Relapse

Relapse has been defined in numerous ways in the literature, ranging from any return to substance use after treatment to a return to substance use at a similar or greater level than prior to treatment. In any case, relapse is the modal outcome for individuals who receive substance abuse treatment, with approximately 40% to 60% returning to substance use within 1 year of treatment. Understanding the process of relapse is central to treatment of addictive disorders and can help clinicians and their clients to intervene in the process to guard against relapse or to reduce the severity or length of relapse. The following paragraphs [Page 773]describe G. Alan Marlatt and associates' cognitive behavioral model of relapse. Relapse to substance use after a period of abstinence, ...