Relapse in Substance Abuse Treatment

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Relapse Prevention in Substance Abuse Treatment In relation to drug abuse, relapse is resuming the use of a chemical substance or drug after a period of abstinence. The term can be said to be a landmark feature of a combination of substance abuse and substance independence. The propensity for dependency, repeated use, and tendencies that take the form of the substance being used, are some of the issues that drug users’ experience. Substances that enhance most severe tendencies in users and pose high pharmacological efficacy, are those that are cleared quickly from the body, in addition to those that bring out the highest tolerance. There can be increased substance tolerance with the increasing dependency in relation to drug in question, and withdrawals and cravings when the user stops. Relapse prevention can be defined as the set of designed coping skills or tools that can be utilized to reduce the chances that the user will resort back to unhealthy behavior or get worse through continued substance use. Knowledge or skills for relapse prevention include; identification of early signs of relapse, identifying and singling out high risk factors for a possible relapse, how to make wise daily choices that won’t lead the client back to drug abuse, and implementing early coping strategies to avoid relapse (Sofuoglu, 2010). Within the strategies described in the coping skills training both behavioral and cognitive techniques are included. Clients are provided with alternatives on how they can effectively use their habit by reframing it as a learning experience that has setbacks and errors that are likely in any learning and growth process, this explains the cognitive technique for training. On the other hand, behavioral techniques are m... ... middle of paper ... ...acotherapy target for stimulant addiction. Addiction, 105(1), 38-48. Hester, R., Lubman, D. I., & Yücel, M. (2010). The role of executive control in human drug addiction. In Behavioral Neuroscience of Drug Addiction (pp. 301-318). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Pelissier, B., & Jones, N. (2005). A review of gender differences among substance abusers. Crime & Delinquency, 51(3), 343-372. McGovern, M. P., Xie, H., Segal, S. R., Siembab, L., & Drake, R. E. (2006). Addiction treatment services and co-occurring disorders: Prevalence estimates, treatment practices, and barriers. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 31(3), 267-275. Grella, C. E., Stein, J. A., Weisner, C., Chi, F., & Moos, R. (2010). Predictors of longitudinal substance use and mental health outcomes for patients in two integrated service delivery systems. Drug and alcohol dependence, 110(1), 92-100.

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