One of the hardest parts about drug addiction recovery is that the chance for relapse never really goes away. While your body can physically recover through detox and other treatment methods, the psychological aspects of addiction and your cravings can last for the rest of your life. The reality is that the majority of drug addicts relapse at some point.

It takes a lot of patience, emotional resilience, and loving relationships to stay on the path of recovery. Everyone wanting to stay free from drugs and avoid relapse need to make the most out of all the help they can get; whether from their friends, family, or from drug addiction facilities such as the addiction recovery center opening in San Francisco. The good news is that addicts have plenty of help and resources they can count on to keep them healthy and hopeful as they recover from drug abuse.

The Relationship Between Drug Addiction and Stress

An essential part of drug abuse recovery is understanding the connection between stress and drug addiction. People who undergo stressful and traumatic events during their early life -such as child abuse -are more likely to become drug addicts. Health conditions such as anxiety and depression can also cause a lot of stress that increases the risk of opioid addictions. Stress is one of the most common reasons given by people who abuse prescription drugs as the reason they started their pain pill abuse.

The problem is made even worse as opioid addictions alter the areas of the brain that are used to handle stress. The more opioids you take, the more susceptible to stress you become. The damage can last for years, making it even easier for you to become so stressed out you relapse.

Opioid addicts mark stress as one of the biggest stimulus for their drug cravings. The general stress of life is given as the main reason for relapsing and abusing prescription drugs again. This is why fostering stress coping mechanisms and techniques is an important part of drug abuse recovery.

The Role of Family and Friends in Addiction Recovery

Another primary cause of pain pill addiction relapse is being unable to develop an intimate relationship. Nobody is able to recover from a drug addiction by themselves. They need a support network.
Another essential key to drug abuse recovery is to rebuild close connections between addicts and their friends and family. This will often require the addict to recognise the damage their addiction caused and make amends for it; earning the forgiveness of the people they wronged thanks to their addictions.

The family of the addict will be going through their own recovery process alongside the addict. It can take months, and potentially years, to re-establish the mutual trust and respect between friends and family members. There’s nothing quite as healing as spending time with the people you love -and who love you back.

Support Groups for Addiction Recovery

It’s believed by many experts that group therapy is more effective than individual therapy for prescription drug abuse. A group setting allows everyone involved to support and challenge one another, creating a sense of community between all involved.

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is an international network of local and community-based meetings to help people recovering from drug addiction. As the name implies, the program is based around Alcoholics Anonymous, and includes an abstinence-based 12-step program for overcoming drug addiction. NA has gone on to become a big success, with over 58,000 NA meetings held around the world each week.

Sometimes living with -or even just knowing -a drug addict can cause emotional problems for family members and friends. The people hurt by your addiction could find benefit in attending a support group of their own, sharing their experiences with people in similar situations. The most well-known support group of this kind is Nar-Anon; an offshoot of Narcotics Anonymous.

No matter how you choose to get the drug addiction help you need, what matters is that you stick with it. Build a support network and get people in your life that will love and support you on your journey.

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