Relapse Prevention

Overcoming Addiction

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

“No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions.”  ~ Patrick J. Kennedy ”It is hard to understand addiction unless you have experienced it.”  ~ Ken Hensley “It is time to end the discrimination against people who need treatment for chemical addiction. It is time for Congress to [...]

DRUG-USE STAGES

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Drug use can be viewed as a series of developmental stages: initiation, escalation, maintenance, discontinuation (sometimes including relapse), and recovery.  Some clients go from one stage to another, others do not. Some relapse many times, whereas others bypass relapse altogether. INITIATION Drug experimentation typically begins during adolescence, in social settings during middle or high school. Teens rarely [...]

Decide to Make a Change

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Admitting that you have a drug problem isn’t easy. It takes courage and strength to face up to addiction. When you’re bogged down in drug abuse and drug addiction, sobriety may seem like an impossible goal. But recovery is not out of reach. For many people struggling with addiction, the biggest and toughest step toward [...]

Relapse is Never an Accident

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Relapse is a sign that we have a reservation in our program.” Narcotics Anonymous, Basic Text, p. 76 A reservation is something we set aside for future use. In our case, a reservation is the expectation that, if such-and-such happens, we will surely relapse. What event do we expect will be too painful to bear? [...]