Cocaine Relapse: Psychology of Cocaine Relapse

Becoming substance free is a great accomplishment, one that you feel proud of yourself for completing. Relapse often happens, and when it does it can be psychologically debilitating. There are numerous trials and tribulations that come with succeeding in staying clean, but if a relapse occurs it is important to realize that you will drive yourself crazy if you allow it to ruin your mental attitude.

There are very few addicts that have not relapsed and with relapse comes the loss of your self respect, loss of trust from others, loss of trust in yourself and tons of doubt that you will ever be sober again. The good news is you can recover from the relapse and its aftereffects.

You have to stop the blame. Blaming yourself or others for the relapse will only delay the ability to recover from it and move on. Take responsibility for the relapse by recognizing what you did and that you may have to start from square one again, but by realizing and recognizing the relapse, you are halfway back to maintaining sobriety.

When you continue to blame yourself for hurting yourself and/or others through the relapse, you will begin to feel as though you are not worthy of sobriety. You are worthy of sobriety and you deserve it. The goal is to convince yourself of it. A relapse does not mean that you have gone back to your old ways, it simply means you gave in to a craving. The mind is a powerful tool when it comes to an addiction and you can either train it to lead you down the right path, or you can give in to the psychological havoc it will play and go back down the wrong path.

When you relapse, it is important to seek the support of healthy, positive influences. If you have negative thoughts regarding the relapse, it will begin to slowly nudge you into believing the worst about yourself. Find a support group, talk to family members or friends that understand the relapse does not mean you have gone back to your old ways, it means you made a mistake. Find positive ways to correct it, acknowledge what happened and begin the road to recovery again.

When relapse occurs it is common for the addict to believe they have once again ruined their life and the live of their loved ones. They will feel as though they have let everyone down. There will be embarrassment, shame and guilt. But, these are only emotional feelings that you can overcome. The important thing is to recognize the relapse for what it was, a relapse, it can be repaired.

Relapse Prevention – www.youtube.com Learn about relapse prevention from a psychiatrist.