What is Relapse?
“Picking up alcohol or drugs is the last phase of the relapse. Before that, they are already in a psychological relapse.” — Philippe Jacquet
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.