Follow this step-by-step guide when writing your relapse prevention plan

Step 1 | Goals & Motivation

Identify your goals in recovery and find the motivation in you that calls for positive changes. Like a relapse prevention plan, these goals must be individualized and specific to you. When thinking about your recovery, think about what you want out of it. What you want may be different from what someone else what’s – so it is important to always think personally and deeply about what motivates you.

Consider what changes you are willing to make and what motivates you to make these changes. Things that may motivate you to make changes could be things like keeping your job, maintaining your family and friend relationships, improving your skills in your hobbies, becoming healthier and living a better lifestyle, and improving your self-esteem. These are all great examples of motivational objectives you may want to strive for.

Step 2 | Name Your Challenges

When creating your plan, identify cravings and triggers by identifying them and methods for overcoming them. A trigger is simply something, anything, that will potentially make you feel like you need to use it. Each person has their own specific triggers, so it is important that you identify yours.

An example of a trigger could be a person you might know that you have always used with – avoid this person if you are not confident in yourself to stay on your recovery path. Stress could be another example of a trigger – this is something that may not always be easily avoidable so you need to put together coping strategies to relax yourself if you do become stressed.

Think about what might be the biggest challenges for you in your daily life and consider how you can best manage those things. Utilize relaxing and stress-management techniques to stay on track.

Step 3 | Self-care & Lifestyle 

Find ways to improve your self-care and lifestyle habits. It can be very fulfilling to immerse yourself in healthy living habits like having a routine that involves exercise and healthy cooking. Creating a fitness schedule and paying attention to what and how much you eat can help your health and get your mind in the right place, keeping you focused on a healthy goal. Follow your routine, stay on track with your workouts and find healthy, balanced meals throughout the day.

Getting enough sleep is another aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Everyone needs sleep, and there is a minimum amount of sleep your body needs to function to its full capacity. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, try changing your habits and schedule or research ways to get to sleep faster. Being active during the day and eating a better diet may also help your sleep.

Finding hobbies that occupy your mind and your time are incredible. Something that you enjoy will keep you busy – when you’re doing something you love and you’re fully immersed in it, time goes by faster than you can imagine. Creative or healthy hobbies are great outlets. Things like dance, yoga, rock climbing, and hiking are all great examples of hobbies. Things like this are great because you can always learn more, improve at it, and always spend time enjoying it because these are things that don’t get old if you genuinely enjoy them. Take care of yourself physically and emotionally, and incorporate these practices into your daily life.

Step 4 | Support System & Communication 

Great people around you can be a wonderful benefit during recovery. Surround yourself with like-minded people who support you on your path to recovery, people you can count on in times of need. There are also different types of groups that can help you let out your feelings and find new people to associate yourself with. Peer support and 12-step groups can be really helpful during recovery. The Journal of Addictive Disorders found that those actively participating in a group like this were much more likely to remain abstinent than those who did not.

Having people like this to talk to when you need it is important. Think about the ways in which you can effectively communicate and ask for help when a time comes that you may need it. If you have already thought about it, it will be much easier when the time comes. Keep contact information for mentors, counselors, and friends & family close so it is easy to reach out if the time comes.

Step 5 | Accountability 

You must keep yourself accountable because no one will do it for you. You must devise ways to stay accountable to the plan which you have created.

Methods of staying successful in the plan: a great way to stay accountable – what does this mean?

Give yourself mini goals to reach. These goals will allow you to track your progress and keep you motivated to continue and not give in to a craving. If your progress is fresh in your mind with each of your mini goals, you will be more aware of your progress and feel the need to stay on track in your recovery.

Create a list of things you are thankful for and why you want to be sober. Keep this in your relapse prevention plan to remind yourself why you are doing this and what you are working towards. This will keep you motivated in your journey.