Hi MISSMARIA! welcome to the forum..I thought you had some writing on here,but its gone.I will tell you what our literature tells us!Relapse is a sign that we have a reservation(illusions can take us back to sickness) in our program!It says we are never forced into relapse and we are given a choice.It also says we revert back to our sickest behaviors without even having to use drugs..We need to remove from ourselves any "mind altering mood changing substances(a large area)It also tells us alcohol is a drug!As addicts we tend to "rationalize "situations as well its not that bad or only,or well maybe,but 'HONESTY" is the anitdote to diseased thinking>>I know addicts who have changed their clean date because they may have taken prescription drugs or unwittingly used.We do not give advice,but suggest, if you think you may have relapsed its not a shame,the shame is not making it back.It can bring about a more rigorous application of this program. Hope you keep coming back...We are all here .one addict ,trying to help another......peace
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
Before you define "relapse" you need to define "addict". As in, "Am I an addict?" Funny thing - the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text has an entire chapter devoted to answering that question.
Now, how to define relapse? There again is a whole chapter devoted to "Relapse and Recovery" in the NA Basic Text.
I suggest you read those.
If in fact you can define yourself (and only you can decide) as an addict in the NA sense of the word, then it becomes instantly obvious what a relapse is.
If you have relapsed or do not want to relapse, I cannot recommend highly enough your going through "Relapse and Recovery" and underlining every suggestion in that chapter than can help you stay clean.