Alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike drink for the same reason: To relieve stress. But once you stop drinking we can't use that ‘behavior’ – drinking – for that temporary relief.

Once we've found a way to stop engaging in addictive behaviors for a few days or weeks, what do you do next? How do you avoid returning to addictive behavior? 

Relapse prevention planning is all about managing lapse. It’s a team effort. If you do everything we talk about, you won't drink again. I put in the work, you're coachable and put in the work. My goal is to help each person understand his or her addiction cycle and implement a plan of action to either avoid returning to use or effectively managing lapses if they happen.

Lapse? Relapse?

A relapse is a return to unhealthy addictive behaviors and the addiction cycle after a lapse (drinking episode) occurs. A lapse may or may not result in a relapse. It typically develops in stages: emotional, mental, and finally, physical lapse. Emotional relapse can begin days to weeks before actual lapse or recurrence of a behavioral addiction. And THAT is the easiest place to stop a lapse.

This is where Chicago Recovery Coach comes into play. Recovery begins when a person struggling with an SUD or behavioral addiction stops the cycle of addiction. Leaving detox, going to residential or outpatient treatment, or stopping addictive behaviors for a short time is not enough to avoid returning to the cycle. Stopping drinking is merely the first step. What comes next is developing a strategy that analyzes the underlying reasons for drinking (alcohol isn't the problem, it's a symptom). Together we ID the triggers for addiction behavior, establish healthy life and emotional coping skills, and identify a support system to help avoid lapse from occurring. 

Lapse or even relapse does not define your recovery. Being coachable and having willingness to learn and adapt does. When you are coachable, you’re equipping yourself with the tools, support, and mindset needed to sustain your sobriety.

Crisis

Expertly manage crises and navigate high-risk situations.

Consultation

Create and maintain healthy lifestyle routines and practices.

Navigation

Identify needs and connect resources, including vocational, interpersonal, and executive function skill building.

Empathy

Be heard the only way that makes sense: By someone who's been in all these chairs... and many more.