It’s a dreadful place.
Relapse.
Maybe you had hoped you’d never go there. Or maybe you stay awake fearing you will. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to stay there for long. You’ll be on your way shortly.
I prefer to use the term “set back” when I get sucked back into the Black Hole — bam! — stuck inside a brain that covets relief, any form of relief, and will do just about anything to get it. Because it’s certainly not the end of recovery. From depression or any addiction. A relapse merely gives you a new starting place.
Since I’ve been struggling with this recently in my own life, I’ve laid out seven strategies to get unstuck … to recover from a relapse.
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I love your smart and self-empathetic strategies. I am definitely going to use them in my work. Thank you for posting them! The article is really helpful!
Thank you for this – After spending a week wallowing in depression and self-pity (two of my favorite pastimes) I got myself out of the apartment today and faced the world.
Thankyou for this post on Facebook.
and no I am not nuts. Thankyou.
I too spend enough time in the dark despair of depression and not enough time in the light enjoying life.
I can wake up and feel all the happiness in me and be ready for a beautiful day and in a split second, BAM!
PTSD can give me a thought or fear etc… and the depression isolates me, saddens me, makes me weep, knocks my self esteem down, changes my thinking, etc…
Coping gets difficult but I do hold on to HOPE and self empower myself and research every moment I can get!!
Mental illness is given to me by no choice of my own and it happens to me whenever it feels like it, along with anxiety and ptsd.
I have suffered from violent child abuse, teen violence, domestic violence and witnessed severe violence.
I know I am definitely not alone and was always afraid to speak out due to the stigma mental illness recieves. I have a clean police record
Please I speak out for no pity, only for self growth and to share my story to help others who may need to hear it.
I am speaking out today in my first online post ever about me PERSONALLY…
I am so thankful to Genesis of Worcester, MA FOR opening the door permanently and truly working in an equal partnership (staff/members) to Build Dreams and Save Lives. I thank each and every one of you that walk in that door!! Forever in my <3
Hi Therese
I love your logical (How to, Strategies, Lists) no-nonsense approach to dealing with complex addiction recovery issues.
We now know that drug addiction is a chronic (lasts longer than 3 months) brain disease (once addicted the brain never returns to it’s pre-addicted state) that is prone to relapse.
Using your 7 strategies above can be helpful.
Thanks Again.