MagRich

You can feel so low and look up to the future. But then one last time creeps up and takes you back down again. Thoughts?

ScottFromWI

If we knew the definitive answer, we wouldn't need recovery forms or AA. It's a symptom of Alcoholism to be certain.

Having said that, no one "makes" us relapse. We voluntarily pick up that first drink and the next.... The cure is a program or plan that keeps you from picking up that first one. What is your plan for sobriety?

Soberpotamus

Relapse is common early in recovery. This is due to PAWS and the brain chemistry and neurotransmitters being imbalanced. Also, it's just a matter of establishing new habits. But when the brain chemistry is naturally so out of whack, the pleasure center and emotional regulation areas of the brain and such, it's like the cards seem stacked against us... that's why it's important to get a recovery plan in place that keeps you accountable, and repairs the nutritional deficiencies and helps to get the brain healing...

duane1

Could be anything: Boredom, forgetting where you were when you quit, anxiety, change of routine.......

visch1

If your an alcoholic drinking is very natural as well as thinking/wanting to drink. We did a number on our Brain and other organs with a very toxic substance. We also have to be honest with ourselves and get sober for ourselves. In other words we Must retrain our brains to remember and not repeat our past mistakes. Not many will say it's easy but many do it if we're sick and tired of being sick and tired. BE WELL

DisplacedGRITS

In early recovery it can be anything. The sun rising and setting is all the trigger i need. Every day i am one sip away from a relapse. Our minds are so trained to believe that alcohol is our answer no matter what the question is. It's the instant gratification that makes it so easy for us to" forget" about the consequences. I think we get complacent later in recovery. We stop practicing being sober and we just try to live our "normal" life but soberly. If it was possible to live your old life but sober then why are you an alcoholic? The truth is that we have a problem with going through life sober. Now, the good news is that we can live a sober lifestyle and be happy with that but it takes a lot of work and constant practice. WE HAVE TO CHANGE! Until you change your whole way of thinking and let that flow into how you live, your chances of staying sober are slim. Like a good kitchen knife needs to be constantly honed, we must continue to practice how to live soberly. We must be ever vigilant because alcohol is powerful, cunning and baffling. Our only defence against it is that whole body, thought and spiritual change. I won't get into AA but i'm finding that the steps and the fellowship are helping me tremendously. I'm learning to rely more on my Higher Power and what sober alcoholics tell me to do. Life is a lot less complex but if I start trying to exert my will on my life, i'm screwed. Lisa's way don't work. I've proved that over the years.

Hope this helps someone. Doing sobriety the right way is teaching me a lot. Have a sober day, everyone!

LDT

I was 18+ months into recovery when I "planned" my relapse. No event and no person(s) me do it. It was a conscious choice to see if I could " moderate".

Answer.......Nope!

Nonsensical

There's no answer to your question as worded.

Continued use despite persistent negative consequences and a pronounced desire to stop are the hallmarks of substance addiction. Permanent abstinence on the very first attempt is rare. Part of your brain is addicted and actively working against your desire to stop. That presents enormous challenges.

The addicted part of my brain can and will be defeated. I will beat this. So will you.

Dee74

I kept drinking, or going back to drinking, until I truly accepted that I was an alcoholic.

I mean not just say the words and accept the label, but also accept the responsibility.

I needed to accept my relationship with alcohol was toxic and would never get better....

and I accepted that, because my life revolved around drinking, I needed to change my life quite fundamentally.

I could be the man I wanted to be - or I could drink. Not both.
I had to choose.

D

exponential

Relapses for me have been triggered by cognitive distortions or rationalizations that allowed me to fool myself into thinking it was okay to drink again, or go ahead and have "just one," despite repeated past failures to control drinking, repeated vows not to drink, and knowledge of the likely unpleasant consequences. Some examples:

"I have been sober for many months now without any difficulties, so I have demonstrated that I can handle it."

"I just got through a major stressful time and got a lot accomplished, so even though I should be staying away, in this case I deserve to have one drink."

"I don't seem to need alcohol anymore, so I am curious to know what it would feel like if I tried one drink."

"This is a really fun event I'm at, so it would just be a real shame not to have one drink while I'm here."

"I've been doing great with sobriety, but I just want to take a little vacation from it. I just want to go to 'that place' one more time to get a little insulation from the world. Everyone deserves that once in a while. I will be back on the wagon tomorrow."

"Since I'm not the kind of person who really HAS to drink, why not give it another try?"

"To heck with everyone else, I'm just going to do what I want."

MIRecovery

The same man we'll drink again. It is only when we commit to a real and systemic change do we have chance again relapse. Alcoholism is just a symptom of other problems. Quitting drinking is an excellent start and completely necessary for long-term sobriety but it is only a start.