Just as the seasons of your life change, so should your relapse prevention plan. At the beginning of treatment, your triggers looked different than they do now. As you’ve changed during recovery, so have your triggers or your capabilities for dealing with them. Over time, it’s a good idea to customize your action plans to match your current circumstances and needs. When working with a new relapse prevention plan, it’s possible to catch triggers early and address negative thought processes before they lead to destructive behavior. Relapses are less likely to happen when a proper relapse prevention plan is in place.
This blog will delve into the importance of a new relapse prevention plan, strategies for overcoming triggers, and ways to create appropriate goals during this stage of your recovery.
What Is the Importance of a New Relapse Prevention Plan When in Recovery?
One of the most important parts of your journey is your relapse prevention plan. Perhaps when you were in treatment, it was easy to identify people, places, and things that may trigger a relapse. This was easy mostly because you were away from your triggers and they were easy to identify while spending dedicated time healing.
In this stage of your life, you may find it more difficult to pinpoint your triggers and collaborate on creating a new relapse prevention plan as an alumni. Just as you continue to change in your life, your needs in recovery change as well. Initially, your relapse prevention plan may have been more detailed as to what your specific needs were. As you continue in your recovery, perhaps you have less intense needs than in the beginning.
A new relapse prevention plan can hold you accountable throughout all stages of your life. Referring back to your plan creates hope and reminds you what your goals are and what motivates you to stay sober. Your relapse prevention plan will change over time as you develop and focus on different areas of your life.
I Know My Triggers: Why Do I Need a New Relapse Prevention Plan?
Coping with your triggers can be the hardest part of the recovery process. Although you may know what your triggers are at the moment, you may not be aware of potential future triggers. This is yet another good reason to create a new relapse prevention plan as you move forward in your journey. Triggers come on suddenly and can stir up hidden emotions. The experience can become intense and bring you into an emotional state you may remember from before you were in recovery.
Life changes can be stressful. That’s why it is important to update your relapse prevention plan when a life change occurs. Your triggers may or may not change over time, and identifying them is not always easy. As you work toward effective coping, it is important to remind yourself that recovery is a journey, not a destination.
How Can I Create a New Relapse Prevention Plan as an Alumni?
When you create a new relapse prevention plan, this is concrete evidence that you are committed to change in your life. The more detailed your plan is, the more likely it is to provide help during challenging situations.
Below are several strategies for creating a concrete relapse prevention plan:
- Identify past, present, and possible future triggers.
- Describe methods and coping skills for overcoming stress and difficult circumstances in your life.
- Identify specific things you would like to improve about yourself.
- Create a daily schedule or routine.
- Identify healthy and supportive people you can turn to.
- Set goals.
- Find ways to practice accountability.
- Identify what motivates you.
There is no right or wrong way to create your new relapse prevention plan. The only important thing is that you re-create your plan. Just as you are constantly evolving, so is your recovery. Therefore as an alumni, you may struggle with thinking that you “should” already know this stuff. However, that could not be further from the truth. You are on a journey to know your sober self and things will surface throughout your journey.
Using H.A.L.T in Relapse Prevention
One of the most common methods prescribed for coping with triggers is taking a moment to HALT. Sometimes when basic needs are not being met, it is important to make sure you are getting what you need. HALT stands for hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness.
Sometimes if your basic needs are not getting met, you will be in danger of experiencing a trigger. A relapse prevention plan helps to cover the places in your recovery that may have slipped your mind. Even first responders are trained to utilize the acronym HALT to pay attention to what their bodies are communicating in high-stress situations.
How Can The Guest House Assist Me?
A new relapse prevention plan could be just what you need to freshen up your recovery. At The Guest House, we understand the dangers of not updating relapse prevention plans. We encourage a sense of self-awareness and self-discovery, and we understand that recovery does not happen overnight. We are happy you have made it this far and that you are interested in creating positive change.
A relapse prevention can be the most important part of the recovery journey. There are many triggers in life. However, you have the control over minimizing the factors that can lead to relapse . Creating a plan that fits your needs will help you to adjust and utilize healthy coping skills no matter what situation you find yourself in. A new relapse prevention plan could be the very thing that changes your perspective in recovery. At The Guest House, we understand how difficult it can be to create a relapse prevention plan. We will help and guide you each step of the way. Trust us and give us a call at (855) 483-7800 today.