What if I Relapse After Treatment?
One of the most important things to remember about a relapse is that it is never too late to come back after one occurs. This is especially true with a relapse after treatment. Many people get discouraged because they feel as though they have somehow failed if they relapse after treatment. Just remember, addiction is a disease, and it is a chronic and relapsing disease that aims to keep people sick. The good news is there is help, and there is always hope as long as one is always willing to keep trying.
Better Understanding the Prevalence of Addiction in the U.S.
Many people don’t realize just how prevalent addiction (including alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder) is in the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “In 2022, 48.7 million people aged 12 or older (or 17.3%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 29.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder (AUD), 27.2 million who had a drug use disorder (DUD), and 8.0 million people who had both an AUD and a DUD.”
It is also true that many people who struggle with addiction also struggle with co-occurring issues of mental health. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), this is roughly “7.7 million adults.” However, according to NIDA, “52.5% of those with co-occurring conditions received neither mental health care nor substance use treatment. 34.5% of those with co-occurring conditions received mental health care only. 09.1% of those with co-occurring conditions received both mental health care and substance use treatment.” These individuals who don’t receive the proper care that they need are also much less likely to experience a relapse.
Better Understanding the Prevalence of Relapse in the U.S.
Just as many people may be surprised at how much addiction exists in the U.S., many people may also be surprised at the high rates of relapse. As previously mentioned, this is because addiction is a disease.
According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), “Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that we must treat as we do other such diseases. We do not expect the hearts of patients with heart failure to behave normally – we understand that their function has been altered by disease. Why, then, do we expect the brains of substance abusers to behave normally, since we know that their function has also been altered by disease?”
The relapse rates remain unacceptably high in the U.S. According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment. For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within 1 year of treatment.”
What if I Relapse After Treatment?
Many people who relapse feel as though there is no going back. This is simply not the case. There is always hope for recovery, even after a relapse.
So, what if one relapses after treatment? The best move is to get right back and connect with some form of treatment or recovery plan as soon as possible. Perhaps it won’t be the same treatment center, but as long as it is recovery-focused. A rehab facility for someone who relapses after treatment should also have a safe and secure detox, as many people require detoxification after their relapse.
Avoiding Relapse After Treatment: A Focus on the Detox Process
It is important to remember that one should never try to detox on their own. This will not only be unnecessarily uncomfortable (both physically and emotionally), but it could even be deadly (this is especially true with those struggling with AUD).
A professional detox is also important because it ensures that an individual gets the proper hydration and nutrient replenishment that they require. Many people don’t realize just how depleted one can be due to their active addiction. According to the peer-reviewed journal, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, “Chronic alcoholic patients are frequently deficient in one or more vitamins. The deficiencies commonly involve folate, vitamin B6, thiamine, and vitamin A.” Additionally, “Although inadequate dietary intake is a major cause of vitamin deficiency, other possible mechanisms may also be involved. Alcoholism can affect the absorption, storage, metabolism, and activation of many of these vitamins.”
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we take nutrient replenishment seriously. This is why we offer pharmaceutical-grade supplements and infusion therapy to all of our clients (who require or request it). A detox is also important for relapse after treatment because it connects people to the next stages of their recovery. This recovery should always be individualized and comprehensive.
Avoiding Relapse After Treatment: A Focus on Individualized and Comprehensive Recovery
Many recovery centers and treatment facilities fail to focus on healing at the cellular level. This means that they fail to focus on healing holistically (meaning healing the whole Self; the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual).
The best way to acquire this cellular-level healing is to focus on recovery that is individualized; a recovery that ensures that one’s background, current situation, and future goals are taken into account.
Healing at the cellular level also requires comprehensive treatment plans. This means treatment plans that take from all avenues of recovery, which include psychotherapies like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), experiential therapies like horticulture therapy and art therapy, and holistic healing practices like yoga therapy, acupuncture, and meditation. Comprehensive recovery plans also ensure that the root/core causes of addiction are addressed.
Avoiding Relapse After Treatment: A Focus on the Root/Core Causes of Addiction
A phrase that is often used in recovery is “It’s about the drinking much more than it is about the thinking.” This is a cheeky way of saying that recovery is about a lot more than simply putting down the drink or the drug. Recovery is about getting to the root/core cause of the issues that cause one to desire to drink or to use in the first place.
So, how are these root/core causes addressed? They are often best addressed by taking a multiple-angled approach that utilizes many means, methods, and modalities of recovery. This often starts with evidence-based recovery methods like CBT and DBT.
The Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy
CBT and DBT can be particularly beneficial because they work at getting to the underlying issues of one’s addiction (the ones previously mentioned). However, they don’t just bring these issues to the surface. They also work on correcting them by changing the negative way that they view themself and the world around them.
CBT is effective in many ways and for many reasons. One of the reasons is that it makes the individual an “active participant” in their own recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns…. Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.”
DBT is an offshoot of CBT, and it can be particularly helpful for those individuals who are struggling with co-occurring disorders. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry (Edgmont), “Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD). The patient populations for which DBT has the most empirical support include parasuicidal women with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but there have been promising findings for patients with BPD and substance use disorders (SUDs), persons who meet criteria for binge-eating disorder, and depressed elderly patients…. DBT is a program of treatment, rather than a single treatment method conducted by a practitioner in isolation.”
Some Benefits of Nutritional Therapy
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe that “food is medicine.” This is why we focus on only offering the best local and organic foods prepared by world-class chefs. It is also why we offer comprehensive nutritional therapy.
Many people don’t realize that nutrition is as much about what one leaves out of their body as what one puts in. According to the Journal of Nurse Practitioners (JNP), “Nutritional Therapy uses food to prevent and reverse diseases that plague most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression. For food to be therapeutic, it must be nutrient-dense, measured in part by the nutrients and anti-nutrients, contained in consumed foods. Nutrients are plant and animal sources providing macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, probiotics), and fiber.” Further, “Anti-nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity.”
The Benefits of Nature Immersion Therapy
Another unique offering that we have here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab is nature immersion therapy. We take advantage of our one-of-a-kind terrain that only the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island has to offer. This includes majestic waterfalls, warm sandy beaches, and even a live volcano. Here one can connect with oneself via the way that one connects with nature.
Nature immersion therapy also offers a myriad of benefits for those who are coming back from a relapse. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning…. While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN). This “CN” can also occur out on the ocean with surf therapy.
The Benefits of Surf Therapy
Surfing is engrained in the culture here in Hawaii. This is why we are proud to utilize it in helping our clients heal at the cellular level.
Of course, we also offer surf therapy because it offers proven benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “An intervention that uses surfing (physical activity) with therapeutic elements of the ocean as a vehicle to achieve positive change is called surf therapy. Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”
Some Benefits of Acupuncture, Massage, and Aroma Therapy
There are also holistic healing methods that can help one recover from a relapse after treatment. These include massage, acupuncture, and aroma therapy.
Also, these are highly beneficial treatments because they can help with physical pain. Many people don’t realize the chronic pain that comes with addiction. This pain should be dealt with naturally rather than with pharmaceuticals, which could ultimately make one’s issues of addiction worse.
Massage offers many benefits for recovery. According to Pain Medicine: The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pain, “Based on the evidence, massage therapy, compared to no treatment, should be strongly recommended as a pain management option. Massage therapy is weakly recommended for reducing pain, compared to other sham or active comparators, and improving mood and health-related quality of life, compared to other active comparators.”
The Benefits of Horticulture Therapy
Another unique offering here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab is horticulture therapy. This is why one will see the lush fruits and vegetation that adorn our property as soon as they arrive.
Of course, we also offer horticulture therapy because it has been proven to help with addiction recovery. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.
Horticulture therapy also offers an opportunity to meditate. However, meditation should also be used as a modality on its own.
The Benefits of Meditation for Recovery
Meditation can be highly beneficial for those who relapse after treatment. One of the primary reasons is that once one cultivates a meditation practice, they can take it virtually anywhere.
The benefits of meditation cannot be understated. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency.”
Avoiding Relapse After Treatment With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
An iconic American author, James Baldwin, famously said, “There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.” This is also true for those who relapse after treatment.
Many people who relapse fear what will happen in the future. The key is to act now and get help. Relapse is never the end. The future is friendly, and with us at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, recovery can be now.
It is important not to get discouraged about a post-treatment relapse. This discouragement may only lead to a relapse lasting longer. Just because the first stay “didn’t stick,” that does not mean that the next one won’t. Many people go to rehab again and utilize a different multi-angled approach for success. The key is to never give up hope. If you feel like you or a loved one may be struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the positive path toward recovery right away. You don’t have to do this alone. For more information about how to come back after a relapse, reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab at (808) 775-0200.