What Is a Relapse Prevention Plan?

A relapse prevention plan is a personalized, written document that identifies your triggers, warning signs, coping strategies, and support contacts. It is your emergency roadmap — created when you are thinking clearly, for the moments when you are not.

Building Your Plan: Step by Step

Step 1: Identify Your Triggers

Triggers are situations, emotions, people, or places that increase your risk of using. Common triggers include:

• Emotional: Stress, loneliness, anger, boredom, grief, anxiety
• Environmental: Places you used to use, certain neighborhoods, bars/parties
• Social: People you used with, relationship conflict, peer pressure
• Physical: Pain, fatigue, hunger (HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired)

Step 2: Recognize Your Warning Signs

Relapse is usually a process, not a single event. Early warning signs include:

• Romanticizing past substance use
• Isolating from support systems
• Skipping meetings, therapy, or medication
• Returning to old patterns (hanging out with old friends, visiting old places)
• Increased irritability, anxiety, or mood swings

Step 3: List Your Coping Strategies

• Call your sponsor, peer support specialist, or trusted friend
• Attend a meeting (AA, NA, SMART Recovery)
• Exercise, walk, or engage in physical activity
• Practice grounding techniques (5-4-3-2-1 method)
• Journal about what you’re feeling
• Remove yourself from the triggering situation

Step 4: Emergency Contacts

Write down specific names and phone numbers:

• Your therapist or counselor
• Your sponsor or recovery coach
• 2-3 sober friends you can call anytime
• Crisis line: 988
• SAMHSA Helpline: 1-800-662-4357

Step 5: What to Do If You Use

If a slip occurs, it does not erase your recovery. Your plan should include:

• Reach out to your support system immediately — do not isolate
• Seek medical attention if needed
• Return to treatment — find a provider near you
• Treat yourself with the same compassion you would offer a friend