Life After Treatment: Building a Relapse Prevention Plan That Works

Completing a treatment program is a real milestone, and it's also the beginning of a longer process. The transition back to daily life, work, family, old routines, sometimes old environments, is where a relapse prevention plan earns its keep.

Start with your specific triggers, not general ones

A generic list of "common triggers" is less useful than a specific map of your own: which people, places, emotional states, and situations have preceded substance use in the past. Treatment should leave you with this list already drafted, the work afterward is keeping it current.

Build a support network with more than one name on it

A single point of contact is a single point of failure. A workable support network usually includes a sponsor or peer support contact, a therapist or aftercare provider, at least one family member, and a recovery community, 12-step, SMART Recovery, or an alumni group.

Write down what happens in the first 24 hours of a high-risk moment

Decision-making gets harder exactly when you need it most. A concrete, written plan, who to call first, where to go, what to remove yourself from, removes the need to think clearly in the moment you're least able to.

• Identify your top three personal triggers and an if-then response for each
• List three people you can call, in order, with their numbers saved
• Know your outpatient or alumni program's re-engagement process in advance
• Review and update the plan at 30, 60, and 90 days out

A relapse doesn't erase the progress that came before it

If a setback happens, the plan's job shifts from prevention to fast re-engagement. Treatment providers and alumni programs exist for exactly this, reach back out sooner rather than later.