If you are thinking about getting sober, you have probably heard the term “relapse” before. In terms of alcohol abuse, a relapse is a return to drinking after a period of abstinence. An example would be Michael who was 9 months sober when he went out to a bar with friends and became intoxicated. He proceeded to drink heavily for the next week before resuming his sobriety.

Other less commonly used terms are lapse and slip. There are different definitions of these terms floating around, but a lapse may be viewed as an abbreviated return to substance use after a period of sobriety. For example, instead of Michael drinking heavily for an entire week, he had a few drinks over the course of one night and subsequently went home and resumed his sobriety the next day. A slip may be viewed as the unintentional consumption of alcohol after a period of sobriety. For example, say Michael attended a wedding and ordered a soft drink. Unbeknownst to him, he was served someone else’s drink order, which contained alcohol. He took a sip, realized that the drink was alcoholic, and then quickly threw it out. 

Know that relapses and lapses are common, and while they don’t have to be part of your recovery journey, they don’t invalidate the progress you made in the days, months, or years leading up to picking up a drink. What’s important is that you reflect (not ruminate) on what happened, why it happened, and how to avoid it in the future. A relapse can be a powerful learning experience and bring about growth opportunities to strengthen your sobriety.