Why It Is So
Important To Avoid Addiction
By Dr.Fourkan Ali
The biggest threat to most recovering addicts is addiction relapse and
prevention forms a big part of recovery for most people. The fact that
addiction cannot be cured should never be underestimated. It is very easy for
those in recovery to become complacent and return to drug or alcohol use
because they are convinced they are better.
Most
addiction specialists will emphasise the need for vigilance during recovery,
irrespective of whether one has been clean for one year or for twenty. The
threat of addiction relapse is always present, and those who want to stay sober
must be alert to the dangers, or they could risk putting their entire recovery
in jeopardy.
Dangers
of Addiction Relapse
When drug
addicts complete a programme of detox and rehabilitation, their tolerance for
the drug they were once addicted to begins to decrease. However, most fail to
realise that this can happen even after a few days of abstinence.
Some
recovering addicts have a relapse pretty quickly and will return to drugs
before completing their detox. Nevertheless, those few days of going without
drugs can change the person’s ability to tolerate the same amount that they
used to take. This means there is a danger of overdosing, which could end up
being fatal.
Other
Risks
An
addiction relapse can also occur many years after a person has completed
rehabilitation. Donna Lambert had been clean for seven years before suffering
an addiction relapse, which eventually led to her death. The mother of four
fell from a window at a homeless centre in York in December 2015.
She
suffered severe injuries and died on Christmas Eve. Results of the toxicology
report showed traces of cannabis and prescription methadone. She had also been
drinking before she fell.
Lambert
was in her partner Peter Egan’s flat on the night she fell, and he said they
had had an argument. He stated that she told him, “I might as well go jump off
the terrace”.
She then
tried to climb the railings, but fellow resident Mark Catlett managed to calm
her down and took her back to Egan’s room. However, later in the evening, she
stood on the bed and, according to Egan and Catlett, stumbled and fell 40 feet
from the window.
Lambert’s
actions are typical of those who are under the influence of mood-altering
substances. Many will take unnecessary risks, and some will threaten to harm
themselves in a bid to get attention. According to Lambert’s mother Diane
Wedgewood, this was something that she often did when not getting her own way
or when she had fallen out with others.
Heroin
Habit
Lambert
was receiving treatment for her heroin addiction and in the weeks before her
death had met with her GP. Following the accident, the GP was quoted as saying,
‘her mood was at that time reasonable for her’. Her GP also stated that Lambert
seemed to be happy with the fact that she was staying at Peasholme homeless
centre.
Mrs
Wedgewood said, “When she wasn’t into drugs, she was lovely. She had seven
years without them. She was a lovely mother but she’d just gone down the wrong
path.”
The
verdict into the cause of her death was ‘misadventure’. Coroner Jonathan Leach
said that her death was ‘an unintended consequence of her actions’.
Avoiding
Addiction Relapse
Some
people are of the opinion that addiction relapse is inevitable, and while
relapse is an important part of recovery for some, others manage to live the
rest of their lives after rehab without ever having a slip-up.
Many
things can trigger a relapse for those in recovery. Some triggers are more
obvious than others. If you are in recovery, it is important to stay away from
places or people that you used to drink or take drugs with, but other things
should be considered too.
For
example, many individuals suffer a relapse if they become disillusioned with
their recovery. If they are bored or lonely, the affected person may begin to
romanticise the times when they were using drugs or drinking alcohol. Many will
forget the reasons they wanted to get clean in the first place. Over time, the
bad memories tend to fade and some people start to remember the pleasures they
initially had while addicted. This may result in them believing it would be a
good idea to drink or take drugs again.
A big part
of addiction recovery revolves around avoiding relapse, and it is very
important for those in recovery to use the techniques they have learned in
order to stay sober going forward. This may mean doing things to distract them
when the urge to use occurs. Or it could mean practising meditation or calling
a sponsor to talk things through.
Avoiding
addiction relapse is essential for those in recovery as many will never find
the motivation to get well a second time.
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