Be Aware of warning signs is all we can do. I have heard parents say, "My daughter didn't attend as many NA meetings before she relapsed". One thing all parents say after the fact is there were Warning Signs. Take a look at some warning signs & share your experiences to help open the eyes of other parents. Terence T. Gorski is best known for his addiction relapse prevention. Plesase take the time to read his Warning Signs.
I was shocked when my son relapsed. He had 78 days clean. I thought he was doing great. He was in aftercare 3 days a week, going to daily NA meetings, taking Revia.
My son was given an assignment in aftercare to recognize the warning signs before he actually picked up the drug. He realized he had relapsed in his mind 2 weeks before he used. He was using the computer & contacting "user friends". He was not taking his Revia- throwing them away instead. Also, even though he was attending 2 NA meetings a day he was not reaching out to others and asking for help.- didn't have the "WE" of the program.
As crazy as it may sound, my son relapsing was the best thing that happened to him. I remember saying to him the day he relapsed "You know what to do. You need to work your program". He worked it & just celebrated his 1 year anniversary.
Please share your experiences so we can all be aware. Or ask a question about your situation & maybe it will remind someone of when their child relapsed. Parents need to stick together.
Parents are the "WE" of my program.
1 comment:
Gorski has organized this down to the smallest detail. Mostly, I like that way he puts this in check-box style so that addicts can find their own indicators. This would be a great thing to go over with your teenager when he is still very committed to his recovery, perhaps before he is released from inpatient, and have him put checks in places that he sees as big problems areas. Probably he would need to have someone sit with him to complete this as it is a big task.
I also like the idea of phases. Taking the image of the sunken ship being actual relapse, you can picture the degrees of mental relapse ranging from choppy water to pumping out water from several leaks. At the point where the addict can only see relapse or suicide as an option, we are tipped to the side and half the boat is under water.
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