ACTS Consulting Online School

“Relapse is more than just using alcohol or drugs. It is the progressive process of becoming so dysfunctional in recovery that self-medication with alcohol or drugs seems like a reasonable choice.” “The relapse process is a lot like knocking over a line of dominos. The first domino hits the second, which hits the third, and soon a progressive chain reaction has started.” Terence T. Gorski on Relapse

An alcohol or drug relapse is the recurrence of symptoms of the disease after a period of short- or long-term recovery. Like any chronic disease, drug & alcohol addiction are subject to periods of remission and relapse. During the recovery process, individuals may be exposed to certain triggers and other risk factors that increase the risk of returning to active addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. While relapses can happen and are common, they are not inevitable. Following drug relapse, taking action early and employing relapse prevention steps can reduce the likelihood of another relapse and minimize the intensity of a relapse.                                            

Objectives. Participants will

• Review commonly used terms to related to relapse and recovery
• Learn the terms related to addiction and beliefs associated with relapse or recovery
• Two different approaches to coping with stuck points: The Recovery Prone and the Relapse Prone style
• Discuss some counselor competencies about relapse
• Review Gorski’s Developmental Model of Recovery

Course Modality. This is an independent home-study course. Students will take the course according to their own timeline. 

 CE’s awarded: 6 hours. To receive the course completion certificate, each student is required to agree to Student Learning Contract, read all text-based materials, view any media posted, complete and pass course examination, and complete and submit course evaluation.