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Relapse Prevention Therapy

A man in relapse prevention therapyApex Recovery San Diego’s mission is to not only help patients recover their body, mind, and spirit through addiction treatment but to ensure a happy, peaceful life in the weeks, months, and years following. To that end, we provide the best relapse prevention therapies available, ensuring a successful transition from residential and outpatient programs to maintenance after recovery. Through our addiction therapy programs, we have a highly successful track record of treating individuals and preventing them from slipping back into addictive patterns.

Why Do People Relapse After Addiction Treatment?

People often relapse after addiction treatment because of various reasons, such as:

  • A lack of support from friends and family
  • Craving for drugs or alcohol
  • A return to old habits or environments that triggered the addiction in the first place
  • Poor coping skills when faced with stressful situations
  • An inability to manage cravings or triggers for drug use
  • A lack of motivation to stay on track with recovery

People may also relapse because they don’t believe in themselves or their ability to remain abstinent after addiction treatment. Additionally, emotional issues and mental health problems can make it difficult for someone to stay sober long-term. Lastly, the presence of withdrawal symptoms can be a major factor in relapse, as people often turn to drugs or alcohol in an attempt to cope with them.

To prevent relapse, someone in recovery needs to have a strong support system and develop healthy coping mechanisms. It’s also beneficial to attend regular counseling sessions, talk therapy, and group meetings, and participate in outdoor activities that help promote physical and mental health. And, of course, effective relapse prevention therapy can be crucial.

What is Relapse Prevention Therapy?

Relapse prevention therapy (RPT) is based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy and aims to help the client develop self-control skills that would make abstinence easier and prevent relapse. It was originally developed to address alcohol use disorder (AUD) and then cocaine abuse. Of course, it is effective with other forms of dependency as well as with dual diagnosis.

RPT is composed of several interdependent techniques which target to improve the patient’s self-control. In order to achieve this, several aspects have to be dealt with:

  • Nurturing the decision to stay sober by recognizing and acknowledging the positive and negative sides of continued use
  • Recognizing high-risk situations through self-monitoring
  • Developing strategies for coping with cravings and avoiding high-risk situations

RPT is useful not only in extended care, but in the very beginning of the rehabilitation process as well.

Scientific studies have shown that RPT contributes a lot to the success of the treatment. When a group of scientists followed patients who had undergone cocaine rehabilitation, the group that received RPT was able to maintain the results of the therapy after a 6- and 12-month period, unlike the group that received only clinical treatment.

Individual counseling and group sessions play roles in RPT. Even though the primary goal of this therapy is maintaining abstinence, it also includes strategies for dealing with relapse. Relapse can serve as an opportunity to learn from mistakes, to develop better self-monitoring skills, to identify triggers and to improve coping strategies or learn new ones.

Get the Help You Need Today From Apex Recovery San Diego

Our San Diego alcohol and drug rehab programs apply relapse prevention therapy as part of our center’s integrative approach. It is a completely patient-centered technique that is accepting of the patient and their current position in life and treatment. The principle is to work with the individual recovering from addiction so that they can define their own goals and support them in achieving those goals by teaching them how to be mindful, how to use new problem-solving skills and how to accept their own responsibility and choices.

Don’t wait to seek treatment when help is available. Call Apex Discovery San Diego today at 619.458.3435 or use our online form to get started on your recovery.

Call Our Toll-Free Hotline 24/7 at 877.881.2689