No two people battle addiction the same way. Even if they struggle with a dependence on the same substance at the same age, those two people are different, so the way they experience things in life are just as unique as they are. While a large majority of people who have struggled with addiction in the past relapse at some point in their life, not every person who achieves sobriety will have to struggle with recovering after a relapse. Relapse occurs when someone who was addicted to drugs or alcohol returns to substance use after initially retrieving sobriety. This can happen soon after leaving treatment, or even years later, and it often is brought on by periods of high stress or extreme situations.
To be clear: people who relapse are not weak. You are not considered a failure if you relapse, and you are not defined by it. People who do not relapse are not necessarily stronger than those who do. Not everyone relapses because not everyone struggles with cravings and triggers in the same way. Not everyone has the same stressors pop up in their life after treatment that help push and steer them back into old, unhealthy habits. Not everyone has a strong, loving support system of family and friends to help keep them steady when they feel their own hands will falter, and not everyone gets the help they need in treatment the first time.
There’s no right or wrong answer as to why some people relapse while someone else doesn’t. Any number of factors could be at play, and simply put, people and their lives are vastly different, even when it doesn’t appear so. The fact is, relapse is a very real problem. If you’ve struggled with relapsing back to drug or alcohol use, you understand this first hand. If you’ve been fortunate enough to not have fought this battle, be thankful, and reach out to those in recovery that may need support.
If you’re struggling after relapsing back to drug or alcohol addiction, don’t bury your head in the sand out of shame. You’re not a failure for relapsing, and you DO deserve to get the help you need to achieve a truly lasting sobriety. The Springboard Center offers both inpatient and outpatient programs that can help equip you with the tools you need to achieve that sobriety, and maintain it throughout your life. Don’t let addiction control you for another day. Make the call and get help today: 432-620-0255.
