RELAPSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. RELAPSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS AT SUNSHINE COAST

1. Alumni Program (30-day)

2. Rapid Stabilization Program (7-day) for alumni

3. Refresher Weekend Program for alumni

III. FOR MORE INFORMATION

I. INTRODUCTION

If you have been through treatment before, the following scenario may seem familiar:

You enter treatment. You’ve resigned yourself to feeling hopeless about your life or anxious about the future. During treatment, these feelings start to lift. In fact, you haven’t felt this good for years. As you leave treatment, you feel ready to tackle the mess you left at home, confident that the negative thoughts and feelings that led you to drugs and alcohol are behind you.

After you get home, however, you start to feel frustrated that you’ve changed but everything else is the same. The support that you turned to in treatment (your peer group, your counsellor, etc.) is no longer there. Over time, you grow increasingly disillusioned and hope is replaced with disappointment. You decide to tough it out and fix the problem yourself. You miss counselling appointments. You no longer spend time with sober friends and family. You stop going to meetings …

What happens next depends on the individual. However, if relapse is the eventual outcome there’s no need to feel ashamed or doomed to failure. At Sunshine Coast, we don’t shy away from the “R” word. In fact, we have programs designed specifically to address relapse.

II. RELAPSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS AT SUNSHINE COAST HEALTH CENTER

Several relapse prevention options are available as follows:

1. ALUMNI PROGRAM (30-day)*

Program Description

Clients who attend the Alumni Program will deepen their understanding and ability to manage high risk situations and, furthermore, learn new and more effective ways to manage the thoughts, feelings, urges and reactions (TFUAR’s) that arise as a result of core personality and lifestyle problems.

Much of the individual counselling and related client work is designed to identify stressors and implement relapse prevention techniques as well as other strategies. Each week, clients will present to their peer group a written exercise related to their own relapse warning signs, relapse cycle, and relapse stressors. Clients also learn to recognize when they are slipping into the emotional or mental phase of the relapse process.

Admission Criteria

• Successful completion of any residential program offered at Sunshine Coast Health Center
• Satisfactory funding plan prior to admission

 

Clients are not required to re-apply for admission to the Alumni Relapse Prevention Program if they have completed treatment at Sunshine Coast Health Center within the past year.

Program Fee

For more information on the fee for the Alumni Program contact Admissions toll-free at 1-866-487-9010 or refer to the Fee Schedule section.

2. RAPID STABILIZATION PROGRAM (7-day)*

Introduction to Rapid Stabilization Program

The Rapid Stabilization Program is a seven-day intensive program offered to Sunshine Coast alumni who require early intervention services. Rapid stabilization is designed to avert an imminent return to drugs or alcohol or to intervene in the early stages if relapse has occurred.

Why Rapid Stabilization?

Sunshine Coast Health Center recognizes that alumni returning to their home communities may struggle with sobriety to such an extent that a return to substance use may begin to seem like a logical solution.

During this period of unstable thinking, alumni may be temporarily incapacitated and may no longer be willing or able to continue their schedule of support group meetings and/or counselling sessions.

Program Description

During the Rapid Stabilization Program, alumni learn how to turn an emotional relapse or brief lapse into an opportunity to better understand their own unique relapse cycle.

Clients are assigned a counsellor for their week-long stay and will have three guaranteed one-to-one sessions with a counselor. Clients will also have an opportunity to share their story with peers, as well as attend regularly scheduled group therapy and education sessions with the rest of your peer group.

Admission Criteria

• Successful completion of any residential program offered at Sunshine Coast Health Center
• Client has maintained abstinence or is in the early stages of a return to drug or alcohol use (within 72 hours)
• Client does NOT require detox prior to attending the Rapid Stabilization Program

 

Review Process

The Nursing Supervisor and Program Director will review kinds, amount, and frequencies used to ensure the client does not require medical attention prior to arrival. If the client has used alcohol and could be at risk for seizure, then medical detoxification will be considered mandatory.

Exclusionary Criteria

• Sustained drinking or drug use ¹ beyond a 72 hour period
• Client is not an alumni of Sunshine Coast Health Center
• Client was discharged prior to completion of the Primary Program or Relapse Prevention Program against staff advice (ASA) or at staff request (ASR).

(1) Note: excluding prescribed medications

Alumni are not required to re-apply for admission for the Rapid Stabilization Program.

Program Fee

For more information on the Rapid Stabilization Program refer to the Fee Schedule section.

Disclaimer to Rapid Stabilization Section

Due to the urgent nature of rapid stabilization, normal admission procedures are set aside to facilitate quick admission. Please note that alumni cannot be guaranteed a residential bed if program enrolment is at capacity. If a residential bed is not available, clients will be required to stay in a medical bed until a residential bed comes available.

Sunshine Coast Health Center reserves the right to (1) refuse clients who do not meet admission criteria, or (2) are suspected of intentionally understating the duration, frequency, and amounts involved in a return to drugs or alcohol. Clients will be assessed by the Nursing Supervisor and, if necessary, will be provided medical detoxification services until medical clearance is granted by the Medical Director. Sunshine Coast Health Center reserves the right to transfer admitted alumni to Powell River General Hospital if medical staff is not available to monitor the client. All incurred medical fees are the responsibility of the client.

Clients who have experienced a complete relapse or multiple short-term relapses are recommended to enroll in the Alumni Relapse Prevention Program (30-day).

3. REFRESHER WEEKEND PROGRAM *

Exclusive to Sunshine Coast Health Center, alumni are welcome to take advantage of complimentary refresher stays to reconnect with staff and peers. Refresher Weekend Program participants are encouraged to join in all groups and activities. Please note that this program is not designed for alumni who are struggling in recovery.

 

CONCLUSION

While relapse is preventable, clients who complete treatment can find themselves in situations where the urge to drink or use drugs is overpowering.

At this critical moment, individuals have the opportunity to throw themselves headlong back into their addictions or immediately seek help and learn from the event as a teachable moment.

A relapse can become a teachable moment when an individual gains more insight into their addiction and as a result finds a better way to manage recovery as well as intensify their overall recovery program.

At this stage in your recovery, a quick response is critical.

III. FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on relapse prevention programs offered at Sunshine Coast Health Center contact the Admissions Department toll-free at 1-866-487-9010.

For information on relapse prevention that is more general in nature, visit the Psychological Modalities section.