How Do I Come Back from a Relapse?

The most important thing: come back! Getting sober is rarely a straight line. It sometimes has some detours along the way.

You may have heard stories about a friend or relative who decided to stop drinking or doing drugs and never touched substances again. Those stories, while true, are the exception, not the rule. What is much more common is that people have multiple attempts at sobriety.

Relapse doesn’t have to be a part of your recovery, and if it is, don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t give up. Failure, in the beginning, is something that many of us - including me - have to go through.

I repeatedly relapsed after I entered recovery in 2016. I even LIED about it and didn’t tell anyone at first. But even though I didn’t tell the truth right away about my relapses, I always stayed connected to my recovery. And because I kept trying (and finally came clean about my struggles), eventually, I succeeded.

Think back to when you were a baby, just learning to walk. What if you had given up the first time you failed? You would never have walked! But no matter how many times you fell, you kept getting up. You kept trying, even though sometimes the fall was painful. You never gave up!

Recovery is the same way. With many things you try in life, it will be very hard at first, and failing may be painful.

Don’t give up. Stay committed to yourself and your life. It will be worth it!