Relapse Prevention in Substance Abuse Treatment
In relation to drug abuse, relapse is resuming the use of a chemical substance or drug after a period of abstinence. The term can be said to be a landmark feature of a combination of substance abuse and substance independence. The propensity for dependency, repeated use, and tendencies that take the form of the substance being used, are some of the issues that drug users’ experience. Substances that enhance most severe tendencies in users and pose high pharmacological efficacy, are those that are cleared quickly from the body, in addition to those that bring out the highest tolerance. There can be increased substance tolerance with the increasing dependency in relation to drug in question, and withdrawals and cravings when the user stops.
Relapse prevention can be defined as the set of designed coping skills or tools that can be utilized to reduce the chances that the user will resort back to unhealthy behavior or get worse through continued substance use. Knowledge or skills for relapse prevention include; identification of early signs of relapse, identifying and singling out high risk factors for a possible relapse, how to make wise daily choices that won’t lead the client back to drug abuse, and implementing early coping strategies to avoid relapse (Sofuoglu, 2010).
Within the strategies described in the coping skills training both behavioral and cognitive techniques are included. Clients are provided with alternatives on how they can effectively use their habit by reframing it as a learning experience that has setbacks and errors that are likely in any learning and growth process, this explains the cognitive technique for training. On the other hand, behavioral techniques are m...
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Many of the problems associated with early sobriety do not stem directly from psychoactive substances. Instead they are associated with physical and psychological changes that occur after the substances have left the body. When a person regularly uses psychoactive drugs, the brain undergoes physical changes to cope with the presence of drugs in the body. When the drugs are removed from the body, the brain craves the drugs that it has become accustomed to and as the brain attempts to rebalance itself without the presence of psychoactive drugs the person often experiences feelings of confusion, pain, and discomfort. The symptoms that are experienced immediately after stopping drug use are called acute withdrawal. But often the symptoms do not stop at acute withdrawal. After the body makes initial adjustments to the absence of drugs, the changes that have occurred in the brain still need time to revert back to their original state. During this period, a variety of symptoms known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) begin to occur. In the book Uppers, Downers, All Arounders, published by CNS Productions, authors Darryl Inaba and William Cohen define PAWS as “a group of emotional and physical symptoms that appear after major withdrawal symptoms have abated” (Inaba & Cohen, 2011).
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There are many contributing factors and political issues that address substance abuse. Throughout the years, many researchers have designed many interventions and social policies designed to treat people who have used, abused, and became addicted to substances. Today, there are many new studies that address substance abuse at the individual, group, family, and community or policy levels. Today, there are many services that are effective for decreasing recidivism in youth who have completed a substance abuse program. A substance abuse treatment program or center is the best way to treat individuals who have abused substances.
George F. Koob defines addiction as a compulsion to take a drug without control over the intake and a chronic relapse disorder (1). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association defined "substance dependence" as a syndrome basically equivalent to addiction, and the diagnostic criteria used to describe the symptoms of substance dependence to a large extent define compulsion and loss of control of drug intake (1). Considering drug addiction as a disorder implies that there are some biological factors as well as social factors.
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Greg is an individual who has experienced a traumatic event while being intoxicated while being on the job. Greg was a paramedic and had come to a bad accident where a five-year-old boy was injured. The young boy had several injuries and Greg was responsible for providing him with the proper care. The unfortunate part is that Greg was intoxicated while on the job and he was not thinking clearly while making decisions involving the boys care; as a result, the boy’s death could have been prevented. This event turned Greg’s life upside down, this never would have happened if Greg would not have been intoxicated while being on the job.
This experience helped me to recognize the internal struggle that a substance abuser faces on a continuous basis. In addition, I know that an individual can have a difficult time changing their behavior even when they have a strong desire to change; the smallest thing can cause a person to relapse.
The second part of the relapse prevention model is skills training. Jim will learn to recognize high-risk situations and his responses to these situations (Marlatt & George, 1984). Jim will be able to identify the high-risk environments and situations leading to potential triggers. The last part of the relapse prevention model is cognitive intervention techniques. Jim will use cognitive imagery when he is feeling weak and discouraged (Marlatt & George, 1984).
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Substance abuse complicates almost every aspect of care for the person with a mental disorder. When drugs enter the brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change how the brain performs its jobs; these changes are what lead to compulsive drug use. Drug abuse plays a major role when concerning mental health. It is very difficult for these individuals to engage in treatment. Diagnosis for a treatment is difficult because it takes time to disengage the interacting effects of substance abuse and the mental illness. It may also be difficult for substance abusers to be accommodated at home and it may not be tolerated in the community of residents of rehabilitation programs. The author states, that they end up losing their support systems and suffer frequent relapses and hospitalizations (Agnes B. Hatfield, 1993).
... Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2012): ERIC. Web. The Web. The Web.