168 - How to NOT RELAPSE with Ben and Tom

Today, Ben and I are chatting about gaining enough positive capital into your life for relapse prevention. Many people get sober, and relapsing can be expected. In this episode, we want to teach you tools and action steps to prevent relapse. Build your emotional capital as a buffer against wanting to go back and becoming an addict again.

Becoming Proactive in Your Recovery Process

Being proactive in your recovery process is a big part of staying on track in your sobriety. If you do your work on the front end, it's easier to resist those cravings and stay clean when you do have desires. One way to be proactive is to go to meetings regularly - skipping meetings gives cravings a chance to sneak back into your thoughts. Make sure to consistently be doing the work to keep your sobriety.

Sobriety Before Relapse

Someone sober has made strides and put forth the effort to become sober. A dry person has put down the drugs and alcohol for the time being, but they haven't done the emotional work necessary to fix the addiction's root. It's possible for an individual to go to meetings and be dry because they haven't created the internal rearrangement to become sober. When a person relapses, they have experienced emotional trauma or stress, which has made them crave drugs to feel better again.

Rearranging Yourself Internally

During our addiction, behaviors ingrained in us are negative, selfish actions used to acquire our drug of choice takes a lot of effort to redirect.

You also must build recovery capital by becoming proactive. Gaining capital is a good cushion against relapse because withdrawals happen through negative experiences, and if we overdraw your account, relapse can happen.

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Show Notes:

• [05:26] Relapse prevention is not a black-or-white topic.
• [07:26] A prerequisite for relapse is for a person to be in active recovery.
• [09:21] It's possible to go to meetings and be dry because that person hasn't created the internal rearrangement to become sober.
• [12:50] Start your day ready to add emotional capital to your account.
• [18:21] The importance of keeping challenges in your life to prevent boredom and relapse.
• [24:06] Having more responsibility results in more chances for negative circumstances to occur.
• [32:08] Learning how to be sober and deal with negative emotional feelings on your own is important to preventing relapse.
• [41:05] Enjoy activities for the activity, not for the past memory of what you did previously.

Episode Links and Resources

• Real Recovery Live Chat
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• Rock Recovery Center
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• Ideas for a show? Email us tom@realrecoverytalk.com and ben@realrecoverytalk.com
• Podcast editing and show notes by Pro Podcast Solutions