What Is an Alcohol Relapse?

A relapse doesn’t occur all at once. There are usually 3 stages in the relapse process, and identifying them can help you avoid a full-blow return to drinking.

There are a lot of misconceptions about a relapse on alcohol or drugs. Sometimes, we think that a relapse is a failure or proof treatment didn’t work. Neither is true. Relapse is something that can but doesn’t have to be part of the recovery process. It’s also not a sudden event. Instead, there are stages of relapse. By being aware of these stages of relapse, you may be able to identify the signs early on in yourself or someone else and take steps to adjust what’s happening before there’s a full-blown relapse.