5 Signs Your Roommate is On the Verge of Relapse

Relapse is never something that just happens by accident, it is a process that slowly but surely creeps its way into the life of someone who is in recovery from drugs and/or alcohol. If you are living with someone in recovery, especially for those in a halfway house, there are ways to try and spot relapse behavior in a roommate before they even come close to actually using drugs or drinking again. In fact, there are several phases of a relapse, with the actual act of using drugs or drinking being the final stage. Here are 5 signs your roommate is on the verge of relapse.

1.   Isolation

When you begin to notice that your roommate is removing themselves from the recovery community, or from being social in general, it can be a sign that there is something more going on with them. This is part of isolation.

If they stop going to meetings, stop contacting their sponsor, or they are spending more and more time home alone it is not hard to imagine they are dealing with something in a way that will ultimately have a negative impact on their sobriety in some way.

Even though spending more time to yourself is not all that incriminating, it can be something that when combined with other behaviors can increase the risk of relapse.

2.   Drama Focus

If your starting to notice your roommate is becoming more and more involved in the current drama in the halfway house, or with other people in general and they are developing a tendency to thrive off of the misery, anger, or gossip than it may be a sign they are verging on a relapse.

Drama always rears its ugly head in life, but in recovery it is important to keep focus more on solving the problems in a way that is constructive instead of fueling those fires with more negative energy.

A roommate who seeks out drama or arguments more than they seek out ways to grow personally, spiritually, or to help others is dragging their feet in the wrong direction.

3.   Depression

Depression is one very common motive people use to justify drug use or drinking. Coping with depression is not easy. It can feel like struggling while drowning and watching everyone around you breathing, and often times addicts and alcoholics revert back to the remedies we are most familiar with.

A huge part of recovery is learning new ways to find peace, comfort and coping skills throughout the trials and tribulations in life. So when your roommate fails to find anything that they can do to maintain that, it may be an indicator they could use some help before they get back to their old solution.

4.   Acting Out

A pretty clear sign your roommate could be on the verge of relapse is if they are going out of their way to act out. Doing things like breaking curfew at the halfway house to hang out with the opposite sex, starting fights with others, stealing and lying; things that are all closely related to the way many of us used to behave in active addiction.

Your roommate doing things that are practically the exact opposite of what they should be doing for their recovery should be a pretty obvious way to tell they are inching their way toward a relapse. If they are working a program of recovery, then they are told they should be living by a new set of principles, and they should not be acting out in ways that harm others or undermine the rules and even the law just to get whatever it is they want.

5.   Denial

Denial is a very familiar aspect of addiction to people in recovery. So it only makes sense that when your roommate starts to revert back to old behaviors, they will be in a state of denial of these actions and the affects they may have on their sobriety.

Some roommates may even try to justify their denial by protesting that they have not done anything to deserve suspicion. They can insist that they have not used or drank, despite the fact that they are not doing what is right or anything at all. No matter what their protestations, you should keep in mind that lack of action does affect other people.

In recovery relapse can happen, but it never has to. The process of overcoming addiction is not always easy, but with the right treatment and the right support system there is no limit to how amazing you can make your recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-777-9588