Relapse prevention as self-growth, not surveillance

A lot of relapse prevention is framed as surveillance. Watch for the triggers, count the days, stay alert. It works for a while, and then it becomes exhausting, because it asks you to organise your whole life around something you are trying to move away from.

A different framing

I have created a relapse prevention model of self-growth and development which addresses cognitive, emotional and behavioural issues focused around creating a new life in recovery. The distinction matters. The subject of the work is the life you are building, not the substance you are avoiding.

The three strands

• Cognitive. The beliefs and thought patterns that make a drink look like a reasonable solution to a specific feeling.
• Emotional. Bringing self-acceptance and closure to emotional and psychological fixations towards drinking, rather than suppressing them and waiting.
• Behavioural. Putting personal balance, structure and self-regulation back into your life, so that the day has a shape that does not depend on willpower.

Individually tailored around your needs with time managed accountability.

Accountability that is managed, not imposed

Time managed accountability means we agree what you are working on and when we will look at it together. It is not a test you can fail. It is the difference between an intention and a commitment, and it is the part most people cannot do alone, which is precisely why coaching helps.

Working on resistance

Long term transformation tends to stall in the same place: inner tension and resistance that has not been named. Pinpointing and overcoming that resistance is a large part of what we do, because it is usually the thing quietly setting the ceiling on everything else.

The aim is to develop your self-belief and emotional resilience, so that you can live life on life’s terms with lasting fulfilment and peace of mind in your sobriety.