How is the brain affected when a person relapses? Explain.

 

It is important to remember that although relapse is common, it can still be very dangerous (sometimes deadly) since after a period of abstinence your body is no longer used to the same level of alcohol or drugs. Recovery is possible and a relapse should not undermine your hope for the future.

After a relapse, many people experience feelings of shame or regret. Furthermore, you may feel like giving up the fight and giving into your addiction rather than continuing to work hard and overcome the fleeting desire to use. These are normal, but can create challenges to creating a drug-free life.

Relapse after a period of sobriety is an unfortunately common occurrence. Approximately half of all recovering addicts experience a temporary moment of weakness that results in picking up drugs or alcohol again. Knowing some of the red flags can help you avoid this.

Before relapse happens, many biological, psychological and social changes affect our neurochemistry. Addicts speed up their avoidance behaviors, increasing anxiety and anger to mask pain. This depletes endorphins, causing hopelessness and exhaustion. In this state of exhaustion, addicts isolate and feel they cannot cope without chemicals.

Drugs, alcohol and other compulsive behaviors have programmed the limbic system to avoid awareness of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings instead of making healthy responses to resolve fear.

Relapse prevention is finding new appropriate ways to respond to painful situations. In order to learn appropriate responses to pain, addicts have to allow themselves to feel. The two most common responses to pain are anger and anxiety.

Recovering addicts may suffer also from undetected temporal lobe damage. Because the temporal lobe is responsible for organizing sensory input, hearing perception and memory formation, substance abusers may suffer noticeable deficits in these areas. If temporal lobe damage isn't discovered and addressed, a recovering addict may find processing incoming sights, sounds and even tactile information chaotic and disturbing. They may turn to drug use after treatment when they can no longer deal with what they perceive as an inability to cope with recovery.

Step-by-step explanation

Signs that may predict an upcoming relapse include but are not limited to:

• Not making sobriety your top priority. Without a firm commitment to long-term sobriety, you're more likely to relapse. To be successful, you must be willing to put in the hard work required to stay sober. This includes attending 12-step meetings, having a committed sponsor and getting therapy or counseling for possible co-occurring mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
• Not having a support system. A newly sober person needs to have a solid support network right away, as this can make the difference between continued recovery or relapsing back into addiction. Having a support group of others in recovery is vital. Ask your family to keep you accountable, seek spiritual guidance through meditation or religion and join sober group activities.
• Not wanting to quit for yourself. In some cases, the user enters treatment because they are trying to please their family or friends rather than being committed to quitting for their own sake. Unless someone truly wants to quit for themselves, the risk of relapse is much higher.
• Not being prepared for life post-treatment. It's important to create a relapse prevention plan for transitioning back to regular life post-treatment. It is crucial to understand how certain things can sabotage sobriety, such as dysfunctional family dynamics, toxic friendships, social isolation and unhealthy daily routines. Clearly identifying triggers early on can help you protect your newfound sobriety.