talking about. They may start to get excited – 'Look what I am doing’ – and their self-esteem gets a boost.” By the Maintenance Stage , clients have made modi cations in their lifestyles and they start working to prevent relapse, Ammons says. “That can go back and forth; they may slip between stages of change, usually between action and maintenance, until they get it right.” In the maintenance stage, “people continue to do the things that got them to the point of recovery – whether that is going to meetings, working the steps, or continuing with mental health counseling,” Gould says. “The continual rebuilding of a person is going on.” The client may relapse, but the counselor can help the client make the relapse a learning experience, Ammons says. The counselor can do that by helping the client analyze the thinking and behavior – and/or the trigger – that led up to the relapse. “Relapse starts way before the person 'picks up,'” Ammons says. Well before the actual relapse takes place, the client may have started to change their thinking, without realizing it, Ammons says. They may drift away from the positive habits that have enabled their recovery so far. Often, stress and boredom are underlying factors, especially if the client does not have a support network they can call. With relapse, a client may slide back as far as the pre-contemplation stage, “back into the denial they started out with. They may talk themselves back into denying they have a problem.” How the client deals with relapse can set the stage for their continued growth in recovery – or their lack of success. Overall, the process of change in recovery is not easy, Gould says. “It's an active process, something that requires action, not something you sit by and let happen. You have to put in some work.” “IT’S AN ACTIVE PROCESS, SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES ACTION.” - Dwayne Gould, treatment counselor, New Life 51
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