What to Do When a Seattle Rehab Friend Relapses

When a friend has a relapse, it is one of the worst feelings in the world.

While you know intellectually that the path to recovery has twists and turns that divert people and bring them back, watching someone you care about take a fork in the road that leads to falling off the wagon is hard. You sympathize and empathize during this process, many times because you have been through it yourself.

Knowing how to handle a relapse without following your friend back down the addiction path is going to take some effort. This article discusses healthy ways to handle a friend’s relapse without getting sucked back into a life of addiction yourself.

Seattle Rehab and Staying Sober

When someone you love lapses back into drug or alcohol addiction it leaves you angry, frustrated, and very sad. If you have been closely supporting the person who relapsed, you could feel as if all the work you saw him or her do just went right down the drain.

Many people feel during this time that they would do practically anything to get their loved one back into Seattle rehab. Is this the right thing for the addicted person? Everyday Health has some good “do’s and don’ts” for the support teams of addicted people who fall out of Seattle rehab and back into their addiction:

• First, this is not your fault. While you may have feelings of guilt, understand that this is not really your battle. The substance user or alcoholic is ultimately responsible for his or her own recovery. If the person does not “own” his or her addiction, there will be no getting better.
• Second, you must remain resolute. If an addict relapses, you must hold him or her accountable for falling off the wagon in addition to the original behavior that brought the person to Seattle rehab originally. Letting your loved one off the hook will not help him or her.
• Third, you can remain tough but still be supportive. Encourage the person to follow the original treatment plan and go see a Seattle rehab support team. Let the person know that talking to his or her sponsor or counselor is very important.
• Fourth, make sure you are not worrying yourself into getting sick; take care of you. Eating properly and getting enough sleep, and managing this stressful time are crucially important. The process in Seattle rehab can take time, so you must prepare yourself mentally for a marathon. There is no sprinting to the finish line in recovery. In doing this, you set a positive example for the addicted person.
• Fifth, be as supportive as you can during this time. While it may make you so angry you want to just walk away, resist that impulse. The person that relapsed will need you throughout all the steps of recovery. You can still care for the person as best as possible, despite the frustrations that come with every journey toward recovery.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse observes that recovery from drugs, alcohol, or other addictions is a long-term and intensive process, just like the recovery from another medical disorder, cancer. Do not lose hope and do not lose heart.

If you need some guidance regarding dealing with a loved one that has relapsed into the destructive behaviors of addiction, contact us to talk. We are here to listen.