5 Addictive Behaviors that Can Lead to Relapse

Introduction:

Once you are finally free and over your addiction to drugs or alcohol, the last thing you want to do is fall right back into them. Some people may find it way too easy to relapse into their old bad habits. Below are listed five behaviors you’ll need to watch out for to make sure you don’t sink back into drug or alcohol usage. You’ll also be able to additionally learn how to overcome an addictive personality, along with addictive personality help and how to treat an addictive personality.

1. Don’t be stressed!

Being stressed out isn’t fun for anyone, especially people that have just recently have been able to eliminate drugs or alcohol. Having loads of stress from work or home thrown onto a person trying not to relapse can make them very tempted. They may come up with an excuse that they just need to relax for a little bit and one sip or one pill won’t do much harm. Obviously that scenario may not end up with just one sip or one pill, let alone the ability to relax.

When you are finally able to kick your bad habit and are staying away from whatever your addiction was, a good thing to do is let people around you know what you’re going through. Get in communication with your family so they are able to help in some way to relieve your stress. This could be cleaning the house or making meals for you, or even just making the home environment warm and comfortable. By telling your boss at work what you’re going through, and your obvious reason for not wanting to relapse, can help. Your boss will most likely go easier on you and possibly might not assign a handful of projects to you at this time. Another idea to take into account is that your boss could change “going out for drinks after work” to”going to the movies.” This way you will not feel pressured into going with other employees to an area that could be tempting for you. Do keep in mind not to give up all your responsibilities and jobs. You should carry on with working and continue to help out at home and possibly with your church.

2. Don’t let yourself become lonely or depressed.

Another behavior that can tempt a person back into relapse is being lonely or depressed. This may be quite obvious since one reason why people start drinking or taking drugs in the first place is because of these two similar feelings. A study was done and shows that at least twenty percent of Americans today with a depression problem also have a substance abuse disorder too.

When going through an unstable time with drugs or alcohol, try to find a stable person to stay close with. Have your best friend move in with you for a few weeks, or try staying with your parents or siblings. This is a good time to disconnect from any toxic relationships. You may or may not have noticed, but harmful relationships can easily be affecting your moods and even be causing your loneliness or depression. If this is the case, detach from the source until you know you have become stable or whenever you feel the time is right.

3. Be happy, not angry.

Anger can be another source point in relapses. Many people who are staying away from drugs or alcohol may feel pressured at times and uncomfortable. If friends or a group pushes one who is going through one of these moments of uneasiness, this can lead that person into being mean or rude to get those people away. Situations like this that constantly keep occuring will keep the ex-drug addict or ex-alcoholic feeling mad and upset, may leading them into failure and giving up.  This may cause one to turn to drugs or alcohol to feel better.

Keep yourself, or another in the same situation, in a happy and fun environment. By doing lively activities that are exciting and distracting, you will not have time to get mad or feel uncomfortable. Another good way to stay happy is not doing anything you don’t want to do. This doesn’t mean not watching a movie with your friends because they didn’t want to watch the same one as you, but participating in activities or events that you would be comfortable and safe at. If you know you won’t feel pleasant at a bar with a few friends and a bunch of random people, don’t go. Keep your integrity in and decide what activities would be best for you to join.

4. Tired + Hunger = Disaster!

Anyone can turn mean if they haven’t gotten the proper amount of sleep or food. Not only will an ex-alcoholic or ex-drug addict be moody from not enough sleep or food, they will also feel the urge to cover the disturbance. This can entice a person to have a major set back on staying away from alcohol or drugs. Not getting the right amount of food or sleep can also cause the person to easily become angry and/or make a  stressful situation worse.

Make sure you always have a sufficient quantity of sleep each night so you’re able to face any problems or confusions you may encounter the next day. Keep track of the amount of hours you sleep by counting it up the next day or possibly even downloading some sort of a sleeping app. Set a bedtime for yourself and plan ahead what you need to get done before going to sleep at your decided time. Also try planning out your meals for the week, or choose what kind of restaurant you’ll eat at, so you never miss a meal. It may also help to set reminders on your phone to tell you it’s time to eat if you’re too involved with your work or a certain project.

5. Mental or physical illnesses.

It is known that most doctors prescribe medication when a patient is sick or hurt. Since you, or another person, has just worked very hard on staying off drugs successfully, it is not highly recommended to go and take medications to elevate your mood. Clearly, if you have to use medication for a life or death situation, you shouldn’t hesitate to use it. On the other hand, if a doctor tells you to take Advil, or some other similar medication, for a simple stomach or headache, you shouldn’t. Some medication may have bits of drugs that you were once addicted to in them, which will only lead to your cravings getting stronger. Some people may feel they need to have a little bit of alcohol to help distract them from their mental, or on a less chance physical, illness. Do not fall into this trap, it’ll only make things worse and send you spiraling down.

Trying talking to someone for mental illnesses, such as a support group or close friends and family. Opening up about your concerns or problems to trusting people can help a lot more than covering it up with more drugs or alcohol. For physical illnesses, try using all natural medicines and vitamins to help. These can help exceedingly more and will not end in relapse.

Conclusion:

Listed above are five behaviors you should watch out for when worried about relapsing. If you keep track of these warning signs, you will not be tempted to turn to drugs and/or alcohol again to handle your problems.