It’s important to try and avoid relapsing as best as possible after you get sober. However, this isn’t always an easy task. As such, if a relapse does occur, it’s important to know how to manage the relapse comedown. That way, you can recover effectively and prepare to move forward in a better direction…
Relapse Comedown: What To Expect
Comedown process
The relapse comedown process is very similar to that of general drug comedowns. After all, the effects of a drug won’t last forever. Eventually, it’ll begin to wear off as your body tries to return to “normal.” How severe this comedown is will depend on the drug taken, and just how high the dosage was.
For those who have relapsed after getting sober, these comedowns can be pretty rough. Their bodies aren’t used to the drug like they were before, which can lead to them getting quite agitated and disappointed in themselves. As they feel like they have failed, it can even encourage them to continue their drug use.
Crash and fatigue
After the relapse comedown comes the crash. This is when the drug has fully worn off, and now the person in question feels exhausted. Compared to the high, the crash will last a lot longer, especially for someone who relapsed. This is because their body has to try and recover from the effects of the drugs, which’ll take longer since they haven’t been abusing them like they were before.
This fatigue can be quite difficult to manage. Not only will you feel a lack of energy, but you may also feel emotionally drained as well. Furthermore, it can be hard to sleep and get the rest needed to recover fully. This further adds on to the feelings of failure which a relapse can bring about.
Next steps
What’s important to remember during and after a relapse comedown is that you actually haven’t failed here. In fact, most experts believe that relapses are just another part of the recovery process. With how hard it is to get clean, it’s okay if there’s a few hiccups along the way.
Rather, what’s important is how you respond and act afterwards. Take some time to recover, while also getting in touch with your support network. This can be your therapist, counselor, or support group. From there, meet with them, go over what’s happened, and begin planning out a new, better path with the knowledge you’ve gained from this experience.