Addiction Treatment
HomeCurbing Cravings and Preventing Relapse
Brain chemistry imbalances create powerful physical urges and feelings of emptiness and incompleteness. Biological factors also decrease the recovering person's ability to feel fulfilled or satisfied with abstinence. With alcohol/drugs, these factors are fueled by patterns of irrational thinking that exaggerate pleasant memories. Thus, creating unrealistic expectations that the drugs/alcohol will magically block out and fix all pain and problems.
Once the physical and psychological factors are off and running as the craving occurs, the recovering person creates social interactions that reinforce craving and reduce the willingness to effectively manage symptoms. When resistance is down, "trigger events" can cause the actual feeling of craving to start. As soon as the "urge" happens, the potential relapser uses ways of thinking and acting that intensify craving. This process intensifies the craving through a sequence of obsessions (recurring thoughts), and compulsions (alcohol or drug seeking behaviors).
After seeing how this complex process of relapse occurs, it is clear that a plan to curb craving and nip relapse in the bud, must be biopsychosocial in nature.
- Biological - physical aspects of craving are addressed through proper diet exercise, stress management techniques, vitamins with amino acids and B-complex, craving - management medications like Naltrexone & antidepressant medications.
- Psychological - education about how this craving/relapse dynamic happens and how it can be stopped at each stage is implemented. Clients are taught to identify their own triggers and how they perpetuate or reverse relapse.
- Socially, potential relapsers are taught to become aware of the people and situations that activate their cravings. These are usually high stress situations that reinforce the "quick fix" feelings of alcohol and drug use. Watching others use or being offered or encouraged to take a drink can be very powerful triggers.
To prevent relapse, one either avoids triggering situations or learns how to manage them.
The expert relapse information provided here was developed by Terence T. Gorski, President of DENAPS Corporation.
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