How to Write a Relapse Prevention Plan

How to Make a Relapse Prevention Plan: 11 Tips for Success

Be as specific as possible when writing a relapse prevention plan. Spend time determining your triggers and comfortable coping skills to help you stay on track. Setting realistic goals is also essential as you embark on your recovery journey.

Here are eleven things to include in a successful relapse prevention plan:

1. Your History of Use

Assessing your history is important in planning for sobriety and developing relapse-prevention activities. Take a close look at your past experiences with substance abuse, including any triggers, patterns, and consequences that may contribute to your addiction. By understanding your history, you can gain valuable insights into what has worked and what hasn’t in your previous attempts at recovery.

2. Signs That Could Lead to Relapse

Preventing relapse starts by recognizing your triggers. Changing “people, places, and things” is often paramount when committing to recovery. For example, unhealthy people may include those you consider “drug buddies.”

Avoid places that incite cravings or urges to use, like bars, pubs, or stores selling drug or alcohol paraphernalia. You can also outline particular activities, movies, music, and video games in your relapse prevention plan.

3. Recovery Goals

Relapse prevention techniques for substance abuse or other addictions often include goal-setting. Investing time in these activities can make a difference moving forward.

For example, your long-term goal may be abstinence and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Short-term goals entail anything that helps contribute to the long-term goal (e.g., attending support groups, seeing a counselor, getting a job, seeking prosocial support, etc.) Concrete goals provide structure and consistency in recovery.

4. Tips for Managing Cravings & Triggers

What led you to use or drink before recovery? Write down anything you recall about cravings and triggers. Remember, urges to use are not as important as how you decide to react. Make note of any new triggers in your relapse prevention plan, take corrective action, and remain on track.

5. Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Healthy coping mechanisms should be practical and enjoyable. Above all, they should be activities you will actually do. For instance, deep breathing, meditation, writing, reading a book, or even playing video games can be coping skills to include in your relapse prevention plan. Whatever technique you prefer, ensure it does not lead to cross-addiction. Replacing one addiction with another will only impede your recovery.

6. Your Support Network

A relapse prevention plan for substance abuse or alcohol use disorder should include a list of those in your support network. Having someone to hold you accountable when times get rough can increase the likelihood of success. Whoever you choose should support your recovery and help you stay on course.

Professional contacts may also be necessary. If seeing a therapist, it helps to have their number, as well as substance abuse and crisis hotlines, local hospitals, and support groups. If attending support groups, having the number of a sober sponsor is also recommended.

Additionally, it helps to delete and block numbers of past drug contacts or others who may compromise your recovery effort.

7. Ways to Stay Accountable

The most important thing is to remain motivated to change. Intrinsic motivation, the kind that comes from within, is always strongest. One must be intentional and consistent with the recovery effort. This entails keeping recovery at the forefront of one’s mind while not making excuses to distract from that.

Remember that slip-ups are common and only as catastrophic as you allow them to be. Rather than punish yourself, note what went wrong, stick to your relapse prevention plan, and get back on track.

8. Details About Your Treatment Plan

Your treatment plan should include details about aftercare to prevent relapse, such as ongoing therapy, support groups, and other resources. Aftercare is critical in relapse prevention because it provides continued guidance when transitioning from formal treatment to everyday life.

Consider incorporating specific local or online relapse prevention programs. These approaches typically focus on identifying triggers, developing coping mechanisms, and addressing any underlying issues contributing to relapse. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness practices, and holistic health approaches are especially beneficial

9. Preventative Tools

Relapse prevention strategies can include support groups and identifying the consequences of relapse. These tools for living after addiction should also focus on healthy habits like exercise, nutrition, and stress management to support a sober lifestyle.

Below are relapse prevention techniques to help you stay on track:

• Regularly attend support groups
• Keep a calendar of sober days
• Celebrate milestones
• Write down a list of consequences if you relapse
• Start a gratitude journal

10. Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Positive habits and healthier choices support your overall well-being and enhance your recovery journey. For example, engage in regular physical activity. Exercise and mental health go hand-in-hand, helping to reduce stress, improve mood, and boost self-esteem.

Engaging in hobbies, pursuing new interests, and building a support system of wholesome relationships can also contribute to a more fulfilling and balanced life after addiction. Preventing relapse is possible when you set the right foundation with healthy habits.

11. Plans for Possible Relapses

Having a plan for possible relapses is a necessary component of relapse prevention. Relapse is often a part of recovery, and some may experience setbacks more than once. Your plan can help you navigate through these situations effectively.

Include steps to take in challenging situations or when facing relapse triggers. Your plan may be attending a support group meeting, contacting your therapist or sponsor, or engaging in healthy coping mechanisms.

Self-compassion and learning from your relapse experiences are essential. Rather than viewing relapse as a failure, use them as opportunities to assess what went wrong and adjust your recovery plan.

When to Seek Professional Help

While you can write your own relapse prevention plan, creating one with a professional in treatment is best. The reality is that addiction is an incurable disease that often requires professional intervention, especially when determining what to do after a relapse.

If you write your own, relapse prevention plan examples, templates, and outlines are available online or through various resources. Still, consider finding the right therapist or joining support groups to sustain your recovery efforts.

Alcohol and substance relapse prevention plans are only as valuable as their contents. A therapist can help you determine coping skills that fit your needs and situation and help you uncover the underlying issues behind your addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), SMART Recovery, NAMI Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA), and others can also prove extremely helpful.

Final Thoughts

Addiction is hard to overcome, but any step in the right direction is a step forward. Slip-ups are only as detrimental as you allow them to be. If you are struggling with addiction and just read this article, you already took a step in the right direction. The next one is to follow through. Remember, you’re not alone.