Emotional Relapse Defined
Because it is the earliest stage, during emotional relapse you have not yet even started to think about drinking or using. Instead, you are experiencing negative emotions and acting in self-destructive ways that can undermine and jeopardize your continued recovery.
Signs of Emotional Relapse
Some of the “red flag” emotions include:
Anxiety – overwhelming uncertainty or fear about your new, sober life
Intolerance – rigid, uncompromising ideas; refusal to cooperate with others or accept new ideas
Anger – feelings of resentment that flare up whenever something doesn’t go exactly as you would like
Defensiveness – reacting to any criticism with hostility
Mood Swings – having no control over how you feel
Some of the dysfunctional behaviors include:
Social Isolation – avoiding friends and family; purposely spending all of your time alone
Refusing to ask for help – trying to “do it all” without assistance, especially when you KNOW that you need help
Poor Meeting Attendance – finding excuses to not go to 12-Step (AA/NA/Celebrate Recovery) meetings or outpatient counseling sessions
Unhealthy Eating Habits – eating as a response to emotional pain or stress; eating only fast food or junk; alternatively, loss of appetite
Disrupted Sleep Patterns – insomnia, poor quality sleep; alternately, excessive sleeping, usually because of depression
Avoiding Emotional Relapse
There are 3 keys to avoid emotional relapse and other, more progressive stages:
Self-Awareness –This means actively practicing better knowledge of your moods and emotions.
Self-Care –This simply means making it a habit to do those things that are necessary for your physical and emotional well-being.
Eating right
Relaxation techniques
Stress Reduction
Getting enough restful sleep
Ask for help –Addiction is too big a problem to tackle alone. Accepting help from positive and supportive people gives you additional resources and keeps you from feeling isolated.
Pulling back from emotional relapse keeps you away from the next, more dangerous step –, where you actually start about using or drinking again.