What to Do If Your Loved One Relapses

Call Our Admissions Team

Banyan's admissions team is available 24/7 to conduct a clinical assessment and recommend the appropriate level of addiction treatment. A prior treatment history does not disqualify anyone. Many people treated at Banyan have had previous treatment episodes. Call us directly at 855-722-6926 or have your loved one call while you're with them.

A reassessment can help determine whether the current treatment program or approach to substance abuse treatment needs to change based on the person's current needs, substance use disorder, and recovery history.

Assess the Right Level of Care for Addiction Recovery

A relapse after outpatient is typically a clinical signal that a higher level of care is needed. Come to the reassessment with an honest account of what has changed and what the relapse revealed. Be honest with the admissions team about the history — it directly affects the recommendation.

The treatment team can reassess current needs, relapse risk, previous addiction treatment, patterns of substance use, and other risk factors when determining which level of care may be appropriate. This reassessment can help determine whether the current treatment plan still provides enough support for the person's substance use disorder.

For someone with alcohol addiction or another substance use disorder, the appropriate treatment plan may look different after a relapse than it did during an earlier treatment episode.

Contact Insurance: Same Day

Call the member services number on the back of the insurance card. Ask specifically about coverage for inpatient detox and residential treatment. If coverage is denied, ask for a peer-to-peer review and file an appeal. Treatment programs typically have staff who help navigate this process.

Address the Detox Question

If an alcohol relapse or return to opioid use has been significant enough to re-establish physical dependence, medical detox may be necessary before any other level of care. Medical detox may also be appropriate when stopping drugs or alcohol could result in withdrawal symptoms that require medical management.

For someone with alcohol addiction, an alcohol relapse may also raise concerns about withdrawal and whether medical detox is needed. Be honest with the treatment team about how long and how much they have been using since the relapse. The treatment team should also have an accurate picture of renewed drug abuse or alcohol use when making recommendations.

Push for Dual-Diagnosis Assessment

Specifically ask that the new treatment episode include a full psychiatric assessment. Depression, anxiety, trauma, other mental health conditions, and additional risk factors may increase relapse risk when they are not adequately addressed. If those conditions weren't addressed in the previous episode, they need to be in the next one.

A new treatment plan can also strengthen healthy coping mechanisms and coping skills for responding to stress, cravings, negative emotions, and other challenges during recovery. Strengthening these coping strategies can become an important part of both relapse prevention and the broader addiction recovery process.

Plan Aftercare Before Discharge

The most preventable relapses happen in the transition from treatment back to home life without a clear recovery plan in place. Ensure that this treatment episode includes robust discharge planning, sober living options, outpatient follow-up, recovery resources, and support groups before discharge happens.

Before leaving treatment, the treatment team can help establish a relapse prevention plan. Effective relapse prevention focuses on identifying triggers, strengthening coping strategies, maintaining treatment and support, and responding to early warning signs before substance use resumes. A clear recovery plan can also help the person and family know what steps to take if relapse risk increases.

Relapse does not always begin with renewed substance use. Emotional relapse may involve changes in emotional health, self-care, or recovery behaviors. During a mental relapse, thoughts about using drugs or alcohol may become more frequent. Recognizing emotional relapse, the mental relapse stage, and other early warning signs can create an opportunity to use coping strategies, contact the treatment team, and strengthen relapse prevention efforts before a physical relapse occurs.

Depending on the person's preferences, peer support may include Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, or another recovery community. Regular support group meetings can provide continued connection, accountability, and emotional support after formal treatment. Support groups can also give people a place to discuss challenges that arise during addiction recovery and the recovery process.

For someone working through alcohol recovery, continued treatment and peer support may be especially important after to help manage alcohol cravings and lessen the chance of relapse.

Relapse prevention continues after formal treatment ends. No single strategy can guarantee that someone will prevent relapse, but ongoing addiction treatment, healthy coping mechanisms, stress management, support groups, and a strong support system can help reduce relapse risk.

These supports can help prevent future relapses, strengthen addiction recovery, and support long-term recovery. Ongoing treatment and recovery resources can also help the person work toward long-term sobriety as the recovery journey continues.