A big part of recovery is learning how to handle challenging situations without slipping back into old patterns of use. If you are in recovery from substance use, you likely will face situations that may heighten your risk for relapse. Recovery can be challenging, but support is available when you need it.
The better you can recognize high-risk situations, the greater your chance of staying on track for a successful recovery.
A note on language: we use person-first terms like “people with substance use disorder” because they reduce stigma and reflect the medical nature of the condition.
What Are High-Risk Situations in Recovery?
A high-risk situation is any event that threatens a successful recovery. Whether they stem from your surroundings or your emotional state, high-risk situations can threaten your recovery in various ways.
For example, a circumstance that stirs up unpleasant emotions such as loneliness, isolation, depression, or anxiety may cause you to feel as if there’s no hope without drugs or alcohol.
Here are 15 common high-risk situations in recovery:
- Severe stress at home or work
- Arguments or money disagreements with a loved one
- Having extra cash on hand
- Fatigue or exhaustion
- Loneliness, isolation, or boredom
- Anger, anxiety, guilt, or helplessness
- Dwelling on past mistakes
- Being offered drugs or alcohol
- Parties where alcohol or drugs are present
- Hearing others talk about the “good times” of using
- Returning to people or places tied to past use
- Using mood-altering substances, like sleeping pills, marijuana, tranquilizers, or alcohol
- Compulsive behaviors, like overworking, overeating, or gambling
- Believing you can safely use again
- Celebrating a milestone or a big win
The Risk for Relapse Falls Into Three General Categories
Relapse risk generally falls into three categories:
Low-risk situations:
Low-risk situations are circumstances in which you are unlikely to relapse. One example is returning to a place from your past where you never used drugs or alcohol.
Moderate-risk situations:
These situations include times when you could be triggered to misuse drugs or alcohol.
High-risk situations:
High-risk situations include circumstances, emotions, or environments most strongly linked to past substance use.
High-Risk Situations to Avoid in Recovery
A high-risk situation can be interpersonal, situational, or emotional. Examples include:
Interpersonal conflict:
Interpersonal conflicts can result in negative emotional states. These may, in turn, increase a person’s risk for relapse. Examples of these high-risk situations include arguments with a spouse or loved one, financial disagreements, or marital problems.
Social pressure:
Social situations can test your self-control during recovery. Examples include, but aren’t limited to, being offered drugs while walking home or to your place of work, attending parties where alcohol and drugs are present, and watching others use drugs or alcohol.
Negative emotional states:
Negative emotional states can be risky for those in recovery. While activities such as meditation, exercise, or listening to music can help you avoid negative emotions, sometimes these feelings still pop up. Boredom, sadness, anger, anxiety, and stress are all common emotional experiences people in recovery face.
Positive emotional states:
While positive emotional states should, of course, be celebrated, it’s still important to stay aware of relapse risk. Feeling confident about a promotion at work, celebrating a milestone, or feeling nostalgic about a place that brings back good memories can represent high-risk emotional states.
How to Cope With High-Risk Situations as a Person in Recovery
Terry Gorski, a well-known relapse prevention specialist, outlined several key steps that go into creating a relapse prevention plan:
- Stabilization: Embark on the first steps on your path to recovery.
- Assessment: Identify and resolve any negative thinking or behavioral patterns that contributed to past relapses.
- Relapse education: Understand the process of relapse.
- Warning signs identification: Make a list of triggers and situations that increase relapse risk. When you understand the warning signs of relapse, it’s easier to stay on track.
- Warning signs management: Create a coping strategy to deal with the triggers or signs outlined in the previous step.
- Recovery planning: Initiate conversations and activities with people who will help you resist temptations and previous tendencies.
- Inventory training: Establish routines to evaluate, anticipate, and avoid high-risk situations.
- Family involvement: Bring your family in if you can, since their support can make a real difference in sustaining your recovery.
- Follow-up: Remember that recovery is an ongoing process. Review your triggers and implement coping strategies on an ongoing basis.
Develop a Relapse Prevention Plan
Sometimes, you can’t avoid high-risk circumstances in recovery. In these cases, having a relapse prevention plan in place can help you respond to triggers in responsible, healthy ways.
A good coping plan is specific. Start with the situations most likely to trigger you, then write down exactly what you will do, who you will call, and where you will go when each one comes up.
Build a Recovery Circle
Building a recovery circle is a powerful way to avoid high-risk situations. Having people you can contact during stressful moments can make relapse prevention feel more manageable. A recovery circle should include:
- Support groups
- Counselors
- Health professionals
- Friends and family members whom you trust
Benefits of Joining a Recovery Support Group
By joining a support group, you can learn what strategies have been successful for others in recovery and have a safe place to talk about challenges and progress.
You can choose from several groups, many of which involve a 12-step process. These include:
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- Gamblers Anonymous (GA)
- Cocaine Anonymous (CA)
- Marijuana Anonymous (MA)
- Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families (ACA)
Other support groups not based on the 12 steps include Secular Organizations for Sobriety, Women for Sobriety, and SMART Recovery. Every group has its own culture, so if medication is part of your treatment, it helps to ask whether a group welcomes people on medication-assisted treatment before you commit.
Let MedMark Treatment Centers Support You on the Road to Recovery
MedMark supports people living with opioid use disorder, and their loved ones across the United States.
Contact us today to start the treatment process or learn more about opioid use disorder.
FAQs
What Are High-Risk Situations in Recovery?
High-risk situations in recovery are events, emotions, places, or social settings that may increase the risk of relapse. Recognizing these situations early can help you respond with healthy coping strategies and support.
What Are Common Relapse Warning Signs?
Common relapse warning signs include increased stress, isolation, cravings, changes in mood, spending time around people or places connected to past substance use, and thinking you can safely return to substance use.
How Can I Avoid High-Risk Situations for Relapse?
You may not be able to avoid every high-risk situation, but you can prepare for them. A relapse prevention plan, trusted support system, counseling, and healthy coping skills can help you manage triggers before they become overwhelming.
What Should Be Included in a Relapse Prevention Plan?
A relapse prevention plan should include your personal triggers, warning signs, coping strategies, trusted contacts, treatment resources, and steps to take if you feel at risk of relapse.
Can Support Groups Help Prevent Relapse?
Support groups can help many people feel less alone in recovery. They offer a safe place to share experiences, learn from others, and build connections with people who understand the recovery process.
When Should I Reach Out for Help?
You should reach out for help if you feel overwhelmed, notice warning signs of relapse, experience strong cravings, or feel unsure about how to stay safe in recovery. Support is available, and asking for help is a positive step.
Sources and Citations
- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (1999) Chapter 4—Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. In: Brief Interventions and Brief Therapies for Substance Abuse. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 34. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64948/ (Accessed October 16, 2026).
- Shafiei, E., Hoseini, A.F., Bibak, A. and Azmal, M. (2014) High Risk Situations Predicting Relapse in Self-Referred Addicts to Bushehr Province Substance Abuse Treatment Centers. International Journal of High Risk Behaviors & Addiction, 3(2), e16381. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4080483/ (Accessed October 16, 2026).
- Gorski, T.T. (1982) Counseling for relapse prevention. Independence, MO: Independence Press. Available at: https://archive.org/details/counselingforrel0000gors/ (Accessed October 16, 2026).
