Should I Go Back to Rehab after a Relapse?
Despite what you may think because of what you hear, relapse is not a requirement for recovery. But relapse does happen, and it becomes part of some peoples stories. A lot of people with amazing sobriety have experienced a relapse, it is nothing to be ashamed of.
Those who survive a relapse are luckier than they could even imagine, and going back to rehab after a relapse can help them to get grounded in their recovery again, and give them an opportunity to learn as much as they can from that relapse.
Rehab after a Relapse: Understanding Relapse
A relapse for those in recovery from drugs or alcohol means that a person has been clean and sober, or has stopped using drugs and alcohol, for a period of time and then begins drinking or using again.
Relapses can be pretty scary, especially when someone feels confident in their sobriety and then ends up in a down-ward spiral. A relapse is one of the hardest things to deal with and face in recovery, because people tend to let a relapse cause them a lot of guilt and shame that can prohibit them from learning from the mistake and moving on.
Alot of the times the person who begins using drugs or alcohol after a time of sobriety doesn’t know why it has happened. Even someone who really wanted to stay sober can relapse and at the end up be kicking themselves all day, asking themselves “Why and how did this happen?” and “Should I go back to rehab after a relapse?”
Relapse can become a sad and troubling reality for anyone with the disease of alcoholism or addiction, and anyone in recovery is susceptible to a relapse back into active addiction. So when considering rehab after a relapse, it is important to not let shame hold you back. Relapse doesn’t have to be a part of anyone’s journey getting sober, but it can happen and rehab after a relapse can be one of the best ways to know what to do if it does.
Rehab after a Relapse: Support New Recovery
If you or your loved one starts drinking or using again, it is important to get them straight back into rehab after a relapse. Going back to rehab after a relapse may at first seem counter-productive, or even futile, in the light that they just went to treatment and now have started using or drinking again.
But the reason you or your loved one should go to rehab after a relapse is because when a relapse happens it is unknown when that person will stop, most do not stop immediately even if they want to.
Rehab after a relapses is even more important because the time directly after a relapse can be very dangerous and scary in the sense that it’s during this time overdoses are more likely to happen. With progression of the disease of addiction relapses always get worse, never better. Rehab after a relapse can help prevent the person struggling from going back out and using excessively.
Going back to rehab after a relapse is not only the safest option but it is also the smartest option. Recovery is a journey and just because a relapse happens doesn’t mean a person will never get the gift of a lifetime of sobriety, it only means that they should do everything they can to support their new sobriety.
You should not give up on the option of learning something you may have missed at treatment the first time. Going back to rehab after a relapse is something many addicts and alcoholics do, because they realize that they do not know everything, obviously, and could use that time to heal and start over.
Sometimes these addicts and alcoholics who go back to rehab after a relapse end up getting more out of it that they were missing before, and stay sober for the rest of their life. We never know what the journey of recovery may hold and for some people it holds one or more relapses. However, some more innovative programs offer relapse prevention courses and strategies, to try and help build the strongest foundation and protection from a relapse. IF you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-777-9588