ando68

I'm sure this question has been asked many times before but I'm curious to see if there are common themes that run between people who turn back towards their drug of choice. I know for myself it was an inability to manage difficult emotions a lot of the time which contributed in me picking up again. My social environment also played a part sometimes,, if I started hanging out with old buddies again who were seasoned drinkers & drug takers.
Sometimes it was relationship difficulties which played a part. Overall though I think the management of emotions is crucial for me along with lifestyle choice. Today I find mindfulness helps with emotional difficulties, like everything though it takes practice.
So,, what things or situations best describe your reason for relapse?

queenofheartz09

A little voice in my head try's to tell me it's fun and id feel good and I used to believe it but it was only fun for the first drink then it's downhill from there. I hope one day that voice goes away!!!

CAPTAINZING2000

I concur with you on emotions. We drank for every emotion.

jagmah15

I say all sorts of things to myself to convince myself that drinking will be fun & that I will stop at 2-3. It RARELY ever turns out that way. I would say that it's actually "fun" and I actually do stop at 2-3 maybe 1 out of 10 times. And, the other 9 times, I just end up feeling like crap. Not only does my time NOT turn out fun, often, I end up in an argument with my significant other or I end up making a fool of myself in front of others. EMBARRASSING. What I need to start doing instead is convincing myself NOT to drink and reminding myself of what usually happens when I do drink!

ScottFromWI

I drank because I liked how it made me feel, but towards the end of my drinking the fun/good feeling was pretty much gone and I drank mainly so I didn't have withdrawals. I really don't like the term "relapse" - either you drink or you don't drink.

PurpleKnight

I'm gonna expand and raise why then go on to act on the thoughts of drinking again.

Not enough support seems to be a recurring reason, people can relapse every week, go out buy alcohol come home and drink it, this flags up a gap in support, whether it's meetings? sponsor? SR? etc etc

No one or thing forces anyone to drink, we must act on the impulse, but that's were our support network and plan needs to be solid, if it's lacking we go ahead and take that 1st drink.

If we don't change something about our lifestyle, nothing will change!! . . . simply not drinking and hanging on for dear life that we won't drink is gonna end in disaster as when those emotions and thoughts crop up, and they will, as life will always have ups and downs, the liquor store will always look pretty attractive!!

aasharon90

There have been spiritual or emotional
relapses Iv experienced over the yrs.
As far as my addiction to alcohol, I
haven't had any for the past 23 yrs.
which is a many one days at a time
added together with the help of a
recovery program that was taught
to me and learned to incorporate in
my everyday life.

The 12 steps and principles set down
for us using an AA program as a guideline
to follow with every step we take has
given me a reprieve from drinking or
killing myself each day Ive remained
sober.

Today there are many healthier solutions
to everyday life other than turning to poison
to try and solve those problems.

July1

I want to fall off right now; I want to escape from my feelings. My wife, who has a boyfriend and is divorcing me, just came home from an after-work drink. (on German time). Hearing her voice makes me want to drink hard and fast right now.

I'm white knuckling it on the sofa; closed the door. I want to drink to make the pain stop.

So I know exactly how it happens. I'm just trying to make sure it doesn't happen right now.

It helps to write these words.

desypete

i can only give a view on alcoholics here but for alcoholics
replapse comes in many shapes or sizes
there is the new comer who gives up for a week or 2 and then goes back to it

i think its just they can not really see life without it so are just no yet convinced as the pain in there life isnt hard enough yet and sadly many just dont get it at all and die

then there are those who have been sober for many years and relapse
they find they have stopped doing what it was that had kept them sober
so the old way of thinking returns and back they go

normaly it means they cut down on aa meetings or stop altogether as there life is back on track so there convinced aa has done all that it can for them, and its time to move on and enjoy there new life

but after years without a meeting and being reminded of where they have come from it will take its toll or thats what i believe based on the storys i hear when people come back

Serotonin

I believe I have relapsed because I have never learned to live sober, to enjoy things sober, to deal with stress sober and a because I liked the way drinking and getting high made me feel during the first few hours of using.

I know if I want to do what it really important in life and to be more functional and productive I need to stay sober. Drinking and getting high isn't good for my mental or physical health.

trachemys

Y'know, I just spent 14 months figuring that out and developing a new plan.

FeenixxRising

When I finally peeled away all my "reasons" or "justifications" for drinking, I finally understood I always drank again for one reason. It was because I liked the way it made me feel, I liked the buzz and I liked the feeling of euphoria. When I relapsed, there were no "strange mental blank spots"; although, at the time I thought that was the case. But when I really took the time to think about my actions, I realized I simply said, screw it, I'm going to drink", and then made the very conscience but irrational decision to do just that.

Alcohol worked for me until it didn't. In the end those few hours of liquid induced bliss came with a heavy price in emotional, financial and physical consequences.

ando68

Hang in there July,
Glad it's helping you to write,, what else helps you to stay sober?

July1

Thanks. Right now while it's white hot, the only thing is just knowing it gets worse later if I make it stop now.

FreeOwl

I think the reasons people relapse are as varied and innumerable as the people themselves....

But I also think it all comes down to one basic thing; we relapse because we have not reached a point of full willingness and commitment to a program of recovery that works for us, at the core of which is total acceptance of sobriety.

ando68

It seems the recovery method we choose will influence what we believe contributes to a relapse.

LadyinBC

When I first started on this I relapsed over and over again because I didn't know how to cope without drinking and I didn't change anything. And I will admit that at the time even though I was "trying" to quit, I didn't really want to. That definitely played a big part in it for me.

All in all this is a big learning process and I had to learn how to cope with my emotions without the booze. And I had to make a lot of lifestyle changes.

anattaboy

I drank because I liked the buzz--then it became problematic to be buzzed all the time--then, after a time of abstinence the thought occurred that being buzzed would be fun--it was not fun. Experiment over.

LBrain

DING-DING-DING! We have a winner.

Exactly. We relapse because we have chosen to drink instead of choosing not to drink. That's it. All of the excuses in the world do not diminish from that fact that you picked up a drink.

hokey

Complacency and a (conveniently) short memory. I could blame it on a myriad of triggers but the bottom line was that I chose to not remember the state that I was in when I quit.