Restabilization - the act of making something less likely to overturn
Why does resumption of use happen?
What do we do?
1. Remove the client from an unstable environment;
We take into consideration the physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and social processes that preceded and triggered the act of resuming use.
We also take a look at possible strategic increases in personal, family, and community recovery capital and immediately begin working on a turn-around plan that does not focus on subtracting anything but rather adding three defining elements of recovery: sobriety, improvement in personal/physical and family health, and positive connection to community.
3. Based on the resumption of use assessment, here are some considerations:
The most important thing to remember at this point is to not panic.
We want to make sure that we don't just get back into the same orbit or pattern.
We must resolve to truly do recovery different this time.
Why did we develop this strategy?
What We Believe
We do not equate health (recovery) with just the absence of dis-ease, but rather the presence of global measures of health and functioning.
Too often in traditional treatment, relapse prevention is a negative framing of recovery—a focus on what behavior is to be eliminated from one’s life rather than what is to be added, e.g., sickness prevention orientation versus health promotion orientation—the equivalent of a baseball hitting coach focusing on “strikeout prevention.”
We have also decided to abandon the term relapse and are replacing it with recurrence, re-activation, re-initiation, partial remission, and resumption of use.
We remind clients of their responsibility in taking care of their disease but we also know that they are not moral people who have failed to exercise full volitional control over their decisions, therefore deserving punishment for their perceived refusal to stop using alcohol and other drugs.
We do not believe that re-activation (relapse) is part of recovery, as we've heard some say. A resumption of alcohol and drug use is an expression of the disorder, not of the recovery process.
The most important thing, at this time, is to not judge or shame but remind the client that they have a health condition that needs to be addressed and that we will be addressing it in a timely and effective manner that will allow them to continue on their road of recovery.
Our inspiration: http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/2010%20Rethinking%20the%20Relapse%20Language.pdf
- We see drug problems as the consequence of a brain disease that erodes volitional control over drug-taking decisions. Alcoholism and addiction is an illness. It's not just a matter of willpower but rather skill power. Bottom line is that it's is an opportunity to teach, not shame.
What do we do?
1. Remove the client from an unstable environment;
- We transport the client somewhere safe and secure, accompanied by a peer support specialist. That location could be a hotel near the center or home if it's near their treatment center, sober living or transitional living program.
- amount of drug use,
- span of time being judged,
- period of abstinence preceding drug use,
- range of drugs used that would constitute a relapse,
- use versus problems resulting from use.
We take into consideration the physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and social processes that preceded and triggered the act of resuming use.
We also take a look at possible strategic increases in personal, family, and community recovery capital and immediately begin working on a turn-around plan that does not focus on subtracting anything but rather adding three defining elements of recovery: sobriety, improvement in personal/physical and family health, and positive connection to community.
3. Based on the resumption of use assessment, here are some considerations:
- traditional medical detox
- neurotransmitter rebalancing program
- no detox, aka the "get right back on the program" program supported by a recovery support specialist 24 hours/day
- return to treatment
The most important thing to remember at this point is to not panic.
We want to make sure that we don't just get back into the same orbit or pattern.
We must resolve to truly do recovery different this time.
Why did we develop this strategy?
- too many times families get stuck on the treatment go round;
- treatment is not the only option;
- over time, going from treatment program to treatment program drains hope and bank accounts;
- too often relapse is treated as a mistake and a person is made to feel bad;
- to help quickly get clients back to their supportive recovery community;
- to love and support clients at a very vulnerable time
What We Believe
We do not equate health (recovery) with just the absence of dis-ease, but rather the presence of global measures of health and functioning.
Too often in traditional treatment, relapse prevention is a negative framing of recovery—a focus on what behavior is to be eliminated from one’s life rather than what is to be added, e.g., sickness prevention orientation versus health promotion orientation—the equivalent of a baseball hitting coach focusing on “strikeout prevention.”
We have also decided to abandon the term relapse and are replacing it with recurrence, re-activation, re-initiation, partial remission, and resumption of use.
We remind clients of their responsibility in taking care of their disease but we also know that they are not moral people who have failed to exercise full volitional control over their decisions, therefore deserving punishment for their perceived refusal to stop using alcohol and other drugs.
We do not believe that re-activation (relapse) is part of recovery, as we've heard some say. A resumption of alcohol and drug use is an expression of the disorder, not of the recovery process.
The most important thing, at this time, is to not judge or shame but remind the client that they have a health condition that needs to be addressed and that we will be addressing it in a timely and effective manner that will allow them to continue on their road of recovery.
Our inspiration: http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/2010%20Rethinking%20the%20Relapse%20Language.pdf
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