Preventing relapse has to be one of the things that rehab teaches, as once a person steps out into the real world, they may find that the other lessons they learned and forms of treatment they went through are not enough. There is a whole field of psychology dedicated to preventing relapses and this is a process that has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years.
One of the most important parts of teaching relapse prevention has to be that it must be tailored to fit the needs of those individuals who need it. Because everyone has different circumstances and has to go through different healing journeys, their relapse prevention treatment must be different too. A rehab centre will have the tools to take an individual’s unique life circumstances into mind to help them deal with those.
Relapse prevention is a process that occurs well after the addiction and the problems associated with it have been treated. Taking one small substance may lead to total relapse and thus, when an individual leaves rehab to enter the ‘real’ world, they need to have the tools to stop themselves from relapsing, even if they do make a small mistake. People forget easily that relapse prevention is not a singular process. It is a lifelong process that an individual will need to employ on a daily basis to ensure that they do not end up back in rehab.
This is why many rehab centres teach a degree of emotional intelligence, or EQ. This EQ is a tool that helps those with addictions deal with the consequences of their addiction and learn how to become better in the long term. It is also about developing a better attitude and a better life, and not giving in to the temptations around them. While they may be able to stop hanging around those individuals that they used to do drugs with before, there will be times when temptation is staring them in the face. At these times, they need to employ their training and skills to prevent their own relapses.