High risk situations

Research has shown that immediate factors, such as putting yourself in high-risk situations, lacking coping skills, and “stinking thinking” (thinking you are powerful enough to control your use) can lead to a relapse. Other factors may include lifestyle habits, urges, and cravings.

The truth is that you are especially susceptible to relapse during early recovery. Your stress levels are high as you go through intense emotional and physical changes. You have not had time to develop reliable coping skills for dealing with the emotional roller coaster of life, causing you to be easily overwhelmed. And your brain is still clouded by years of intoxication.

In addition, it’s easy to become complacent. You start to feel good about your abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. You may minimize the severity of your addiction and the effort needed to stay in recovery. Then you gradually forget that addiction is an illness that is hardwired into your brain. You start to believe that just because you know you can’t use, you will be able to make intelligent decisions about your use. Soon, however, you find that it doesn’t take much to push you back to using again. Because you think you have some control, you mistakenly put yourself at risk.

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