Chronic relapse regarding drug and alcohol addiction is preventable under the right drug rehab and alcohol recovery program. Willpower and participation on the part of the patient also goes a long way towards a successful recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. It is important to determine the patient’s individual circumstances and influences in order to choose the right course of action and decrease the chances of any relapses. Influences outside the walls of the drug rehab treatment facility can often be dealt with by the implementation of regular counseling sessions, check-ins and feedback programs that give the patient a chance to report on his progress and talk about any issues that may be inadvertently leading him back to his old habits.

Drug and alcohol addiction relapse occurs more often than not with an average 50% of patients returning to heavy use and up to 90% going back to light use. Even a minor relapse can be detrimental to the progress of any drug and alcohol addiction treatment program, especially if a detox program has been implemented. If a successful drug and alcohol recovery detox program has been used, all the traces and by-products of the abused substance have been removed, decreasing the chances of relapse situations. If the patient immediately goes back to using again, no matter how small or rare the use, this can undo the detox treatment and even make any additional treatment ineffective.

It is believed that relapse is more common amongst men, due to their inhibitions surrounding counseling and its benefits. It appears that men are also less likely to seek drug and alcohol addiction treatment, either denying they have a problem in the first place, or refusing to admit they have relapsed. An estimated 60% of ex-addicts who attend some type of post-treatment monitoring or aftercare sessions will remain drug and alcohol free, compared to 30% who don’t attend post-treatment care.

Prevention of relapse and chronic relapse for a successful drug rehab program involves a change of lifestyle to eliminate the factors that may trigger memories of old habits and increase the chances of returning to them. This may mean an active move from the patient’s residential area to eliminate social influences and old haunts. This may be for a short time or permanently. Successful drug and alcohol recovery and relapse prevention may also involve additional treatment or counseling sessions for situations involving other disorders such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder or personality disorders such as schizophrenia. Dormant disorders are also taken into account in order to completely remove any factors that may trigger a relapse. When trying to prevent relapse or chronic relapse it is important to take into account the patient’s individual circumstances, family support (or lack of it), medical and behavioral history, responsiveness to drug rehab, patient determination or resistance and the possibility of an aftercare service or counseling session.

There are a variety of things that can contribute to chronic relapse – people, places, memories, emotional and mental disorders, or life events, to name a few.

Specific factors contributing to chronic relapse may include:

* Work stress
* Family tensions
* Peer pressure
* Social anxiety
* Depression
* Essentially, any cause that contributed to the addiction in the first place.

It is important that a recovering addict identify the causes that contributed to the initial addiction. Any guilt, fear, depression must be eradicated through therapy or medication. The therapy and counseling offered in substance abuse treatment can be very beneficial.

However, it could be easy for patients to find themselves falling into a pattern of chronic relapse if they do not continue the therapy and counseling sessions very regularly in the aftercare phase.

These sessions, along with regular attendance at group support meetings, are very healthy discussion outlets for those acclimating to the “real world” after rehab. It also allows the recovering addict to receive advice and encouragement from fellow recovering addicts. Studies have shown that there is a much greater likelihood of falling into chronic relapse without regular attendance at such meetings. Sobriety is a choice, a decision and a daily battle, but smart, practical steps can help recovering addicts avoid the temptations and stresses that contribute to chronic relapse.