My Personal Relapse Prevention Plan


Fame, fortune, even political power or notoriety can sometimes be achieved through determination or force of personality, but true success - living well, and enjoying the richness of life - requires a balanced system. Fortunately, this is not difficult. Success is the natural and ordinary result of building a strong foundation and paying attention to the details every day.A quote from The Innovative Professional's (TIP's) Letter! Sunday, May 13, 2001 Written & Published by Philip E. Humbert, PhD

This is but one of the newsletters I subscribe to. As I was thinking about what to write about this week, I read his quote. It describes pretty well what I have been doing to stay sober this past 5 years. I have been “building a strong foundation and paying attention to the details every day.”

The bottom line for me is the fact that I do not take that first drink. Sobriety is my priority. This pamphlet explains abstinence and what it can mean to staying sober.

I have sought the help of medical professionals. I have gained an amazing amount of self-knowledge through counseling. One of the most effective tools I have is identifying triggers that set off reactions that could lead to that first drink. Sights, sounds, or even smells can set off a signal of distress. It can remind me of a person, place or event that triggered a negative thought or feeling that lead to an inappropriate reaction in the far gone past. (As in knee jerk re-action. To repeat something that may have worked before but stopped working in my life.)

I’m in trouble now. I’m not good enough to make this work right. These thoughts set off a chain of feelings that begin with fear and anger and lead to shame, guilt, sadness and despair. These feelings are what they are. I cannot change them at first thought. (I go around and round with folks who tell me we can “choose” the way we feel.) I say we can “choose” to change the way we feel. (Read a detailed review of Stress Management written by an alcoholic.)

Many times just by acknowledging I am overwhelmed I begin to cope better. An incident by itself may not be that bad, but string three of them together and I can get pretty prickly (a nice way of saying bitchy!) very quickly. (For example...I had been stood up by my massage therapist. Usually pretty reliable I figured there was a pretty good reason. Still I was disappointed. Next a woman I am working with in sobriety called me with a question I didn’t feel qualified to answer. Then my husband accused me of getting on his case. Bingo...I am overwhelmed and need to take a time out. All three of these things have been accompanied with the negative thoughts I automatically think.) Once I see this isn't the first thing to go wrong I can handle things better.

The copyright of the article My Personal Relapse Prevention Plan in Substance Abuse Recovery is owned by De Williams. Permission to republish My Personal Relapse Prevention Plan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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