Stress can lead to substance abuse. When the level of stress is high during recovery, a person is likely to experience a relapse. Controlling stress and devising a relapse prevention plan is essential in speeding up the recovery process.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), stress can increase the sensitivity to triggers. It interacts with specific behaviors, such as addiction, to influence relapse. If you want to recover from any form of addiction, ensure that you deal with stress because it can undermine your efforts to live a drug-free life.
What Are the Signs of Relapse?
Remaining sober after detoxification is a dream for everyone who undergoes treatment. However, the pathway to healing may involve relapse. As such, you’ll need to be aware of the warning signs to deal with the triggers correctly. Some of the warning signs of relapse include:
- Emotional upheaval
- Doing a different gateway drug
- Isolation
- Negative self-talk
- Associating with harmful influences
When a loved one is undergoing treatment, and you’re able to identify any of these signs, seek professional intervention. Take action and contact our drug rehab in illinois immediately before the situation worsens.
The Link Between Stress and Relapse
Stress is known to increase relapse risk due to changes in brain activity. Such changes can lead to dependency despite the actual healthier coping behavior that an addict may have learned. The best advice is to learn how to replace the bad habits of coping with stress with healthier ones.
In the case of multiple stressors, you’re likely to experience a relapse. Several studies reveal that a stressed individual may use drugs to self-medicate.
Substance use regulates emotions and soothes psychological distress. Those who experience high emotional stress may find it hard to delay gratification due to a decrease in the brain’s gray matter, which regulates stress.
When you’re stressed, the part of your brain that deals with deliberative cognition shut down, and the brain loses its ability to be reflective and gives in to impulses, including substance abuse.
Overcome Stress With the Right Treatment
It’s never easy to quit drug addiction. However, if you’ve taken the first step to recovery, stress may interfere with the process and cause you to relapse. Stress management techniques during treatment are, therefore, essential for attaining full recovery.
Don’t allow any warning signs of relapse to take a toll on your life. Remember, being free from drugs is your main objective, and relapse may deny you the much-desired joy and peace.
Managing stress requires that you improve your health, get enough rest, acknowledge the fear, and acquire the right tools to handle the situation. The last option is to ask for help from family, friends, and professionals.
Don’t let stress and relapse wreak havoc in your life. Seek treatment from mental health experts. Let our therapist know about your stress and other underlying conditions.
At the Northern Illinois Recovery Center, you’ll get a variety of treatment services, including:
- Family therapy program
- Dual-diagnosis therapy
- Depression treatment program
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Although there are many addiction and relapse treatment programs available, only a few may offer the services you need. Our mental health experts will first evaluate your condition before prescribing a customized treatment plan.
Seeking treatment from the right specialists with adequate experience is one of the most significant steps towards recovery.
Reach Out to Northern Illinois Recovery Center
Getting the best treatment for addiction is essential, but if you experience stress during the process, talk to our experts to avoid relapse. Stress and relapse are closely related hence the need to deal with stress before the situation worsens. Get help from our team of experienced therapists today. Contact us at 855.786.1978 for more information.
