Recovery Timelines

From Relapse to Resilience: Strategies for Overcoming Setbacks in Recovery  

Addiction recovery is a long journey of commitment, resilience and challenges, with a big reward at the end. While there are roadblocks and hurdles in recovery, you cannot let the setbacks stop you from achieving the end goal. For almost every substance abuse recovery case, setbacks are inevitable and are part of the process, but they give you valuable learning experiences and encouragement to push further. So, as you navigate your way through the recovery journey, and work through the phases, stay resilient and committed to an addiction-free future.

It’s all about the mindset and focus on the milestones. Here are some effective strategies that can help you overcome setbacks

–        Understanding that setbacks are natural

Facing setbacks in your recovery journey can be disheartening and can make you question your commitment. But you need to understand that emotional and behavioural lapses are a part of the addiction recovery journey. Substance dependence can severely compromise your mental and physical health. So as the body begins to readjust and go through withdrawals, small hiccups are expected. While you shouldn’t ignore these setbacks, you should use them as a reminder and source of motivation to do better.

–        Identifying the triggers and rework your recovery plan

One of the key learnings from any setbacks you face is to identify the triggers and what caused them in the first place. Since most pre-treatment assessments are conducted in a controlled environment, it is possible to miss some aspects even in the most comprehensive addiction evaluation. Such setbacks can help unveil such triggers and enable you to work with your advisor to design a more robust recovery treatment plan. If you are enrolled in an outpatient or PHP treatment, you could also look for relapse prevention therapy in Massachusetts to address such setbacks.

–        Adapt your treatments to changing circumstances

Every addiction case is unique and different for each patient and so the conditions are extremely dynamic and uncertain. Recovery advisors often rely on their expertise and the behavior of their patient to adapt the treatment plan to changing situations. So, whenever you hit a setback, you can work with them to incorporate new coping mechanisms, identify the change in environment and make adjustments to the treatment.

–        Develop healthy coping mechanism and adapting strategies

A recovery treatment is an iterative process and with every phase, you can build on your coping mechanism and adapt to changing situations. Though you cannot control the setbacks, you can equip yourself to manage them effectively and be prepared for the future. Practice reliable and effective coping techniques like exercising, community interactions, journaling, etc. to distract your body from any addictive urges. Additionally, you need to be flexible to adjust so that you can mold your coping strategies to the extremely dynamic conditions. All of this can help you prepare better and avoid the same mistake twice.

–        Build a support network and seek professional help

If you enroll for an inpatient or partial hospitalization program at an addiction treatment center in Massachusetts, you can leverage your access to recovery advisors to report any setbacks. At the same time, your goal should be to build a support network with your family, friends and fellow recovering patients. You can also participate in support group workshops, which can help you interact with others and learn from their recovery strategies and share your concerns.

GBAC understands the complexity and dynamic nature of an addiction recovery treatment. And so, the team of addiction counselors and advisors are well equipped with the tools to help you with your setbacks and treatments. If you are struggling to deal with addiction recovery, help is just a call away.