Starting Recovery with Relapse Prevention

Many people mistakenly believe that relapse is an inevitable part of recovery, but they're wrong! Relapse can be prevented by adding some special skills to the recovery toolkit. Though relapse prevention methods have become widely accepted and are effective, two mistaken beliefs persist. The first is that relapse prevention needs to come at the end of initial treatment. The second is that relapse prevention should be reserved only for people who have attempted recovery and returned to addictive use. This workbook challenges those mistaken beliefs. The goal of this workbook is to help you to stay away from alcohol or other drugs during the early stages of recovery. It will show how primarily recovery skills and relapse prevention skills can be seamlessly brought together. There is no magic way to avoid relapse, people just need to do the right things at the right time. This workbook shows a daily planning process and a set of skills that can provide support through the critical first days of recovery. By Terence T, Gorski with Lisa M. Hilko Update and Revised, 2024