Does someone who relapsed need to go back to rehab?
Not always. If an individual has completed a rehab program and has suffered a small setback from a relapse, through support group attendance and regular exercising of their coping mechanisms, they might be able to land on their feet and start on the next stage of their sobriety.
However, many people might choose to go back to an outpatient program or start therapy again in order to develop stronger coping mechanisms, get a little bit more support, or otherwise practice what they might need to be stronger the next time they face triggers.Â
If you are trying to figure out how to help someone who relapsed, consider asking how they currently feel and what they think might be best, and if they believe that another outpatient program might be beneficial, help them find a qualified facility.Â
Are there things I shouldn’t say to someone who relapsed?
Really, anything you say should come from a place of love and support. However, there are some things to avoid, like, “At least it’s only alcohol, not opioids” or “At least it’s not heroin.” You also want to avoid things that associate blame, such as “Well, why did you relapse if you want to stay clean?” or “Why didn’t you just stop or say no?”
There are no perfect things to say to comfort someone who has relapsed, but a good place to start is with support and reminders that they are not alone and they can recover from this setback.Â
