Relapse Prevention

Many clinics and rehab centres consider relapse to be an every-day, ordinary affair. Here at Narconon, we do not. We work very hard to help our students not relapse and once the programme is complete will stay in touch to help, in any way possible, our students to get through any difficult times.

We have found over the years what most people struggle with, so here is some tips and advice for you:

Don’t Order Alcohol in Restaurants

Now, as eating out is inevitable and something enjoyable that you want to do, you need to work out a routine to avoid being stuck with alcohol. Even if your drug of choice was not alcohol, being around alcohol, or drinking is a fast route back to drugs. Begin by making sure everyone at the table knows there won’t be alcohol with the meal before you arrive. Then tell the waiter straight off the bat that you don’t need the drinks menu. It may seem simple and small, but these little steps can make a big difference.

Stay Clear of Social Situations Containing Drugs

Being in a club, at a festival or party where drugs are readily available, where you can see it and smell it, the mind will whisk up memories of you enjoying and having fun with drugs, somehow the depression, pain, withdrawal or near death experiences are conspicuously absent. Unfortunately, it is easy to forget the bad and decide that one hit can’t hurt, for that reason it is better to avoid these situations altogether.

Watch out at Special Occasions

At special occasions, one may feel there is an excuse to have “just one sip,” or “just one puff.” Even a small bit of alcohol can lead to enough of a lowering of inhibitions that suddenly you can find yourself in situations where all your good intentions go out the window and suddenly you find yourself drunk or high once more.

Sort out Your True Friends from Your False

This is an important factor. True friends are going to be loving and supportive, and work at helping you remain clean of drugs. False friends will minimise your achievement in getting clean, expose you to drugs and alcohol and perhaps even encourage you to relapse. Work out which is which and then make it hard for those false friends to contact you and surround yourself with those true friends who will lift you up.

Avoid Stress

Stressful situations, by definition, are those that are hard to deal with. When stressed out and not knowing what to do or how to deal with it, it is easy to turn to drugs or alcohol as a stress reliever. Try learning stress relieving techniques, whatever works for you, taking a walk or art for example. Having positive things to turn to when stressed can make a world of difference.

Deal with Pain Without Drugs

Both emotional and physical pain is often dealt with by using drugs. This is a bad idea. A couple of beers to cheer yourself up, or a painkiller for a headache, can be the first step to a downward spiral. Be honest with doctors or dentists, don’t let them prescribe painkillers or drugs without understanding the full situation. They may have alternatives for you.

Avoid Boredom

Boredom lies at the other end of the spectrum to stress. But oddly enough it has the same effect. Boredom can be one of the biggest triggers for relapse, with nothing to turn to and no excitement ahead, drugs can seem like an easy out. So instead, make sure you are not bored. Plan things to do, get activities you like, build new hobbies, rope in friends and family for nice things to do. Let’s avoid boredom at all costs.

Don’t Dwell in the Past

Be it shame and regret, or reminiscence of the glory days, dwelling in the past is a bad idea. Recovery takes place in the present not the past, putting attention on the past leads one to see those incidents with rose coloured glasses or alternatively getting into depression and regret. Keep yourself in the present and create the new life that you are working on.

Individually these may seem small and not so drastic, but combined, they can make radical changes to your life and allow you to continue your life drug free.