I'm curious how people relapse after having several years in.

[justme1119]

Is it another injury that makes you fall into using again?  Is it stress in your life?  Does someone offer you the pills?  Do you run into people that you use to know and want to do it all of a sudden?  A death in the family?  I'm just curious because I don't see myself getting NA or after care because I did it all on my own.  I haven't been able to find the right counselor, but have been trying.  I want to be alert to things I'm not aware of.  I read in the roll call post about someone that went 1200 days and then relapsed.  How does it happen?  Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but the only community of drug addicts that I know is you guys.

[justme1119]

I love this post.  My husband stopped drinking on his own.  I thought it was a miracle.  This makes sense to me.  I'm going to share it with my son. Thank you very much and Happy New Year.

[hellc@mst]

Hi ya. Many people manage to achieve longterm sobriety on their own* without any professional support outside of friends and family and/or a good doctor/counsellor. I did! When people are ready and motivated they will move mountains to ensure they remain sober/clean. Thats been my experience.

People relapse for any number of reasons and there are no guaranteed defenses against relapse.  Most relapses happen because people want to change the way they feel. There neednt be any precipitatng trauma. Some relapses happen when people are already feeling good. They just wanted to feel a little bit better.

If you're interested, here is a list of fantastic books any recovered/ing addict should read if they are interested in addiction and sobriety. Its all evidence based and common sense stuff. Nothing airy fairy.  The Lizard Brain (not included in booklist) is also very interesting and worth researching/reading too.


Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps     Charlotte Davis Kasl, Ph.D.

Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure?     Charles Bufe

A History of Addiction & Recovery in the United States, Michael Lemanski

Addiction, Change & Choice; The New View of Alcoholism     Vince Fox, M.Ed. CRREd.

Resisting 12-Twelve Step Coercion: How to Fight Forced Participitation in AA, NA, or 12-Step Treatment     Stanton Peele and Charles Bufe with Archie Brodsky

When AA Doesn't Work for You, Rational Steps to Quitting Alcohol     Albert Ellis, Ph.D., and Emmett Velten, Ph.D.

Coming Clean; Overcoming Addiction Without Treatment     Robert Granfield and William Cloud

The Truth About Addiction and Recovery; The Life Process Program for Outgrowing Destructive Habits     Stanton Peele, Ph.D. and Archie Brodsky with Mary Arnold



*  "On their own
There is a high rate of recovery among alcoholics and addicts, treated and untreated. According to one estimate, heroin addicts break the habit in an average of 11 years. Another estimate is that at least 50% of alcoholics eventually free themselves although only 10% are ever treated. One recent study found that 80% of all alcoholics who recover for a year or more do so on their own, some after being unsuccessfully treated. When a group of these self-treated alcoholics was interviewed, 57% said they simply decided that alcohol was bad for them. Twenty-nine percent said health problems, frightening experiences, accidents, or blackouts persuaded them to quit. Others used such phrases as "Things were building up" or "I was sick and tired of it." Support from a husband or wife was important in sustaining the resolution."
Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction — Part III, The Harvard Mental Health Letter, Volume 12, Number 4, October 1995, page 3.
(See Aug. (Part I), Sept. (Part II), Oct. 1995 (Part III).)


Anyways. All the best on your journey.
Kind regards Jeremy. Recovered Addict
4 years 3 months drug and alcohol free thanks to me


            ~I DID IT MYSELF!~

[meg321]

Hi,

Just wanted to say that quitting is the easy part, staying sober is the tough part.  We drink for reasons that are a lot of times unknown to even ourselves.
You do need a support group of some kind and more than online support.

I could not stay sober or clean on my own for very long.  I didnt want to go to AA, it scared the s***t out of me for one thing. And the other reason was I still thought I was not an alcoholic, it was really my husband that made me drink.In the end I realized that my husband was gone and I was still drinking.  I was unhapppy and miserable.

The one thing that I remember is that after an AA meeting I was so exhilarated for some reason. Just being around others like me and actually having friends....I used to complain to my 5 yr old about AA and she asked me why I would come home all excited if I didnt like it...she was a very smart 5 yr old...lol

Please try it and some alcohol counseling....it worked for me..37 yrs ago.

I am also around if you have any questions,,

meg

[ricart70]

I think that when you get to a place where you feel hopeless or don't care and this goes on for an extended period of time.When this happens relapse isn't far behind because let's not forget,getting high is fun and a great stress reliever.It is also a type of fun that we as addicts just can't afford to have.

[Bkitty]

Keeping my addiction a secret from everyone backfired on me,,because I thought "well no one knows so they wont be able to tell if I am high and I can do this whenever" I came forward and admitted I am an addict to my husband and family and now i can be held accountable for my actions/choices. NA and aftercare have been my saving grace this time. I quit many many times before but jumped right back on the merry go round. i recently suffered a bad toothache and I suffered thru it because I never ever want to go back down this road ever again.

[gnarly_1]

HI......if you want to be successful long term you really do need to find some form of aftercare I have used several both A/A and N/A for alcohol weed and all the recreational stuff but when it came to the methadone I switched to a substance abuse conslor the one thing most people on this forum have in common if they have major clean time is aftercare its when we decide ok im fine now I dont need meetings or counselors anymore that you see somewone with a yr or a couple of yrs clean fall back into using .....you can do this by shear will power for a wile but it rarely works long term your not living in recovery your ''white knuckling'' your sobriety you first have to realize that the pills are just a symptom of a much bigger problem addiction and as addicts we need to change the very way we think and reason otherwise where no more then a dry addict with the same compulsions we had when we where using and its just a mater of time that someone is going to offer you a pill or other drug and your off and rolling once again......addiction is cunning powerful and baffling  if you dont treat it you can lay your money down you will be using again the statistics show that less then 10% of the people will make it a year clean without aftercare everything points to that being the solution to relapse....its not to say you can do it all right and still fall but your chance are a lot better if your pluged in some where its up to you the ball is in your court to me I would rather set aside a hr or 2 a week then to go back to active addiction my last run at it lasted 16 1/2 yrs....dont know if I would survive another one..and it just ant worth chancing ......Gnarly      

[rnangel]

I am a cross addict. Although I may have escaped the death grip of my DOC (cocaine) for several years, I easily picked up new drugs or behaviors. I easily gravitate to ANY mood altering substance or behavior. One relapse was shortly after the sudden death of my younger brother at 31 years old. Sedatives for sleep quickly turned into dilaudid before morning coffee. I went to rehab and had nearly 2 years of sobriety then relapsed on cocaine (offered to me by a new aquaintance). I quickly learned what all relapses have in common - No solid commitment to aftercare - In my case, NA meetings and regular contact with my sponsor.

Awful happens all the time and I could always find an excuse to use. I am an addict. This is how I'm hardwired. I now accept that I cannot have any mood altering substances. I go to NA 2-3 times a week where I see my sponsor. We connect at least once a week outside of meetings. I have been clean since Nov 19 and owe it to my dedication toward meetings and sponsorship. Ironically, this was the day I met my husband 8 years ago. I was such a mess that I wouldn't have even realized if it was my birthday. As I write this, I'm in awe of how different I think and feel in such a short period of time. At this moment I want to say I'd never use again..but that's the attitude that brought me here time and time again.

[novics]

That was me with the 1200 days. I had a very bad toothache on friday and needed to do something for the pain until I could see the doctor on monday. I mooched a few oxie's from a friend, and I was off to the races again(duh)

[addict3]

All of the above and then some. The key here is keeping your guard up against these things and being aware of your surroundings, so to speak.
Thinking we detoxed and are clean and we did it all by ourselves is the thinking that got us in this situation in the first place.I have used this forum for several years, we need aftercare, something to keep us accountable or I can just about assure you we will relapse. Have you tried Na/AA? Just think about something. Just keep that guard up