Is It a “Minor Relapse” or a Lapse?

Is It a “Minor Relapse” or a Lapse?

Pop culture is alive with Jonathan Rhys Meyers comment about his "Minor Relapse.”  Quoting from US Magazine, The Byrd and the Bees actor — who has struggled with substance abuse for years — opened up about a "minor relapse" he recently had via Instagram on Tuesday, May 26 - see http://usm.ag/1d1P1k2 

What is described in this article is not so much a "minor relapse" as a "lapse," or a temporary return to substance use. The distinguishing characteristics of a "lapse," as opposed to a "relapse," include: (1) a prompt return to abstinence, and (2) steps taken to learn from the lapse so that one's recovery is enhanced as the result of the experience.

Experiencing a lapse, although never recommended as a therapeutic step in recovery, can provide insight regarding vulnerable points in one's recovery and alert one to "triggers" that can initiate the urge to use. It is as likely that such "vulnerability" is related to positive or "good things" as it is to problems and challenges as they both represent risks to one's recovery.

When experiencing a lapse, it is important to take steps to ensure it results in a "prolapse" rather than a "relapse." A "prolapse" is the realization of the issue(s) that prompted the return to temporary use and learning from it (them) so as to strengthen both one's resolve to remain sober and ability to do so. This generally involves the opportunity to review if not deconstruct the "lapse" with a sponsor in a self-help program or professional counselor or therapist, but can result from serious self-reflection. The most important element of a "prolapse" is the ability to get outside one's own head and look, objectively, at the factor(s) that facilitated the lapse in the first place. It is also important to recognize that a relapse is NEVER an event; it is always a process. This process can start hours or days or even weeks before the "event" of picking up. Recognizing the process can often result in averting the lapse and, unaddressed, an ultimate relapse.

In summary, a "prolapse" results from acting on a lapse rather than reacting to it. When one "acts on" the lapse, there is the opportunity to learn from the experience and, paraphrasing Nietzsche, realize that, "what does not kill you make you stronger." If one simply feels guilty because of the lapse, what is called the "abstinence violation effect," that guilt is a reaction to the experience and all but guarantees progressing into relapse.

To read more on the topic of “lapse” vs. “relapse,” visit http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh23-2/151-160.pdf

What do you think?

Dr. Robert