Early Warning Signs for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Relapse
Attitude and Thinking Changes
Losing interest in your recovery or treatment plan
Thinking that you can use some alcohol or drugs to stay in control
Urges and impulses to use drugs or alcohol
Remembering only the pleasurable part of addiction & forgetting about the pain
Making decisions that put you in high risk situations for relapse
Not caring about yourself and what happens in your life
Thinking that therapy and/or medications aren’t needed anymore
Thinking of hurting yourself or someone else
Having difficulty thinking or speaking clearly
Seeing or hearing things that other’s can’t see or hear
Mood or Emotional Changes
Feeling sad, depressed, or hopeless-feeling like giving up
Becoming too energetic, excited, and feeling “on top of the world”
Feeling anxious, nervous, restless, or “on edge”
Feeling bored, empty, or lonely
Feeling lost, aimless, or without any direction
Feeling angry and hating other people
Feeling distrustful and suspicious of others
Feeling negative, cynical, or pessimistic
Cutting down/stopping AA, NA, dual recovery, or support group meetings
Cutting down/stopping regular contact with your sponsor/recovery group
Missing counseling appointments without calling in
Missing other appointments or work without calling in
Withdrawing from other people and keeping to yourself
Putting yourself in high risk situations where there is pressure to drink or use
Stopping exercise or meditation program; stopping healthy habits
Cutting down/stopping medications without discussing it with your doctor/nurse
Changes in Daily Living or Physical Changes
Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; starting to sleep too much
Changes in appetite; weight loss or weight gain
Changes in personal hygiene habits (stop showering, brushing teeth, or shaving)