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Relapse occurs
By Mick Conway
Addictions
Although chemical dependency is a highly treatable disease, it is one in which relapse occurs with some frequency. Current figures set the relapse rate at 47 percent, an indication that recovery is sometimes a difficult and on-going process.
Relapse is evidenced in dysfunctional behavior after sobriety is in place. It can begin long before the return to actual drinking or drug use, for the last segment of relapse is chemical usage.
Recovery progresses in phases. Primary treatment for chemical dependency takes approximately one month. It is a stabilization period in which the biological, psychological and spiritual aspects of addiction are addressed. After the initial seven to fourteen days of abstinence, an interesting phenomenon occurs.
Called the Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, or PAWS, it is that period of time in which the body attempts to recover from the damage that was done by chemical usage. Alcoholism or drug addiction can cause brain and central nervous system damage, so a great deal of healing must take place before a state of normalcy returns.
During the PAW phase, the abstinent persons feel as though they are crazy. They experience concentration or memory problems and they are extremely sensitive to stress. This condition may last a short time or it can last up to two years after sobriety. Although it can be alarming, it is a natural process of recovery. The symptoms will pass.
Phase two of recovery is called Early Recovery. After treatment and stabilization, working the First through Seventh Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are extremely important. Experts say it takes two years to get to the end of the Early Recovery Stage.
The Middle Recovery Phase includes the third to sixth year of sobriety. During this time period, the recovering person slowly works back into the mainstream of society. Maintaining a balanced lifestyle with help of continuing participation in AA means a return to healthy living.
Continuous sobriety is the hallmark of the Late Recovery Phase. It may teak seven or eight years to reach this stage, with vigilant attention paid to working the recovery program. Maintenance of lifetime sobriety is the goal.
If relapse occurs at any time following sobriety, it is not the end of the world. Disappointing, yes, but not terminal. Most Treatment Centers spend time educating their clientele about relapse, preparing them to recognize the signs of relapse before they actually happen.
Staying out of high-risk situations, called avoidance, goes a long way in preventing trouble. In other words, staying out of Bars would be advisable for someone attempting to stay sober. Making plans, or rehearsal, is also a tactic in avoiding relapse. "How am I going to get out of this situation if it should come up?" - and then taking the appropriate action to escape if it happens.
There are many strategies that one can use to prevent relapse and they all require a desire to succeed. Sobriety is sometimes hard-earned and to compromise success for any reason is to invite relapse.
Recovery from chemical dependency is a real resurrection experience. The suffering of those affected by alcoholism or drug addiction is not measurable, so great is its pain. The isolation, the loneliness, the longing for healing among alcoholics, addicts and their families speak of a brokenness so acute that only God knows its depths.
The Third Step of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is where spiritual recovery begins. When we make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him, our personal struggle becomes lighter. Luke 23/46 says it so well: "Father, I put my life in your hands."