Boulder Care

What If I Return to Use?

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Key Points

  1. It takes time for cravings to go away
  2. Periods of cravings can come out of nowhere and put you in a rut. This can lead to reuse
  3. Make a reuse prevention plan and follow it before return to use happens

Returning to Opioid Use Can Happen

Even when in recovery, many people unintentionally return to opioid use. This return to use can happen at any point in your recovery. It may mean using for a day or so or a longer time. Either way, your hard work and commitment to wellness still counts.

There may be a trigger for using again—running into an old friend, a stressor at home, finding an old syringe, ongoing cravings—or maybe there isn’t a clear reason. No matter the case, your Boulder Care Team, will work with you to help prevent it from happening again, and keep moving towards your goals.

10 Common Triggers that Can Lead to Return to Use

  • Withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, nausea, physical weakness; see Managing Withdrawal)
  • Post-acute withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, irritability, mood swings, poor sleep)
  • Poor self-care (not enough stress management, too much or too little eating and sleeping)
  • People (friends you’ve used with before, a call from your dealer)
  • Places (where you’ve used or bought substances before)
  • Things (that were part of your using, or that remind you of using)
  • Uncomfortable emotions (H.A.L.T.: hungry, angry, lonely, tired)
  • Relationships and sex (can be stressful if anything goes wrong)
  • Isolation and boredom (gives you too much time to be with your own thoughts)
  • Pride and overconfidence (thinking you don’t have a drug or alcohol problem, or that it is behind you)

When People Return to Use

Using again after a period of recovery can lead to feelings of frustration, guilt, shame, or hopelessness. People may feel as though their recovery is derailed and can’t imagine getting it back on track. Or they may feel as though they were fooling themselves with treatment and that using again is inevitable. This is a normal feeling, but not an accurate one.

People relapse. Return to use doesn’t mean you have failed, it means there’s more work to be done. Addiction is a complex disease and “recovery” is a process. Our job at Boulder is to help you understand the complexity of the disease and help you move forward in strengthening your recovery and reaching your personal wellness goals.

What Boulder Will Do to Help

Boulder does not punish people for returning to use. We’re here for you. As soon as we learn about your return to use, we first want to make sure you are safe—that you are using opioids or other substances as safely as possible (see Safer Use).

Then we’ll work together as a team to better understand your situation. Are there people, places, or things that need to be avoided? Is your buprenorphine dose helping enough with cravings? Is there a particular stressor in your life we can talk through? Recovery is not a single “event.” Recovery is a process of recreating your life without drugs, and this takes time. Boulder will stand with you through this journey.

Working Together as a Team

Your Boulder Team—Peer Recovery Specialist, Care Advocate, and Team Clinician—will work with you to find your way forward. This may mean more frequent visits, addressing certain difficulties you’re facing, or having extra time with a Peer Recovery Specialist. A wise person once said, “recovery is simple, not easy.” Your Boulder Team will support you without judgement and walk with you through your journey.

You can do this.

Summary

People can return to substance use throughout their recovery. Our job at Boulder is to make sure you are safe, work with you on Reuse Prevention Planning, and work toward your life goals. Your Care Team is here for you.

Action Steps

  1. Regularly discuss and create a reuse prevention plan with your Peer Recovery Specialist (see Reuse Prevention Planning)
  2. Make notes of activities prior to periods of obsessions and / or high anxiety

References and Resources

Questions, concerns, or feedback?

You can send a message to your Care Team in the app with non-urgent questions or feedback, or call us at 888-316-0451.

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