The Abstinence/Relapse Cycle

After understanding that their self-destructive behaviors were part of a survival tactic to attempt to regulate your nervous system.  The next thing to be aware of and understand is the abstinence/relapse cycle.  Early in recovery it is not uncommon for relapses to happen, even repeatedly because each time you achieve safety, the PTSD symptoms tend to worsen because you are losing the support that helped you tolerate the symptoms in the past.  

Once you are safe, sober, or abstinent it is important to anticipate an increase in trauma-related responses.  Relapses often occur as an act of desperation to mitigate the overwhelm of symptoms a person experiences early in recovery.  Using the cycle (image below) many people are able to recognize where they are in the cycle.  When you recognize where you are in the cycle you can start doing work on breaking the cycle.  

What does your life look like when you are in the sobriety, abstinence, or safety stage in this cycle? What does the increase in PTSD symptoms look like? The increase in self-destructive impulses, or pre-relapse behaivors?  What does a behavioral relapse look like for you? And ultimate what does the increased most intense, acting out, unsafe behavior look like?  

Understanding what each stage of the cycle looks like for you individually can help with breaking the cycle, which we will address in the next step.