Anyone else agree that saying relapse is a part of a recovery can be harmful? I was told this a couple years back at an outpatient treatment. This caused me to justify lapsing; another term I disagree with. Although I understand a lapse shouldn’t be thought to crush ones final goal of sobriety, I still think health workers should understand how significant a lapse can be for sobriety and even for life and death.
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Ok well I see how u could see it that way but we never know when we could be taken out by our addiction so relapse is totally part of addiction. I've been sober for a while but still can go into mental relapse mode and on top of it everyday we have to pay the rent on recovery. So maybe just change ur perspective on it because it's not meant to hinder you its just the truth!
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uh yeah it is.
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Lol
just because you used it as a justification doesn’t mean if someone ends up relapsing it’s not a part of THEIR recovery. i relapsed last year and stayed relapsed. now i have 40 days.
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I understand what you’re saying I just disliked how I was told by people who weren’t in recovery that relapse basically can help in a persons recovery. That may be true for some but telling freshly clean addicts without nuance isn’t a good idea. I understand relapse is a part of the process for 90+% of people and is unavoidable idk maybe it’s just something I’ve heard a lot
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I mean I don't agree with it helping in recovery at all but I know from my past the first time I relapsed at like 14 I definitely wouldn't want to hear that sh** lol 
so I guess I get what ur saying but also don't forget we can't control what people say
It shouldn't be taught that relapse is just part of it. It should be taught that you don't have to relapse, but if you do it's not the end of the world. My grandfather quit drinking when my dad was 12. He never drank again to the day he died. For some relapse happens; for some it doesn't.
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I have said this before. UNFORTUNATELY It is a part of SOME people's journey to recovery. Saying it is inherently part of it gives addicts like me a "pass" to fück up a few more times. We have all been there.
It sometimes is but does not have to be. I tried to stop drinking for 15 years and had many relapses. Only when I totally surrendered and accepted help is when my story of relapse stopped and haven’t had to do it since. It the individual’s story to write and tell
I hear what your saying and I believe what a rehab center is trying to tell the people there is that statistically speaking maybe 1 out of a many will make it into long term recovery without a relapse. The rest may die from their addiction.
It’s hard to judge when dealing with peoples lives.
I had 2 years following rehab.
I had a surgery following colon cancer when one time I took an extra pill and started my time over. As a matter of fact, tomorrow will be 21 months.. again so yes, relapse is part of my story. I’m still in recovery in my opinion because I don’t want to die.
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I always thought that when health workers say “relapse is part of recovery” it’s not so much an individual evaluation as it is them drawing from their years of experience helping with different cases. They see many, many people who stop & start & stop & start before they get a good handle on their situation. So, when they tell someone that relapse is part of the process it isn’t so much permission to slip as it is a reminder to be gentle with yourself IF you do so you can find the strength to pick yourself up & get at it again.
Kinda like training for a marathon. Not many people can just trot on out there & run 26 miles. It’s a process one builds towards. That, of course, is not a perfect analogy but hopefully it’s clear enough. Good luck to all of you on this journey. Congratulations on seeing the problem & fighting to change:muscle:
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I’m a licensed addictions therapist, and also in recovery myself, and relapse isn’t necessarily part of recovery, but addiction is a disease, and it is a relapse disease. Sometimes it happens, not for all, but for many. Doesn’t mean failure, and it doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to happen, but if you look at stats, it happens often.
Not everyone is “one and done.” Multiple relapses are apart of my story. It takes what it takes. Not everyone is convinced they are an alcoholic or addict when they first get sober. And maybe they aren’t. I’m truly an alcoholic and I tried everything to “prove” I wasn’t an alcoholic. Absurd when I think about it now. If one has to put that much energy into trying to prove they aren’t an alcoholic or addict….guess what…they probably are….
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Relaps is very much part of most sober peoples journey to getting recovered, it's not a step in the book it doesn't have to be part of anyone's journey but the % of people that do far outweigh the people who come in and on first attempt stay sober. Important thing is to never give up if you do!!!
For many it is a part of their story and I know many that found recovery eventually, however it does not have to be and it’s ok to make a faster road to a meaningful life by not lapsing. Both stories are important to help others down the road