It has taken some time but, researchers have come to the conclusion that
drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases and like other
diseases, are chronic and those afflicted are subject to relapse. From a medical
perspective, addiction can be compared to diabetes in that it will require long
term treatment, lifestyle changes, medication at times and if not monitored,
relapse will occur.

Experts with The National Institute of Drug Abuse feel it is not reasonable
to expect a recovering addict or alcoholic to maintain lifelong abstinence with
just one treatment or rehab experience.

Furthermore, Dr. George Koob, a
professor with the Scripps Research Institute agrees. His research has shown
that approximately 80 percent of the addicts and alcoholics who experience detox
return to drug or alcohol use within a year.

Discovering why addicts and alcoholics are so prone to relapse is an area of
great concern to all of us. One aspect we identified is that of craving.
Craving is the incredible desire an addict or alcoholic still
feels for the substance days, months or even years into recovery.

Research has shown us that the cravings that the addict or alcoholic
experience could be directly related to the long term changes in brain function,
due to the drug and alcohol abuse. In essence, the brain has become conditioned
to function under the influence of drugs or alcohol and does not function
efficiently without it.

Secondly, it has been established that cravings can be a conditioned response
to triggers that the recovering addict or alcoholic may encounter, for example
old people, places or things associated with the person’s prior drug or alcohol
use.

Relapse triggers, as they are termed, can create powerful emotional and
sometimes physical responses that can lead up to incredible urges to use drugs
and alcohol again. It is for this reason individuals early in sobriety are urged
to change so many aspects of their life. With all of this said, it is clear that
a person’s relapse is usually preceded by other difficulties which result in the
addict or alcoholic feeling angry, lonely, depressed or in self pity.

The issue with relapse that is infinitely grave is not necessarily the fact
that the addict or alcoholic has used or drank again, but the quantity and
frequency with which they use is almost identical to right before they began
their recovery. Very few, ease their way back into their drug or alcohol use.
They begin as if they never stopped.

An experiment performed by Dr. Koob demonstrated that when alcohol was
removed from alcoholic or addicted rats for three or four days and then
returned, the rats consumed 50 percent more drugs or alcohol as they consumed
before. As common as this behavior is among the people that relapse, it is one
of the most misunderstood.

There is good news and that is if a relapse is caught early, it can prove to
be a very valuable educational tool. The recovering addict or alcoholic might
then practice the principles taught to them in their alcohol and drug rehab
program with more willingness and motivation than ever before.

It appears that for those people that are able to maintain long term recovery
from drug addiction and alcoholism the solution is much greater than just
abstaining from drugs and alcohol. The other part of the equation lies in being
able to identify cravings, wait out the feelings and become aware of what
actually triggered them.

 Through becoming aware of what triggers the craving,
the recovering person can make effective changes in their “life style” which can
result in fewer urges to drink or drug. Finally, there are a number of
well-known >alcohol and drug rehab support groups that provide much needed
support to help addicts (and their families) cope with the long term issues
associated with drug addiction and alcoholism.