You woke up in a slump. And haven’t had a drink in practically a year. Now you are in the hospital, and you feel like you’re going into withdrawal, or at risk of relapsing.

A recent car accident led you to the hospital to have surgery. But the sensation of depression you felt from the drugs that they gave you… was like coming off alcohol. Did you just relapse?

What’s the Meaning of Relapse?

There’s a lot of debate in the recovery community about what embodies a relapse, but using drugs as suggested for medical treatments is certainly never a relapse.

Prior to your surgery, you spent time speaking with a specialist about your background of alcohol use. You collectively determined, to leave out the narcotics that most individuals take and would try to deal with the post-surgical pain with over the counter medicines. But that’s just one of many situations you may find yourself in. Some individuals may not be so fortunate.

You were very lucky that you didn’t have much pain. But for those who do have pain, it’s important to speak honestly with your doctor and make a strategy. It’s very improbable you’ll get addicted to pain pills if you’re only taking them for a brief time. Nevertheless, too much pain can postpone your recuperation experience.

The same is accurate of unintentional consumption of alcohol. A lot of men and women worry that if you have a dessert that’s been cooked with tequila, you’ll lose your sober time. But an unintentional lapse isn’t a relapse.

Learning from Your Blunders

At AION Recovery, we like to look at lapses of any kind as a learning opportunity. What matters is that every day you’re accomplishing something to expand your genuine character, the one that addiction eliminates from us. If you in some way find you’ve gotten a drug into your body, just make sure that you don’t have more. Don’t use a lapse of any kind as a reason to go on a spree.

In our opinion, it’s merely a myth that one drink will launch you down the road to institutions, jails, and fatality. However, if you totally believe it will, then it could. If you’ve selected abstinent recovery, the best next step is to go back to all the things you’ve discovered in early recovery and pay further attention to your self-maintenance. Meditate. Pray, if that works for you. Cry, because that works for anything.

Create a New Path

No matter what you do, don’t hammer yourself down. Building up your confidence, not tearing it down, is what leads to long-term, effective recovery.

And of course, if you or a loved one is affected by drugs or alcohol, please contact the AION Recovery, toll-free, at 888-811-2879. You are not alone in this battle. Help is one phone call away.