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Relapse Prevention Plan

Name

Institutional Affiliation
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The Importance of Relapse Prevention Plan

Relapse is when one returns to substance abuse after a period of sobriety. The relapse

happens typically in three different stages. They are as follows:

1. Emotional stage: this is when trying to keep emotions, not attending recovery

meetings, avoiding friends and family members, and slacking on self-care.

2. Mental stage: when they have the imagination of fantasizing about abusing

substances, they sometimes have cravings to use drugs, glorifying old memories of

drug use and plan in a relapse.

3. Physical stage: this is the actual use of the drug either once or repeatedly after

treatment.

Due to these reasons, there is a need to develop a relapse prevention plan that will be

effective in helping them to avoid going back to substance abuse. In this case, the treatment

will require a relapse plan to help Angel to come out of the replacement. The strategies that

can be used as evidence for relapse plans are as follows:

The Mindfulness Meditation Strategies

This strategy is helpful to patients of relapse in that it is a concept that will teach the

patients to become more responsible and self-aware of their actions that act as triggers to

relapse. The strategy will help Angel be more aware of himself and be able to cope with the

potential motivations of relapse. A study by NCBI found outcomes that suggest significant

improvement in individuals in recovery who follow a mindfulness meditation relapse

prevention program versus those who do not use mindfulness meditation (Cope & Lamont,

2016). This mindfulness mediation will be effective for the treatment team since individuals

who use this relapse plan are reported to remain clean and sober for longer. The strategy

reduces cravings and increases awareness and acceptance. This will be very important for
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Angel since it will amble him to accept his problems and bring to reality the need for self-

care. The mindfulness mediation will also help Angel get rid of the anxiety and the

depression that makes him go back to drinking. Mindfulness mediation is relevant to the case

study since it will focus on paying attention to the patient, bringing awareness and focus on

what the patient is doing wrong that leads to the relapse. This strategy is also relevant to the

case since it will get insights and empowerment that will motivate Angel to reunite with the

family to help his coup with the emotional relapse.

Grounding Techniques Strategy

A relapse prevention plan should have a grounding technique known as the 5-4-3-2-1

coping technique. Grounding techniques focus on the stress and anxiety during the recovery

process of relapse (Choi, 2013). The grounding technique works by reminding someone of

the five senses they can concentrate on during relapse so that they can avoid the thoughts of

another drug, anxiety, negative self-talk, and other unhealthy thoughts or any negative

feelings that may make one feel like quitting.

The technique work by taking a deep breath and then following stapes following;

5: acknowledgment of five things you see around you

4: Acknowledgement of four things you can touch around you

3: Acknowledgment of three things you can hear around you

2: Acknowledgement of two things you can smell around you

1: Acknowledgement of one thing you can get teste around you

By ending this exercise, focusing on the sensor will enable you to gain self-awareness

and increase mindfulness. Mindfulness will help you uncover your daily tasks and overcome
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unhealthy thoughts or feelings. This will, in return, help one get more control and less

overwhelmed, which reduces the risks of the relapse

The grounding technique is relevant to the case of Angel since he is experiencing

stress and anxiety, which puts him at significant risk of relapse. The method will focus on

helping Angel change his negative thoughts and feeling about the surrounding environment

and makes him see the need for existence. The technique will also strengthen self-awareness.

Making an Emergency List Contact

A beneficial relapse prevention skill is making a list of healthy family members or

friends who are also in recovery that you can call for support. This is a list of friends and

supports family members who you can conduct in case you are tempted to use drugs again.

When one has a safe person to talk to, it can help them eliminate the craving that may lead

them to drinking habits again. The emergency list can also include the therapist or the support

group members under the same addiction.

This is relevant to the case study because it can help the Angel eliminate the

temptation of relapse. It will make him also close to the family since it will make him involve

the family in finding a solution to the problems he is currently facing.

Conclusion

Recovery from alcohol or other drugs is a process of personal growth with

developmental milestones. A relapse prevention plan must be practical and help the patient

eliminate the relapse. The relapse plan must therefore be focused on identifying the triggers

of the relapse during the treatment and trying to find a way in which one can avoid the risk of

relapse. Hence making a relapse prevention plan highly important for the treatment team to

know and understand.

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Reference

Cope, J. F., & Lamont, T. (2016). Orthodontic retention – three methods trialed. Evidence-

Based Dentistry, 17(1), 29–30. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ebd.6401157

‌Choi, S. (2013). A study on relapse prevention strategies of alcoholics in Korean society.

Journal of Korean Studies Institute, 48, 307-348.