I saw the following quote about relapse on Instagram the other day.  When I first read it I thought, ‘gross!’, and scrolled on.  Throughout the day the quote kept coming back to me though…perhaps because I have 3 dogs that are often doing gross things.  But the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with it.  

“It is the return of a dog to his vomit.”

― Paul Verlaine

Relapse IS kinda like the return of a dog to his vomit.  🐶🤮  But it is more than that, much more.  

In its simplest terms, a relapse is when you start drinking again after a period of abstinence.

I think relapse is one of the scariest words for people in recovery.  But it is also a very normal part of the recovery process…and it does not mean you have failed.   If you have listened to the Recovery Elevator podcast or are part of our Café RE community you have probably heard the term ‘field research’.   Many of us use that term in place of the word ‘relapse’.  Some people, such as Paul Churchill,  feel that the word ‘relapse’ is another word in recovery, similar to the word ‘alcoholic’, that needs to be thrown out.  Paul talks more about that here.  

Alcohol is one of the most commonly ingested substances in the world. The 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found roughly 16 million Americans were heavy alcohol users, and 14.5 million Americans had an alcohol use disorder.  Stress, anxiety and isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have worsened these numbers.  

Over 30% of people who attempt to stop drinking relapse in their first year of sobriety, but that rate does go down over time.  After 5 years that number has dropped to 9.6%.  I left out a lot of the statistics, but the bottom line is more than 70% of people struggling with alcohol abuse will relapse at some point.

That doesn’t mean they won’t get back on that wagon and succeed.  

I’ve heard people say that the relapse starts way before you actually pick the drink back up, the relapse itself does not occur all at once.  I don’t think that anyone plans for, or intends for a relapse to occur.  But they do happen, and they happen in stages.   

“Stressing about a relapse happening only leads to a release happening.”

― D.C. Hyden

THE STAGES OF RELAPSE

Experts say that relapse occurs in three separate stages — emotional, mental and physical.

1. Emotional relapse: The person is not actively drinking or even thinking about drinking, but they are having thought patterns that could possibly be setting them up for a future relapse. This is also where triggers come into play.  A trigger could be going to a location where you used to drink, hanging around people you used to drink with, or participating in an activity that you used to drink during.  
2. Mental relapse: The individual in a mental relapse is waging an internal battle.  One part of them wants to remain sober, and the other part wants to drink. Once you have given yourself mental permission to pick up the drink, even for “just this one time”, it can be very difficult to hold on to your sobriety.  
3. Physical relapse:  The individual starts to actively drink alcohol again, often resulting in, and leading up to, previous patterns of alcohol abuse.

A relapse will have you feeling guilty, ashamed and tempted to throw in the towel.  But don’t!  Use those feelings to get back in the saddle.

That’s what I have done (am currently doing in fact).  Will relapse be a part of your story?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  It is, however, a part of mine.   

I have had a recent relapse…and it’s not my first.  (God willing it will be my last! 🙏🏼).  I have those feelings of guilt, shame, that I’ve failed…myself and everyone else, that I’m not good enough for the people that I surround myself with.  But I’m using those feelings…using them to help me do better, be better.  

I can’t tell you when my relapse started…because again, it started long before I picked up the bottle.  And I also can’t tell you how long it would have continued had I not been called out on my bullshit.  What I can tell you is I stopped using the tools in my recovery toolbox.  I can tell you I never reached out for support or asked for help…and my support circle is LARGE (something I learned after sharing I had relapsed).  I won’t make those mistakes again.  

I can also tell you that it feels really good to be sharing with that support circle now.  🙌🏼

Today I feel good.  

IWNDWYT (I will not drink with you today.)

Until next time, be well.

Kerri Mac 🤟🏼