The Importance Of Relapse Prevention Planning

Continuum of care for a client refers to the appropriate level of treatment in which they enter and continue to receive to meet their recovery needs. This may include stepping up the treatment system to a more intense approach or down to a less intense treatment approach as needed (NCBI, 2006). An integrative part of the client’s treatment includes relapse prevention planning. Individuals who relapse in recovery do not do so suddenly, it is a process. A relapse prevention plan is designed to assist clients with tools to be successive and maintain continuous sobriety (Gorski, 2003). Relapse prevention consists of nine steps which are involved in recognizing and stopping the signs of impending relapse, incorporation of social contexts that

A relapse prevention plan should begin once an individual has entered treatment and should be reviewed and updated frequently. It is not just for preventing relapse, but a strategy plan on how to function in life without substances using new copping skills and the maintenance in the habit-change process ("Lecture 4," 2015). “The more information that you have about addiction, recovery, and relapse the more tools you have in your possession to maintain your recovery” (Gorski & Miller, 1986, p. 160). Planning for a client’s relapse minimizes its disastrous potential.

The steps of prevention planning include stabilization, assessment, relapse education, warning sign identification, warning sign management, recovery planning, inventory training, and family involvement. During the first step of stabilization the client should be sober and in control of themselves. This is because even though they may be sober they can still experience difficulty with clear thinking, controlling their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In order to begin planning their relapse prevention, they must regain control of these things and their judgement before proceeding (Gorski,

In descriptive models there is the Gorski’s Cenaps Model that pays particular attention to post acute withdrawal symptoms and the Wallace’s Relapse Prevention Model for Cocaine Users that adapts relapse prevention for this population. Drug-Specific Protocols include plans specifically for the treatment of alcoholism, marijuana, and cocaine. Lastly, integrated outpatient models include recovery training and self-help, Washton’s intensive outpatient model, and the Matrix Neurobehavioral Model. Their similarities include the common goal of preventing relapse through education, evaluation, and individualized plans supporting change and maintenance in recovery. Weaknesses include that some of the prevention plans are limited to specific drugs, but this is also a strength as various drugs affect people differently, such as a crack cocaine addict versus an alcoholic. A particular strength is found within Gorski’s Cenaps Model as he specifically covers the post-acute withdrawal symptoms that may occur in abstinence and the process and relapse (Rawson, Obert, McCann, & Marinelli-Casey,