I had a planned relapse. It was not a pleasant point in my recovery but it taught me plenty.
Before the planned relapse, my way to deal with cravings was to put them off. I would say to myself "I want to drink/drug now! But if I wait until next week/month/holiday (whatever time I thought was realistic but safe), I'll let myself have that drink/drug." Knowing full well that by the time next month rolled around, my impulse would be gone. I spent 2 years dong this and it worked for me.
Then I planned a relapse. The reasons/excuses for doing so were many but ultimately I had been planning the relapse from the start by letting my inner addict have hope that I would drink/drug again.
The experience changed the way I see my addiction.
Now I know that I will never drink/drug. There is no fooling my urges or impulses. Now I honestly say to myself "No." And that's all there is to it.