FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) - Relapse Prevention

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FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

Am I in recovery if I am not using alcohol or other drugs?

No. Recovery is the process of changing the old thoughts, feelings, and destructive behaviors that caused you to use alcohol or drugs. If you are not committed to working on that process of change than you are not in recovery. Therapy starts from the outside, healing starts from within. If all you do is take away the alcohol or other drugs how have you changed the thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that caused you to use alcohol or drugs in the first place?

What is a relapse?

Relapse is the process of returning to the maladaptive use of alcohol, drugs or old thoughts, feelings or behavior. When you use alcohol, drugs or that old behavior that episode of use is at the end of the relapse process.

People in AA and NA are always talking about "having a relapse" as though people who do it are horrible and hopeless. Is that true?

Unless a person has made a personal commitment to work a recovery program, and engaged in the process of working that program, they might use alcohol or drugs but it is not a relapse because they were not working a recovery program of change. Just stopping use is not recovery. Everyone who is working a program of recovery relapses and returns to using old thoughts, feelings and behaviors regularly. The goal of an effective recovery or treatment program is to teach and encourage people how to recognize and intervene in that process so that they can begin to live a life where those "relapses" (the return to alcohol or drug use or the use of old behaviors) occur less often. Relapse is not horrible, nor are relapsing people "hopeless!"

Can I recover and still drink or use socially?

It is the alcoholic/addict's dream to engage with a recovery process and "learn to drink/use socially," however the concept does not appear to work well. There are a few people for whom this idea may work out but the largest majority quickly return to the previous problems and dysfunction they faced when they started to do something to change and recover.

How long does it take to recover?

Generally people who engage with recovery continue to work on it for the rest of their lives. Most treatment programs have a curriculum that is organized to help people to learn to manage their own recovery in something under a year. Recovery is a pathway not a destination. Treatment is not recovery, rather it is designed to augment peoples personal life information, enhancing their ability to access their personal intuitive instincts to care for themselves.

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Website Development by: Erateck

Site hosting is donated by:

As a community service!

01/28/2001


Homepage

Program Info

Program Costs

Articles & Info

Location

Addiction Test

Events

Links

FAQ'S

Search

" Modern" Alcohol and Drug Outpatient Treatment

Recovery Road

Ideas

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

Am I in recovery if I am not using alcohol or other drugs?

No. Recovery is the process of changing the old thoughts, feelings, and destructive behaviors that caused you to use alcohol or drugs. If you are not committed to working on that process of change than you are not in recovery. Therapy starts from the outside, healing starts from within. If all you do is take away the alcohol or other drugs how have you changed the thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that caused you to use alcohol or drugs in the first place?

What is a relapse?

Relapse is the process of returning to the maladaptive use of alcohol, drugs or old thoughts, feelings or behavior. When you use alcohol, drugs or that old behavior that episode of use is at the end of the relapse process.

People in AA and NA are always talking about "having a relapse" as though people who do it are horrible and hopeless. Is that true?

Unless a person has made a personal commitment to work a recovery program, and engaged in the process of working that program, they might use alcohol or drugs but it is not a relapse because they were not working a recovery program of change. Just stopping use is not recovery. Everyone who is working a program of recovery relapses and returns to using old thoughts, feelings and behaviors regularly. The goal of an effective recovery or treatment program is to teach and encourage people how to recognize and intervene in that process so that they can begin to live a life where those "relapses" (the return to alcohol or drug use or the use of old behaviors) occur less often. Relapse is not horrible, nor are relapsing people "hopeless!"

Can I recover and still drink or use socially?

It is the alcoholic/addict's dream to engage with a recovery process and "learn to drink/use socially," however the concept does not appear to work well. There are a few people for whom this idea may work out but the largest majority quickly return to the previous problems and dysfunction they faced when they started to do something to change and recover.

How long does it take to recover?

Generally people who engage with recovery continue to work on it for the rest of their lives. Most treatment programs have a curriculum that is organized to help people to learn to manage their own recovery in something under a year. Recovery is a pathway not a destination. Treatment is not recovery, rather it is designed to augment peoples personal life information, enhancing their ability to access their personal intuitive instincts to care for themselves.

Website Development by: Erateck

Site hosting is donated by:

As a community service!

01/28/2001