Recognising addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disorder characterised by compulsive drug seeking and use can impact society's overall health and social policy strategies. Research statistics continue to show that most people who have received alcohol and/or drug treatment in recovery programme, still have difficulty for relapsing.

Researchers and physicians inform that many addicts are deficient in neurotransmitter (chemical substance that transmits nerve impulse) which drives them to seek relief from pain or to gain pleasure.

When one stopped using alcohol or other drugs, s/he probably falls down into depression, angriness and sometimes has a panicky mixture of terror and despair. Who would want to return to that? There is some ways to prevent relapse.

Relapse is a process of moving away from stable recovery-based thinking, feelings management and healthy behaviors towards addictive thinking, feelings mismanagement and so on.

An overexcited, agitated nervous system and the lack of adequate dopamine (a neurotransmitter that induces sense of euphoria and well being) and serotonin (deficiency of it causes depression) leave an individual feeling anxious and depressed. All the time, the brain is demanding relief or pleasure restoration.

The primary focus of early relapse is a high risk situation, where one recognises the need to abstain from alcohol and other drugs in order to resolve his current problems and face situations which could cause him to use alcohol or drugs in spite of his commitment to abstain. Here, the main goal is to identify immediately when s/he is at risk of using drugs. Do not minimise thoughts of using or being over-confident about your recovery. Simply use your recovery tools to prevent relapse.

Competency in this area will allow you to get back on track and continue to prevent your problems from getting worse. You must be able to abstain from alcohol and other drugs before you can successfully work on psychotherapy issues for long-term recovery.

The secondary focus in relapse prevention is on core personality problem and core lifestyle problem. Core personality problems are built upon a system of mistaken beliefs.

Core lifestyle problems are the dysfunctional relationships and habits of daily living that support and justify the problems. These issues will have to be resolved if you are to learn how to maintain long-term abstinence. The issue is — you recognised that you were addicted, learned primary recovery skills with how to identify and manage high risk situations first. Now you have a solid foundation in recovery. So it is the time to explore and change your personality and primary lifestyle problems to say goodbye to drugs.

The writer is Manager of Life and Light Hospital, Dhaka. E-mail: mangrove0x2@yahoo.com