Reasons an Addict Might Relapse During Early Recovery

It is great for any person who has a drug or alcohol addiction to get treatment. However, once their treatment is finished, they are in early recovery and begin a new challenge.

The challenge now is to stay clean and sober and not relapse. Some recovering addicts will go on with their life and never touch drugs or alcohol again, but many recovering addicts have a potential to relapse at some point.

It is crucial for early recovering addicts and their family members to understand what the reasons are for a relapse during early recovery.

Early recovery means that a person has been clean and sober for no more than 90 days.

It is great for any person who has a drug or alcohol addiction to get treatment. However, once their treatment is finished, they are in early recovery and begin a new challenge.

The challenge now is to stay clean and sober and not relapse. Some recovering addicts will go on with their life and never touch drugs or alcohol again, but many recovering addicts have a potential to relapse at some point.

It is crucial for early recovering addicts and their family members to understand what the reasons are for a relapse during early recovery.

Top 10 Reasons An Addict Might Relapse During Early Recovery

Reason 1: Low Self Esteem

Many times a person had low self esteem during their addiction. Low self esteem and addiction can also cause some people to participate in other illegal or harmful activities.

Early recovering addicts may still have low self esteem and feel like they do not deserve to be clean and sober.

Reason 2: Relationship

If a person meets another person or a recovering addict and starts a relationship in the early stages, their relationship may top their own recovery. They may forget that they must take care of their self and continue to focus on staying clean.

Reason 3: Downplay

The person may downplay what is needed in order to surpass early recovery. They may not take it serious and as a result end up relapsing back into their addiction.

Reason 4: Direction

During treatment and recovery the addict is often told what to do about their situation and any problems they are having, mainly through words of advice. If the person does not listen or take direction well, they may have an early relapse.

Reason 5: Priority

It is important to take addiction seriously, even during early recovery; therefore, a person must make their recovery a priority. A relapse can happen when a person spends most of their time focusing on other things in their daily life and not their addiction.

Reason 6: Feelings

Many addictions start because of bad feelings that a person was having. If a person is unable to manage or correct these feelings, they may still have them during early recovery and relapse.

Reason 7: Change

Recovering addicts in the early stages may forget that recovery is not only about going to meetings and talking to other people; a person must put a lot of work to change themselves on the inside too.

Reason 8: Help

A person may not want to ask for help when it is needed. They may be scared, ashamed, or too proud. As a result they may come up with their own strategies on how to prevent a relapse from happening and this can easily cause them to fall back into their addiction.

Reason 9: Acceptance

If an addict during early recovery has not fully accepted their addiction, they may easily find a reason or excuse to use. Not accepting or only partially accepting their addiction can make a person extremely vulnerable to a relapse.

Reason 10: Laziness

A recovering addict may become lazy when dealing with their addiction and their recovery. They may go to a few meetings here and there, think about what they learned in treatment only when they feel like it, and do not take any further steps to remain clean and sober.

Reasons Become Obstacles That Must Be Overcome

All of these reasons are obstacles that can occur during early recovery. If they are left unattended, they can become the perfect ingredients for a relapse.

During treatment, counsellors will teach addicts what to do when these obstacles occur. All of them can be overcome through the right support, mental mindset, and any tools learned at rehab.

To be able to overcome all of these reasons for relapsing during early recovery, a person must be able to start a new way of life. This means to think differently, try to be more positive, and put effort into staying clean and sober.

It Takes Willpower

Staying clean takes a lot of willpower and it is very hard for a person not to give up. It is important for a person to reach out to other recovering addicts, counsellors, family, friends and any other kind of support they can get for help and guidance.

In doing so, they may receive valuable advice and support and this can help them build up their own willpower; this alone can help prevent a relapse during early recovery.

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