Relapse as Part of Recovery: Learning, Growing, and Moving Forward

September is National Recovery Month, a time to celebrate the strength, courage, and resilience of people in recovery from substance use addiction. It’s also an important time to talk about an often-misunderstood part of the process: relapse.

While relapse is never the goal, for many people, it has been a step along the road toward lasting recovery from addiction. Acknowledging this reality doesn’t mean making excuses—it means understanding recovery as a journey that requires honesty, accountability, and skill-building.

Lapse vs. relapse

One important distinction is between a lapse and a relapse. A lapse is a brief return to substance use, often just once, whereas a relapse is a longer return to old patterns of using. Recognizing a lapse early and seeking help can prevent it from progressing into a relapse. That’s why honesty with yourself, your support network, and your healthcare team is so essential.

Skills for recovery from addiction

Every relapse carries lessons, and those lessons can sharpen addiction recovery skills. Some of the most effective skills include:

• Coping with cravings through mindfulness, distraction, or reaching out to a peer.
• Stress management with healthy outlets like exercise, journaling, or meditation.
• Building structure in daily life with routines that support sobriety.
• Assertive communication to set boundaries and ask for help when needed.
• Emotional awareness to identify and manage triggers before they escalate.
• Being mindful of “People, Places, and Things”—noticing which environments, relationships, or routines increase risk, and making intentional choices to seek out supportive ones instead.

These tools become more powerful the more they are practiced.

Recovery capital

Along with skills, people in recovery also build recovery capital—the resources that make sobriety sustainable. Recovery capital includes supportive relationships, stable housing, meaningful work or school involvement, access to healthcare, and a sense of purpose. The
more recovery capital a person has, the more resilient they become in the face of stress or temptation.

Relapse starts before picking up

Relapse rarely begins with the first drink, pill, or hit. Often, it starts with subtle changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Cravings may return, or old patterns like isolation, irritability, or skipping support meetings may creep back in. These are red flags worth paying attention to. Warning signs can include:

• Romanticizing past substance use.
• Withdrawing from supportive people.
• Feeling hopeless or “stuck.”
• Skipping healthy routines like sleep, nutrition, and exercise.
• Increased secrecy or minimizing of risks.

By noticing these early warning signs, people can reach out for support before things progress further.

A message of hope

Relapse does not erase progress. It’s a reminder that recovery is an ongoing process. The key is to learn from the experience, lean on your support system, and keep moving forward. Each time a person practices honesty, uses their recovery skills, and invests in recovery capital, they build a stronger foundation for long-term wellness.

National Recovery Month reminds us that recovery is possible, and millions are living proof. Whether you’ve had a smooth path or faced setbacks along the way, your journey matters—and it’s worth continuing!