As explained by Miller (2013), a relapse is a state of uncontrolled behavior by an individual who has slide back to his or her former state. It occurs when a person who was previously addicted to a behavior or a substance resumes to an addiction after a period of abstinence.
Coping strategies are adopted during a coping skills training that focus on high risky cases that are identified in the victims assessment, and can increase the probability of a relapse (Miller, 2013). Thus coping strategies help to deal with problems that arise in the first stages of a habit or a behavior change. These stages help an individual to cope with the urges or craving for drugs or alcohol. This means that coping strategies help an individual deal with problem which in turn prevents a relapse.
One of the strategies that a therapist can use to prevent a relapse is by showing a client how to solve problems when they arise. Therapists are advised to engage their clients in identifying styles for solving different problems when they arise. They can develop alternative solutions and evaluate the pro and cons of a solution, and helping them to select the best available option. This helps a client to change his or her orientation to problem solving (Miller, 2013). Stress management is another strategy used to reduce probability of a relapse in a client. Relaxation training, one of the procedures used by therapists in stress management, is highly effective on high risk cases. It provides a client with a total increased opinion of control therefore reducing stress that any situation may pose to an individual. Procedures such as meditation, exercise, and muscle relaxation training are extremely useful to a client to cope with the life’s demand (Miller, 2013).
Miller (2013) describes a support system as another element used to prevent a relapse in an individual. The system may include friends, family, church, self-help groups or healthcare professionals. An individual’s responsibility to these people is to ensure that a relapse does not occur by ensuring that such people are involved in recreational activities, comforting, and undergoing counseling session.
Reference
Miller, P. M. (2013). Principles of addiction: Comprehensive addictive behaviors and disorders. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.