Is it REALLY Okay to Relapse During Alcohol Recovery?

The topic of relapse is a difficult topic to bring up. Most rehab clinics in the UK prefer not to talk about it, and for good reason. Many patients cannot handle the thought that they could relapse into drinking again during the early treatment process. Drug rehab clinics do everything they can to stop a relapse from happening, but what happens when it is completely out of their control?

Relapses Can and Do Happen

The vast majority of people who decide to quit alcohol do so because they have reached rock bottom. They will have to break habits that have been engrained in them over a period of years. The problem with this is that it means the risk of relapsing is far higher. Relapses can and will happen for a lot of patients. This is an unavoidable fact.

Currently, the studies demonstrate that the average patient requires at least two separate stints in rehab before they can fully recover from an addiction.

Promoting a Relapse

Nonetheless, this does not mean that anyone should promote the idea of a relapse. Patients should always aim to never relapse. They should aim high and aim to become one of those people who can decide to quit and immediately quit forever without any problems.

It is important to aim for the best outcome possible because if this does not happen people often find they relapse more often. They are almost easing off on the pressure and expectation they put on themselves. In essence, it’s akin to saying it is okay to relapse.

Dealing with a Relapse

The problem with a relapse is it often happens outside of the safety of alcohol rehab clinics. This puts patients in an extremely difficult position. It is perfectly natural to feel depressed about relapsing. Anyone would. The difference between those who successfully complete rehab and those who relapse for good is in how the person bounces back.

Whilst a relapse should always be something to fear, this does not mean a patient should feel like they have to punish themselves if they do fail. Beating a relapse is about instilling a culture of immediate recovery. A slip does not mean the person has to fall over. It merely means they have to keep going with what they were doing before.

There are dangers associated with acceptance of a relapse, but there are also dangers associated with self-flagellation when a relapse does happen.

Conclusion

What we have learned from this article is that relapses will happen with the majority of patients after they leave relapse. For most people, it is an unavoidable fact. However, this does not give anyone the excuse to not do everything they can to avoid that relapse. If it does happen, though, patients should aim to bounce back straight away. They should not punish themselves because they made a mistake.

In fact, the knowledge that a mistake was made should serve as motivation to not do it again. Put a positive spin on it and they will feel far better about what has happened and what is going to happen in the future.

Middlegate provides direction on alcohol recovery through its knowledge of alcohol rehab clinics. It has helped many alcoholics find the drug rehab clinics they need to turn their lives around.

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