How to avoid relapses in addiction: 10 useful tips

The word addict comes from the Latin term "addictus", which can literally be translated as "slave" or "debtor". It supposes, then, a relationship of homage to an external element (drugs in this case), which becomes a creditor of a very expensive existential debt.

In this same sense, addiction subjects the person to a succession of changes at the neurological and behavioral level (investment of a lot of time and effort seeking and consuming the substance) that end up stripping her of her genuine freedom and will.

The process through which a consumer story is abandoned is not easy, and involves facing many difficulties that must be successfully overcome. The best thing, in this case, is to have useful tools at our disposal that make the journey more bearable.

In this article we will reflect on how to avoid addiction relapse, in order to offer keys that can contribute positively in this moment of difficulty.

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How to avoid relapses in addiction: 10 keys

Dependence on any drug implies the appearance of two basic processes: tolerance (need for an increasing consumption of the substance to perceive effects equivalent to those of the beginning) and withdrawal syndrome (discomfort due to its absence in the body).

The craving (or desire) describes a pressing need for consumption at the moment in which we are faced with stimuli that have been associated with it over the years (places, people, etc.). Their participation is frequent in a very high percentage of slips and relapses.

Giving up drugs is not an easy process, but it can also be a very rewarding journey. In order to help facilitate and enhance such an effort, below we propose 10 keys based on the available scientific evidence on how to avoid relapses in addiction.

1. Seek a socially stimulating life

Many studies clearly show that living in socially impoverished environments is a major risk factor so that recreational consumption evolves directly to dependency.

This finding has been reproduced even in animal models, with research comparing the addictive behavior of mice based on whether they had the company of other rodents or whether they lived alone (and with few incentives, such as tubes and wheels with which to move and work out).

So, it is known that having an adequate social network is essential to reduce the risk of relapse in those who are going through the process towards the total abandonment of drugs. It is essential to have people nearby who offer their emotional support (sincere understanding, active listening, etc.), instrumental (material help in cases of need) and affective (hugs and interactions positive).

Likewise, it is important to keep your distance from friends whose consumption habits may contribute to a later relapse, especially at the beginning of the process.

2. Avoid risky situations

When the person enters the process of abandoning a drug, it is recommended that at the beginning they avoid any individual or situation that could have been related to the consumption of the same. Such a strategy is known as stimulus control., and its purpose is to make modifications in the environment and behavior aimed at reducing the presence craving (intense desire for consumption that arises when exposing ourselves to places or people with whom the drug used to be used) substance).

Over time (and as the person gains more control over their ability to inhibit the urge to use), exposure to the situations that he was avoiding (since he is not always going to be "running away" from reality), doing it initially with the company of a person from trust. In this way, he will acquire a superior sense of control and will develop a strong self-efficacy to manage the affections related to desire.

It is also a perfect occasion to train some assertive behaviors, such as saying "no" to an offer.

3. go to therapy

Substance use can erode motivation toward activities that in the past were rewarding, to the point that there is often an abandonment of everything that united the person to others. The process of recovering everything that we once were involves facing a difficult reality, in which many of the sources of reinforcement and satisfaction have disappeared, so a deliberate effort must be made to recover them or look for different ones.

In this process it is important to have the help of a therapist, with whom to strengthen coping strategies. available (or learn new and useful ones) to adapt to the environment and enrich it in a way that is satisfactory at the level staff. Also possible deficits in impulse control and decision making may need to be addressed, two common problems among those who have lived a long history of consumption.

4. Beware of microdecisions

During the first months of giving up a substance, the person acquires a growing mastery of the situation and progressively feels more emotionally distanced from his stage as a consumer. So all the precautions he used to take in order to maintain abstinence enter into a period of increased laxity, in which it is more likely that there will be a slip in consumption (isolated and punctual use of the drug) or a relapse complete.

This is due to the assumption of decisions that may appear innocuous on the surface, but which contain a real threat: "for one more nothing will happen to me", “it has been a very hard day, so today I deserve it”, etc. There is ample evidence in the literature on this effect, so the person must be cautious despite having gone through the most critical stage. Although it is true that the first months constitute a period of special risk, the relapses that occur later are usually directly associated with these microdecisions.

5. The effect of abstinence violation

Slips in use, and even relapses, can be part of the normal process of giving up any substance. When they are assumed in a constructive sense, can provide valuable information on the precipitating factors in which the, and suppose an incentive to articulate strategies aimed at promoting personal resources with which to reinforce abstinence in the future. However, many times the opposite result is triggered: the abstinence violation effect.

This effect describes the painful emergence of deeply negative thoughts about oneself as a result of the slip or relapse, such as “if I already knew I wasn't. I was going to be able to handle it" or "in the end those who thought I was a horrible person were right", which precipitate an adverse emotional state and episodes of uncontrolled consumption (binge). Addressing the issue, and contextualizing it within reasonable limits, is essential.

6. Learn to regulate adverse emotional states

Feelings such as shame, fear or anger can contribute to relapses among people who have learned to combat them with the consumption strategy. And it is that it is relatively common for there to be some relationship between the use of the drug and emotions that are difficult to bear or manage. It is because of that the basic processes of regulation must be delved into, which involve identification, discrimination, acceptance and communication of internal states (for which the help of a good therapist may be needed).

In this sense, it is usually also important to learn adequate relaxation strategies, with which mediate regarding difficult emotions and anxiety (especially in its physiological dimensions). The most used are diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation., as they have shown to contribute positively to the process and increase the feeling of control over one's affective life.

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7. develop a hobby

When drug use sets in, it not only dramatically displaces the rest of the things that used to bring happiness, but also stands as a motivated behavior that provides some degree of "satisfaction" (despite the negative consequences that almost always occur). accompany). And this is so because its effects directly affect the brain reward system (area ventral tegmental and nucleus accumbens), a circuit related to positive reinforcements and the sensation of pleasure.

Quitting drugs can leave a very important void in life, which will have to be counteracted with an activity that allows moments of recreation and enjoyment. In any case, it is possible that for some time you will live with an annoying sensation of inertia, but as the weeks go by, new goals will be set to pursue (or those of yesteryear). In this process, the support of others and the deliberate search for moments in which to enjoy simple things is essential.

8. Avoid alcohol consumption

Even if you have not suffered from alcohol dependence, but from another different substance, it is very important to avoid its consumption. It is a drug that exerts depressant effects on the central nervous system, inhibiting the prefrontal cortex and stimulating impulsive behaviors. Thus, under its effects it is much easier for a weakening of the effort to maintain abstinence to occur, and for a slip or a complete relapse to take place.

On the other hand, there are many people who, in their stage as consumers, combined alcohol with another substance (such as cocaine, for example). In these cases, subjective feelings of intoxication may function as precipitating stimuli for the desire for the other drug. In the specific case of the combination of alcohol and cocaine, the effect can be devastating, because within the body are chemically transformed into cocaine ethylene (related to acts of violence and even death sudden).

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9. Communicate your decision to others

Talking with others about the decision to quit has two very important effects: can motivate the social support of the environment and generates new expectations about the person who is ready to get out of addiction. Such expectations may be very different from those that existed up to now (since it is not infrequent that there have been frictions in relations interpersonal issues that may have contributed to a gray shared horizon) and promote the desire to act in a manner consistent with the commitment acquired.

10. Draw a decisional balance

Decisional balances are a useful exercise when people are preparing to make a change in their lives. It supposes the dedication of some time to write on a piece of paper about the expected advantages and disadvantages of the new scenario, detailing all the good that you want to achieve by giving up drug use (both in the medium and long term). This activity allows you to clarify the initial confusion and establish a much clearer goal to pursue.

Once all this has been written on paper, it can be useful to keep it in a pocket when an imminent risk situation is anticipated (visiting a place where used to consume, go to a party where others will use drugs, etc.) and read it when deemed appropriate (especially if you perceive that the desire is increasing and you are about to give in to he). Is a very good way to reactivate the neurological processes (prefrontal cortex) that oppose craving, and continue to maintain abstinence and enhance the feeling of self-control.