What is Relapse?
Relapse is a return to substance use following a period of abstinence. But the visible act is the final stage of a psychological process that began long before.
“Picking up alcohol or drugs is the last phase of the relapse. Before that, they are already in a psychological relapse.”
Philippe Jacquet
RELAPSE, the seven warning signs
R, Resentment. The silent accumulation of grievance that corrodes from within.
E (Euphoric Recall. The memory lies) the brain replays the pleasure and edits out the consequences.
L, Loneliness. Disconnection from the tribe. The state in which the substance becomes the only available comfort.
A, Anger. Unprocessed, unspoken anger with nowhere to go.
P, Procrastination. The avoidance of what needs to be faced. Each thing not done increases the weight of what is unresolved.
S, Self-Pity. The collapse into victimhood. The state that makes using feel earned.
E (Egocentricity. The world contracted entirely to the self) its needs, its pain, its grievances.
Book a consultation with Philippe Jacquet, psychotherapist and Jungian analyst, London.