San Diego Sober Living - Recovery

How to Handle a Slip-Up in Sobriety: Recovery Steps & Prevention

In the 2024 Hollywood comedy Sweet Dreams, actor Johnny Knoxville stars as Morris, a video director whose addiction recovery plan includes staying in a sober living home and coaching its misfit residents to compete in a softball tournament. While Sweet Dreams relies on slapstick and absurdity for comedic effect, many of the scenes are permeated by the realism delivered by actors such as Jay Mohr, Bobby Lee, Davionte Ganter, and Theo Von. These are all American comedians whose struggles with addiction have made tabloid news headlines, particularly when they “fell off the wagon” through lapse or relapse.

During the movie’s publicity tour, Bobby Lee was interviewed by the Metro Philadelphia newspaper, and he had the following to say about slipping a couple of times along his recovery journey.

There Are Many Ways to Recover but Only One Way to Slip Up

The 52-year-old Lee was a teenage addict who successfully recovered when he was 17. He has relapsed three times since, most recently after his father passed away in 2019. Something he appreciated about Sweet Dreams is that his character had gone through two other types of recovery treatment before getting a court order to enter a sober living home. Lee went through this, and he hopes viewers realize recovery can be accomplished through different methods, including taking advantage of support offered by Encinitas sober living housing, and none are exempt from the potential of lapse and relapse episodes. With slip-ups in sobriety or during recovery, miscalculation is the only causal factor.

Lapsing Is Expected in Recovery & Sobriety

To a great extent, what happened to Lee when he relapsed was common. His first slip-up after six years of sobriety was a bit unusual, but he handled things well by going back to counseling. His most recent episode was severe. It required inpatient rehabilitation and two years of therapy. If you tally the studies on relapse during recovery, lapsing is expected for more than 60 percent of patients, and it’s not a major concern. Early relapse is more likely to happen in the first few months of recovery, and it’s considered generally easy to treat. Lapsing during sobriety isn’t a cause for concern. A relapse, however, could be problematic if you think it will hook you back into dependency.

Reacting Proactively to Slip-Ups

When you’re conscious of the slip-up, escaping the situation is the best way to deal with it. If it happened at a bar or at a party, leave the scene as gracefully as possible. If it hits you like a crisis, seek support from friends or loved ones. If it continues to bother you, walk into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and explain what’s happening. If you slip more than once, or if the episode left you with a regrettable hangover, the right course of action would be to contact an addiction recovery specialist to determine if detoxification is required.

Preventing Future Slip-Ups

Not everyone is wired for abstinence. While the AA ethos gets practical by celebrating each day without drinking as the best of your life, you can’t ignore millions of people who are sober even if they’re not 100 percent dry. The problem is when you start feeling tormented by slip-ups. This is the most dangerous threat to sobriety. Don’t forget to dedicate time for self-reflection. Make sure to apply mindfulness and other coping skills you learned during recovery.

If you’re newly sober and you need help with avoiding relapse, call on the compassionate team at Casa Pacifica. Along with providing men’s sober living in Encinitas, we work with our individual residents to develop customized plans that integrate treatment, aftercare, and recovery support. Our services include sober companionship, coaching, and mentorship for those who are recovering from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. For more information about our sober living facilities, call us today.