Important Keys to Avoiding Drug Relapse: 17 Triggers That Are Good to Know

According to drug and alcohol statistics, the percentage of people who will relapse after recovery ranges from 50% to 90%.

People relapse for different reasons and under various circumstances.

For instance, those in recovery ideally need a complete change of scenery to avoid familiarity and temptations common to their particular environments.

Drug recovery programs typically inform their patients on the possibility of relapse and tell them what types of situations to avoid--at least the reputable ones do.


A few scam centers learned to skillfully bilk hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funds through recovery programs that serve no purpose except to be a revolving door for relapsed patients.

That said, heroin, alcohol and crack cocaine have the highest relapse rate, and this is mostly in part to the chemical makeup of each substance and its potency. Therefore, it's systematically unfair to the person in recovery to suggest that "they just want to do drugs anyway."

Studies show that recovering addicts are more prone to relapse when they have no support system. Close friends and family are always pronouncing suspicion over them and never commending them for their efforts to get and stay clean.

As for judging, we have to be recovering addicts who know enough about addiction to make certain judgments against a friend or family member in recovery. Otherwise, our position has to be one of support--and not judge and jury.

Truth be told, millions of us are addicted to prescription drug use and have absolutely no idea that we're hooked. Or we know we're hooked but feel justified because our drugs are obtained through a licensed physician. Unfortunately, prescription drug abuse is an acceptable form of addiction.

Addiction is serious, and no group is more deserving or respect than the other whether it's heroin, Xanax, cigarettes or alcohol. All addiction leads to eventual destruction and that fact groups all recovering addicts into the same category of concern.

This post focuses strictly on how those in recovery can avoid drug relapse by highlighting 17 common triggers that usually start the fall into regression.

17 triggers to be aware of and avoid:

1. Hanging around old drug and alcohol using friends
2. Keeping alcohol, drugs and paraphernalia around the house
3. Not attending meetings or using telephone support
4. Stop taking medications against medical advice
5. Preoccupation with using drugs or drinking; thinking about it too often
6. Fail to follow treatment plan, quit therapy, skip doctors appointments
7. Overconfident, think you no longer need support
8. Living with a spouse or significant other who still uses
9. Being too hard on yourself, feeling like a failure
10. Feeling stressed out, overwhelmed and useless
11. Constant boredom, lack of routine or structure; no job or prospects
12. Beginning to yearn for the old "scene" when things were less complicated
13. Dwelling on old resentments, past hurts, anger and unresolved issues
14. Isolating yourself, refusing to deal with personal problems of daily living
15. Participating in obsessive behavior i.e. gambling, workaholic, acting out
16. Unable to handle shock i.e. loss, grief, trauma, painful emotions, inherit large sum of money
17. Ignoring relapse warning signs and triggers you learned in therapy

Some families are unable to relocate and seek a fresh start to accommodate a spouse or family member in recovery. They have to remain in the same atmosphere, around the same people and activities.

This adds another element of difficulty to the recovery process. However, each case is unique to the individual and how determined they are to succeed.

Sources: Recovery.org and Addictionandrecovery.org
Article Researched and compiled Peggy Hatchet James
Copyright © 2015