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Road to Recovery

Mistaken Belief #1

Mistaken Belief #2

Mistaken Belief #3

Mistaken Belief #4

Mistaken Belief #5

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Mistaken Belief #17

 By: Terry Gorski with additions by: Lee Jamison

A MISTAKEN BELIEF IS SOMETHING THAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE TRUE AND ACT AS IF IT WERE TRUE WHEN, IN FACT, IT IS FALSE.

Mistaken Belief #5: Recovering persons will be consciously aware of the warning signs of relapse.

Fact: Most people who relapse or return to alcohol or drug use are not consciously aware of the warning signs of relapse as they are occurring. It is only when they look back later that they can see all of the things that were going on. There are several reasons why you may be unaware of the warning signs while they are happening.

The first is lack of information. You simply do not know what to look for. Once you learn about relapse warning signs you can learn to recognize the symptoms and take action before they get out of control.

The second reason is denial. When the relapse symptoms begin to develop, the old denial patterns come back. This is self-deception. The big lie, of course, is “I’m not alcoholic.” But sobriety –based denial can lead to the same path: “Sure, I’m and alcoholic, but I don’t have any problems. I can handle the stress related to my job and my family. Everything is fine.”

The third reason is neurological problems – that is, impairments of the brain and nervous system. These impairments create the sobriety-based symptoms of mental confusion, emotional numbness or overreaction, memory problems, and stress sensitivity. In early recovery these symptoms may create a “mental fog” that does improve in time. People in AA/NA say that they experience about one month of persistent and continuous “mental fog” in sobriety for every year of active drinking or drugging.

Sobriety-based symptoms may recur during times of heavy stress for the rest of your life, but proper nutrition, exercise, and stress management can reduce the severity.  Fuzzy thinking caused by neurological impairment can interfere with the ability to recognize warning signs when they occur.

Because recovering persons are often unaware of the warning signs that lead to alcohol or drug use, it is important that you talk regularly with people who can help you recognize the warning signs that may be occurring.

The consequences of believing that you will be consciously aware of warning signs is that you will blame yourself for not knowing better. This will lower self-esteem further and invite you to hide your “stupidity.” Self-blame will increase stress and dysfunction. As a result you will be less likely to ask questions and be less open to feedback. If you are aware that there are hidden warning signs that precede a return to active addiction, you will not be motivated to watch for those warning signs and take actions to properly manage them.