Relapse Prevention and Recovery Support Flashcards

A client in long-term recovery reports feeling invulnerable and skipping mutual aid meetings because 'I've got this figured out.' This attitude is best described as:

Answer: Complacency as a relapse warning sign

Overconfidence and reduced engagement with support structures is a classic complacency warning sign that often precedes relapse.

Which neurocognitive function most directly impairs a client's ability to recognize their own relapse warning signs?

Answer: Impaired working memory

Working memory deficits compromise self-monitoring and the ability to recall and apply relapse prevention strategies in real time.

In Marlatt's cognitive-behavioral model, a 'seemingly irrelevant decision' (SID) refers to:

Answer: An apparently minor decision that moves the client closer to high-risk situations

SIDs are small, ostensibly unrelated choices that covertly set up relapse opportunities without the client acknowledging the risk.

A client with opioid use disorder in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) relapses to alcohol. The counselor's first priority should be:

Answer: Assessing medical safety and adjusting the treatment plan collaboratively

Relapse to any substance requires immediate safety assessment and collaborative treatment adjustment while maintaining therapeutic alliance.

Which strategy best addresses the 'abstinence violation effect' (AVE) after a lapse?

Answer: Helping the client attribute the lapse to controllable, situational factors rather than personal failure

Reframing the lapse as a situational learning opportunity rather than character failure reduces shame and decreases the likelihood of full relapse.

A recovery support specialist (RSS) differs from a licensed addiction counselor primarily in that an RSS:

Answer: Offers peer-based lived experience support rather than clinical services

Recovery support specialists draw on personal recovery experience to provide non-clinical peer mentoring, navigation, and community connection.

When developing a relapse prevention plan, including 'emergency contact scripts' for high-risk moments is most useful because:

Answer: It reduces cognitive load during craving peaks when planning ability is impaired

Pre-written scripts lower the barrier to reaching out when stress and craving impair executive function and spontaneous help-seeking.