Relapse Prevention in Newport News, VA

If you do not believe that you will ever weaken and return to drug use, you should know that it can still happen. Just as a return of cancer or heart disease may happen even if no patient ever wants it, addiction can return even if you fully desire sobriety. It can happen if you do not accept treatment. There's a way to avoid this fate, however: once you complete detox, you look for relapse prevention in Newport News.

Why Does Relapse Occur?

In every condition where relapses tend to occur -- heart disease, cancer and so on -- there is a complex, mostly unpredictable process that churns in the background. The fact that relapses in addiction are mental in nature does not change the fact that there is not much direct control to exercise.

Yet, it's possible to take effective steps at drug relapse prevention in Newport News. One of the first things to do is to try to understand how addiction works, and why such behavior tends to keep coming back. Nothing helps as much as a good, scientific grounding in the nature of your condition.

Addiction is primarily a psychological syndrome -- a mental disorder. Unlike other commonly known disorders, however, this one isn't natural. When you take drugs or alcohol, they act not just on parts of your brain to do with pleasure, but also those to do with habit learning. When powerfully stimulated by these chemicals, the brain learns irreversible attachment to them.

The attachment stays for life. Whether you've been sober a month after detox, a year or ten years, the deep connection to drugs stays. When the connection is revived for any reason, you begin to feel positive about drugs again. It doesn't matter how well you understand that drugs are bad for you; the logic can simply disappear in the face of emotional longing or craving.

What Can You Do About Relapse?

It can take a great deal of focused study of the addiction phenomenon to truly internalize how once those cravings start, there is little control left. It happens with many mental disorders, as well -- once the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression or any other condition begin, you simply find yourself carried on the current. There's no reasoning that can make you change your mind. Once a relapse begins in earnest, you may need to go back to rehab. The best way to deal with the relapse, instead, is to prevent it.

How Is Relapse Prevention Performed?

Programs for relapse prevention consist of therapeutic counseling aimed at helping you understand the different ways in which relapses occur. They help you make sure that you never allow the right conditions to come together.

You learn to avoid triggers: A relapse trigger is an environmental stimulation -- it is something that you experience that serves as a powerful psychological reminder of the time when you used drugs. Most people tend to use drugs when they are stressed or unhappy; for this reason, a great many relapses after medical detox in Newport News occur for reasons of stress. In therapy, recovering addicts learn how they need to avoid stress at all costs. They receive in-depth training for help reshaping their lives towards this end.

You learn to recognize an oncoming relapse: Relapses, thankfully, do not simply come without warning. When the mind's internal cravings for drugs begin to take shape, you usually receive signs for days. You begin to find yourself dreaming wistfully about the good old times when you had drugs; you notice that you are irritable or otherwise emotionally unstable; you find yourself dreaming about going back to drugs. When any of these things begin to happen, you need to go seek therapeutic intervention.

You receive therapy for better psychological health: The healthier the mental life you have, the better the chances are that you will never need to turn to drugs again. In relapse prevention treatments, recovering addicts undergo deep and comprehensive treatment to address every area of doubtful mental health. Whether they have a problem controlling their temper, difficulty with people or anything else, they receive cognitive-behavioral therapy to help overcome it.

Finding Therapy that can Actually Help

In theory, therapy can be wonderful for relapse prevention. The promise of relapse prevention therapy only actually comes through in certain well-run programs, however. If you're looking for relapse prevention in Newport News, what you need to look for in treatment is a therapist who is truly qualified and who truly cares. Auditing different therapists for the quality of care provided is an important step to take. When you find a great therapist, you greatly help your chances of keeping your addiction away forever. Call Newport News Drug Rehab Centers now for help (877) 804-1531.