Sunday, October 2, 2011

Understanding Relapse Prevention Techniques


What are  Relapse Prevention Techniques ?

Imagine that you spent 4-6 weeks struggling to quit smoking, and then out of the blue,  you start smoking again. You think "what am I doing, I put in a lot of effort to quit. I need to stop again." And you do, this time for good. That brief return to your old habit is called a "lapse" or a "slip", but not a complete relapse, which is a full return to an old pattern of unhealthy behavior.

Relapse is a return to unhealthy alcohol or drug use after a significant period of abstinence. Relapses may occur over a period of years, because continued recovery requires a series of profound behavioral, social, psychological and physical changes.

Relapse Prevention Therapy (RPT) is a research-based self-control program designed to help maintain positive changes in behavior, and prevent relapse developed  by Dr. Alan Marlatt of the University of Washington in Seattle. His focus is on habit change rather than on the ideas of will power or inherited disease processes. His techniques focus on how to anticipate and cope with the problem of returning to old habits after a period of success.

Why Do You Need It?
Studies by Dr. Marlatt show that there are three (3) high-risk situations associated with almost 75% of relapses. They are:
  1. Strong emotional states, both positive and negative feelings
  2. Interpersonal conflict
  3. Social pressure or social influence to use
Having an effective coping response to deal with these high-risk situation, reduces the risk of a relapse significantly.When a person copes effectively with a high-risk situation, he or she is likely to experience an increase in confidence about coping successfully. An increase in confidence is an excellent predictor of future success.

Urge Surfing
Lets look at one technique called "Urge surfing". Cravings to return to your bad habit are natural. Expect them and plan for them. Most urges are temporary and short-lived.

A good way to deal with a strong urge is to detach yourself from it. Instead of thinking, "I'm dying for a smoke," think, "I am now experiencing an urge to smoke," or, "Oops, here comes the urge. It won't last."

By watching an urge as though you were outside it, you can let it pass. Urges and cravings are like waves in the ocean: they rise, crest, and fall. Wait out the urge; look forward to it passing, and it will. Or distract yourself by doing something different and fun.

Online Resources for Relapse Prevention
Some online sites now offer online relapse prevention classes to help individuals maintain their positive changes and avoid relapse.