Relapse Prevention Plan

Relapse Prevention Plan

Grand Canyon University: PCN-501

Relapse Prevention Plan

Client: Jed Fox

Client Age: 38 years old

Client Family Situation

Jed’s father was an abusive alcoholic who frequently physically abused their mother, Jed, and his brother regardless if he was drunk or sober. Jed is presently married to Emily, and they have been together for eight years. Jed and Emily have two daughters who are six and eight years old. Jed’s drinking has started to put a strain on Emily and Jed’s relationship. Jed often gets angry and defensive when Emily approaches him about his drinking and lack of involvement with their daughters. Jed does not have a close relationship with his mother or his brother.

Client Agreement

I, Jed Fox, agree to stop drinking and have accepted that I need support through this process. I agree to visit a physician for a physical assessment and afterwards entering into a detox treatment center for a duration of seven days (American Addiction Centers, 2017).Upon my release, I agree to attend group support meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A) and receive support from a sponsor. I have agreed to complete 90 meetings in 90 days, the 90 in 90 rule, for A.A. After my first 90 days, I will attend at least five A.A meetings a week or more if needed (Caldwell & Cutter, 1998).

I will also attend Individual Relapse Prevention Therapy and group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy weekly to help me on my journey to sobriety (SAMHSA, 2017). I acknowledge that I need the support from my family through this process, and have agreed to be more involved with their activities, communicate better with them, and be open to go to church. I will start engaging in activities that are healthy and avoid high risk situations. I agree to fulfill the court ordered treatment plan for the complete duration. After I have completed that treatment plan, I will re-evaluate my recovery progress with my family and counselor to continue through treatment.

What is the Relapse Plan if the Client Relapses?

If Jed relapses, he is to immediately follow this plan:

Call his A.A Sponsor

Call his counselor

Call a crisis hotline

Apply what he has learned in his CBT and Relapse Prevention Therapy to: exercise, spiritual practice, meditation, and evaluate his warning signs inventory.

Talk to Emily about the relapse and plan to avoid further problematic behavior.

Attend A.A. meetings more frequently or personal counseling.

If he finds himself in a dangerous or vulnerable situation, he can call his sponsor to come pick him up and take him to a safe location.

High Risk Situations

High risk situations for Jed are those that tempt him to drink. Some of the situations that trigger his need to drink are spending time with friends that like to drink after soccer games, uncomfortable social situations, anxiety, and arguments with Emily. It is important for Jed to understand what his triggers are and how to handle high risk situations. The client will need to develop sufficient coping skills through therapy which will help when these situations arise. Most relapse situations are caused by three kinds of high risk situations which are frustration and anger, interpersonal temptation, and social pressure (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016, pg. 290).

Behaviors and Irrational Thoughts Cause Relapse

Jed understands that negative emotions are a reason for a cause in relapse. Jed feels uncomfortable in social situations, lack of sleep, grumpiness, anxiety, isolating himself physically and emotionally, and feelings regarding his father all of which are triggers for Jed that are high risks for relapse. The client acknowledges that his irrational thoughts through CBT and being aware of his relapse warning signs will help him to understand his underlying reason to use alcohol as well as how to address them. If Jed is experiencing any of these emotions or thoughts, he will learn how to cope with these feelings in a healthy manner such as calling his sponsor or speaking with his counselor.

Coping Skills to Remain Sober

The client understands that he has been using alcohol as his only coping strategy. Jed will learn new coping skills that are healthy to maintain his sobriety. In order to make sure that he is more successful in his recovery. Jed has agreed to include his family and friends throughout all aspects of his life. Some of the coping strategies that Jed will start using are exercise, meditation, mindfulness, spirituality, attend A.A meetings as needed for support, and changing his perception through learning new behavior, social, and communication skills (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016, pg. 288-289).

New Activities

New activities are important in Jed’s recovery as it will help take the place of the time he would have spent drinking as well as help to restore broken relationships with Jed’s family. Jed likes to play sports and participate in physical activities, and it would be beneficial for him to branch out to find new teams as his current team could be a trigger. The client will participate in new activities such as going to A.A. meetings daily, join family soccer teams to play on the weekends, go to the gym and invite Emily at least three times a week, and participate in his daughter’s team sports. In the future when Jed has progressed through his recovery farther, he would like to coach his daughter’s teams on the weekends. Jed will also partake in meditation and less stressful activities before bedtime every night to help him relax.

Jed’s Family Involvement

An important part of Jed’s recovery is to involve his family in the relapse prevention plan. A way to get everyone involved is through education. Emily and Jed’s daughters have learned that support does not mean blaming, passing judgment, or shaming Jed. The client will involve them through their family therapy sessions, ALNON meetings, and the list of relapse warning signs will be placed on the refrigerator. Jed’s mother will also be joining in on several family therapy sessions so that Jed can address the issues about his father. Emily is aware of Jed’s relapse prevention plan, knows the A.A. meetings he is attending, and the support groups so she can show support for his progress.

Jed’s Family and Ethnic Culture Impact on Relapse Prevention Plan

Jed is from an Irish descent which can impact his relapse prevention plan because it is common in Irish homes for alcohol to be an important part of everyday life as well as family gatherings. Jed is aware that attending a family gathering is a high risk situation and should be fully capable of understanding his triggers before attending. In therapy, Jed created a genogram so that he could see how his family’s history and culture has played a role in his alcohol abuse. Through Jed’s CBT he learned that his past will not define his future, he believes in himself and his support system that can help change his behavior.

Community Resources Available for Jed

In Arizona there are a lot of community resources available for Jed. Jed is an active person, there are many outdoor adventures that he can partake in with his family such as hiking, skiing, swimming, and going to sporting events at his local sporting complex. A.A meetings are very abundant in Phoenix and if Jed were in the need of support he could find one almost at every time throughout the day from five in the morning to eleven at night (Salt River Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2017). Attending A.A meetings will help Jed with his social skills and help develop new healthy relationships. Jed can also participate in volunteer coaching programs through the local YMCA. The client can also participate in church retreats with Emily to help build their relationship as well.

Sobriety Card for Jed

Emily is important to have on his sobriety card because he needs to be able to communicate and be honest with his family. Having Emily on the card shows her that Jed is serious about his recovery as well as willing to communicate through his recovery process. Jed’s sponsor is important to Jed because John is a source of support for him within the A.A. meetings and outside the meetings. A sponsor is someone who has first-hand experience through the recovery process and can share personal experiences to help support their sponsoree. The counselor is necessary for the sobriety card because a counselor can help them by providing them with extra resources that are available in the community, but also to help Jed talk about his relapse. A crisis hotline and Phoenix A.A hotline are both available twenty-four hours a day which helps Jed in case other individuals are not available. These lines of communication help him to receive extra support during a time where he is vulnerable as well as receive more information about other resources in the community.

References

American Addiction Centers. (2017). Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment, Symptoms and Timeline with Visuals. Retrieved from

http://americanaddictioncenters.org/withdrawal-timelines-treatments/alcohol/

Caldwell, P. E., & Cutter, H. S. (1998). Articles: Alcoholics Anonymous Affiliation During Early Recovery. Journal Of Substance Abuse Treatment, 15( pg. 221-228). doi:10.1016/S0740-5472(97)00191-8

Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2016). Foundations of addictions counseling (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Salt River Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymouse. (2017). Meetings. Retrieved from http://aaphoenix.org/meetings/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2017). Behavioral Health Treatments and Services. Retrieved from

https://www.samhsa.gov/treatment